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Unimaginable scenes as Baltimore bridge collapses

<p>The tranquil waters of Baltimore's Patapsco River turned tumultuous in the early hours of Tuesday following a catastrophic event that shook the city to its core. The aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse has left a community reeling, with one confirmed fatality and six individuals still missing as rescue efforts persist amid harrowing conditions.</p> <p>The calamity unfolded when a mammoth container ship lost power, careening into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the US East Coast. The impact tore through the bridge's supports, sending vehicles and people plummeting into the frigid river below. In the chaos that ensued, heroes emerged as authorities swiftly responded, managing to halt traffic on the bridge, averting further catastrophe. However, the toll was already significant, with one individual confirmed dead and six others, believed to be part of a construction crew, still unaccounted for.</p> <p>As the day wore on, Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace provided updates on the situation, indicating that one survivor had been rescued and rushed to a local trauma centre in critical condition. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard initiated a relentless search for the missing individuals, leveraging sonar technology to scour the depths of the river.</p> <p>The vessel responsible for the devastation, known as the <em>Dali</em>, was under the management of Synergy Marine Group, navigating under the Singapore flag. Although the crew and pilots were reported safe, the repercussions of the collision have reverberated far beyond the immediate vicinity. US President Joe Biden has pledged federal support for the reconstruction efforts: "This is going to take some time," he said. "The people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."</p> <p>The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge not only claimed lives but also severed a vital link in the region's infrastructure. The Port of Baltimore, a bustling gateway for maritime commerce, now faces significant disruption, with vessel traffic suspended indefinitely. The reverberations of this tragedy extend beyond Baltimore, with logistical challenges expected to ripple along the entire East Coast.</p> <p>As the day progressed, stories of resilience and compassion emerged. Retired Chief Donald Heinbuch, startled from his sleep by the rumbling impact, bore witness to the unimaginable destruction. "Never would you think that you would see physically see the Key Bridge tumble down like that - it looked like something out of an action movie," he said. "And you just think about, most importantly, which is what we all should be thinking about right now, nothing but those families and people that are impacted and those people who are risking their lives right now, for not just Baltimore City and Baltimore County but all over the state, to try to save lives. That should be our focus - the preservation of life. Because no one wants to see that happen, let alone someone in their family someone that they know, be injured in an incident like this."</p> <p>Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott echoed the sentiments of a community in shock, emphasising the paramount importance of preserving life above all else.</p> <p><em>Images: Streamlive | 9News</em></p>

Caring

Billy Joel lists New York estate for $73 million

<p>Legendary rocker Billy Joel is <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/billy-joel-in-tears-over-career-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying goodbye to The Big Apple</a> as he prepares to sell his jaw-dropping estate.</p> <p>The New York native’s property on the affluent Oyster Bay Harbour has a price guide of a staggering US$49 million (AU$73.4 million).</p> <p>According to the Wall Street Journal, the 26-acre estate comprises the original 14-acre property Joel bought for $22.5 million in 2002 and the adjoining area he’s purchased over the years.</p> <p>The property covers more than 600m of frontage on Centre Island, with the focal point of the estate being the 1,858 sqm main house with breathtaking water views.</p> <p>The home includes five bedrooms, six bathrooms, two half-baths, a playroom, a spa and hair salon, a bowling alley, and a wine centre.</p> <p>There is also an indoor pool, which the Piano Man singer has covered up to use as a music room as it offers fantastic acoustics, according to listing agent Bonnie Williamson, of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.</p> <p>Parts of the main house are under renovation and are expected to be finished over the next several months.</p> <p>The magnificent estate also has a three-bedroom beach house, a three-bedroom guest apartment, and a four-bedroom gatehouse.</p> <p>Other amenities include a floating dock and boat ramp, two outdoor pools, and a helicopter pad.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

Tourist faces $10k fine for jumping into iconic harbour

<p>Footage surfaced online of the man leaping from Opera Bar, just a few metres away from the Opera House.</p> <p>While his jump was certainly surprising, what shocked viewers was the hefty fine the tourist could be slapped with following his return from the water.</p> <p>Security helped the man back over the harbour ledge before telling him the risky stunt could see him $10,000 poorer.</p> <p><iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7235491102143401234&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40futuretravellers23%2Fvideo%2F7235491102143401234%3Flang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2Fo03m1enFIeAeQNC0aCDgjQIXDXzvbjDTIIabA4%3Fx-expires%3D1686200400%26x-signature%3DoWRm%252BIslhOfB81xvrV77sRxfWog%253D&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>“Well there's a very good reason why you've never seen anyone jump into the sea from the Opera House... I'll show you why,' Future Travellers said in a TikTok clip.</p> <p>In a second TikTok, the young man is seen talking to a group of police officers.<iframe title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7239141948261534984&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40futuretravellers23%2Fvideo%2F7239141948261534984%3Flang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2Fbc76967996de4cefb23cfe5e6930fddc_1685494092%3Fx-expires%3D1686200400%26x-signature%3DSY8QPztxLxbP%252FPfYm4itGUmYloE%253D&key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>However, a number of viewers commenting about the eye-watering fine also noted it was the least of the swimmer’s worries.</p> <p>"I'm a Sydney gal and it's not the $10,000 that scares me, it's the huge bull sharks that lurk in those waters,' one person wrote.</p> <p>“It’s a busy shipping lane and if it was full of floating tourists the ferries couldn't run,” another said.</p> <p>“I'm sure if he got run over by ferry his family would be suing NSW government for compensation,” a third added.</p> <p>Others were skeptical of the large fine.</p> <p>The official fine for swimming around the Opera House is a maximum of $1,100 with the law stating a person must not “swim to and enter on any part of the Opera House premises or swim from any part of those premises”.</p> <p>Several others were impressed by the young man’s jump and slammed NSW for being a “nanny state”.</p> <p>“Welcome to Sydney, please do not do anything,” one person remarked.</p> <p>“This guy is an absolute legend,” another wrote.</p> <p>'Only $10,000 per dip? It's probably cheaper to live in the harbour than some apartments. Sign me up,' a third joked.</p> <p>“Australia has a fine for everything,” another claimed.</p> <p>Earlier footage of the risky trick was shared alongside a montage of the tourist showing his British mum around Australia.</p> <p>The first video left viewers astounded with one writing, “In all my life living in Sydney I've never seen anyone jump in at the opera house!”</p> <p><em>Image credit: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Italian historian makes major Mona Lisa breakthrough

<p dir="ltr">A small town in Tuscany is revelling in excitement after it was claimed that a bridge in the backdrop of the Mona Lisa belongs to the town. </p> <p dir="ltr">Italian historian Silvano Vinceti determined that the bridge in the background of the most famous portrait in the world is in fact the Romito di Laterina bridge in the province of Arezzo: about 80km southeast of Florence. </p> <p dir="ltr">Leonardo da Vinci painted the masterpiece in Florence in the early 16th century, and ever since, it has been subject to disputes over the inspiration for the portrait. </p> <p dir="ltr">The identity of the woman in the painting - who is widely believed to be Lisa del Giocondo – has triggered as much speculation as the distant backdrop.</p> <p dir="ltr">Past theories have identified the bridge as Ponte Buriano, close to Laterina, as well as Ponte Bobbio in the northern Italian city of Piacenza.</p> <p dir="ltr">Using historical documents and drone images, and by making comparisons between the painting and photographs of the area, Vinceti said he is confident it was “the Etruscan-Roman bridge, Romito”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Vinceti told reporters in Rome that the most telling detail of the bridge’s identity is the number of arches. </p> <p dir="ltr">The bridge in Leonardo’s painting had four arches, as did the Romito. Ponte Buriano, on the other hand, has six arches, while Ponte Bobbio has more than six.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another telltale sign, according to Vinceti, is the fact that the bridge was once a “very busy, functioning bridge”, that provided a shortcut between Florence and Arezzo.</p> <p dir="ltr">Simona Neri, the mayor of Laterina, said Vinceti’s theory had caused a lot of excitement in the town of just over 3,500 people. </p> <p dir="ltr">She said, “We need to try to protect what’s left of the bridge.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

How Ryan Gosling shut down Sydney Harbour Bridge

<p>Footage has emerged from the set of Ryan Gosling’s new film <em>The Fall Guy</em>, which was filmed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this Sunday.</p> <p>The iconic bridge was shut off in both directions today from 3 am to 10 am, with commuters redirected as the structure was closed off.</p> <p>The cycleway and footpath was also closed from 5.30 am to 10am.</p> <p>In a clip shared on <em>Sunrise </em>on Monday, Gosling's stunt double can be seen filming the high-speed stunt.</p> <p>The stunt double was filmed during an action-packed chase, where he was holding on to a shovel that was hanging on the back of a truck that sped across the Harbour Bridge.</p> <p>The actor and his stunt double were seen talking on set, wearing the same outfit, the red bomber jacket and the actor's stunning looks standing out in the picture.</p> <p><em>The Fall Guy</em> is a movie adaptation of a 1980s TV series about a crime-fighting stuntman.</p> <p>Gosling, his wife Eva Mendes and their two children touched down in Sydney last September.</p> <p>The power couple have been spotted multiple times in Sydney, running errands, hanging out at a park in Rose bay, and trick-or-treating as a family in Bondi last Halloween.</p> <p><em>Image: Sunrise/ Bill Hearne</em></p>

Movies

About 200 dead whales have been towed out to sea off Tasmania – and what happens next is a true marvel of nature

<p>Australians watched in horror as 230 pilot whales became stranded at a beach near Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast. Some whales were saved, but the vast majority died. This left a big problem: what to do with all the rotting whale carcasses?</p> <p>Authorities decided to tow the dead animals out to sea, hoping they’ll eventually sink to the seafloor.</p> <p>Such mass whale strandings are sad to witness. But in this case, the aftermath presents a fascinating opportunity for scientific discovery.</p> <p>As the dead whales decompose, an astonishing and rare chain of events is likely to flow through the marine ecosystem – ultimately leading to an explosion of activity and new life.</p> <h2>A 600-tonne problem</h2> <p>Mass whale strandings happen fairly regularly – especially in Tasmania – yet no one really knows why.</p> <p>Days before this latest incident, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-20/sperm-whales-stranded-off-king-island-tasmania/101457406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14 sperm whales</a> became stranded off King Island, northwest of Tasmania.</p> <p>And in 2020, about 470 pilot whales <a href="https://theconversation.com/like-trying-to-find-the-door-in-a-dark-room-while-hearing-your-relatives-scream-for-help-tasmanias-whale-stranding-tragedy-explained-146674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became stranded</a> at Macquarie Harbour. While many were pulled out to sea, some of those carcasses washed up and were left to rot on the beach – an entirely natural process.</p> <p>However, pilot whales are big animals. Males weigh up to 2,300kg, which means they take a long time to decompose. The smell of two tonnes of rotting whale blubber soon becomes unbearable, so carcasses are frequently buried.</p> <p>This time around, authorities <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-25/whale-carcasses-towed-out-to-sea-after-mass-stranding/101471166" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided to tow</a> the dead animals out to sea. The ABC reported local salmon farm workers took almost 11 hours to dispose of 204 dead whales with a combined weight of between 500 and 600 tonnes.</p> <p>They were tied to a 400 metre-long rope and towed by boats for 40 kilometres, before being dropped into deep water in the Indian Ocean.</p> <p>Some carcasses may wash back to shore, but most are likely to disperse with the tides and currents.</p> <h2>Shark bait? Probably not</h2> <p>The big question is: what happens to all that whale mass dumped at sea?</p> <p>Initially, a dead whale tends to float to the surface as it begins to decompose and its innards expand with gas. As this happens, ocean scavengers such as sharks and seabirds are likely to feast on the remains.</p> <p>Some people <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-14/do-buried-whale-carcasses-really-attract-sharks/10996512" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can be concerned</a> that whale carcasses attract sharks that might pose a risk to humans.</p> <p>Granted, encounters between sharks and humans, are <a href="https://theconversation.com/fatal-shark-attacks-are-at-a-record-high-deterrent-devices-can-help-but-some-may-be-nothing-but-snake-oil-150845" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the rise</a> in Australia and elsewhere. But they’re still very rare.</p> <p>A <a href="https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/167613/swim-humpback-whales-risks-sharks.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> to the Western Australian government in 2012 found whale carcasses were a risk factors associated with shark attacks, and said caution should be exercised near a dead whale in the water.</p> <p>But the same report noted that of 26 shark attacks investigated, the highest number occurred more than a kilometre offshore. While there is no doubt <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00655" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharks are attracted to dead whales</a>, the data is <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/news/beached-whales-are-a-lure-for-hungry-sharks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not clear</a> on whether a whale carcass leads directly to an increase in shark attacks on people.</p> <p>Research <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419301854?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has shown</a> the likelihood of whale carcasses washing towards shore, where shark scavenging can be observed, is low. So as long as the carcass is taken far from shore and people keep their distance from it, the threat to humans from shark encounters appears to be exceedingly low.</p> <h2>From death comes new life</h2> <p>Inevitably, the whale carcass will start to sink. Most life in the ocean is found fairly close to the sea surface, so if the water is relatively shallow much of what’s left of the carcass will be quickly eaten by scavengers once it reaches the sea floor.</p> <p>But these carcasses have been disposed of in deep water. The deep ocean can be a barren place, where rich food sources are rare. So the appearance of a single whale carcass can supercharge an entire ecosystem.</p> <p>New life and activity can erupt around the dead animal in very little time. This process is known as “whale fall” and has been studied by scientists, sometimes using remotely operated vehicles. On the seafloor of the North Pacific, whale fall has been found to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.885572/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support the survival</a> of at least 12,490 organisms of 43 species.</p> <p>Deep sea sharks will make the most of the carcass. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZzQhiNQXxU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A host of other animals</a> including hagfish, octopus, crabs, lobsters, worms and sea cucumbers will join in too. All the while bacteria work away quietly in the background.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-happens-when-whales-die.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to</a> Britain’s Natural History Museum, a single whale can provide animals with food for up to two years during the scavenging stage.</p> <p>Other animals and bacteria survive off the chemicals produced from the rotting carcass.</p> <p>These organisms, known as “chemotrophs” were thought to be unique to underwater volcanic vents, where they use hydrogen sulphide as the principal energy source. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.2337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> has shown a similar suite of animals recruit around dead and decaying whales – generating a completely independent ecosystem based on a gas that <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-happens-when-whales-die.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smells like rotten eggs</a>.</p> <p>Only a few organisms can break down the bones that remain, in a process that might take up to ten years.</p> <p>So take a moment to consider the effect of 204 whale falls in a small part of the ocean off Tasmania. Right now, they are probably generating interconnected marine metropolises, the likes of which are rarely seen.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/about-200-dead-whales-have-been-towed-out-to-sea-off-tasmania-and-what-happens-next-is-a-true-marvel-of-nature-191340" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

"Almost knocked me out": Shaq and Hasbulla's Sydney Harbour stoush

<p>Pint-sized superstar Hasbulla has finally touched down in Sydney, sending his huge fanbase into a frenzy.</p> <p>The social media sensation shared a cheeky clip on his Instagram story over the weekend of him and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal together on a yacht in Sydney Harbour.</p> <p>Quite the mischievous start flowered into a beautiful friendship between two of the most popular celebrities on the planet. The pair were both in Sydney for public engagements and while it remains unclear why they linked up, the meeting sent social media crazy with everyone buzzing over the adorable clip.</p> <p>The video posted to Shaquille’s Instagram from aboard the yacht shows Hasbulla playfully striking the three-time NBA champion.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChwWdsbs7KX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChwWdsbs7KX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“(Hasbulla) almost knocked me out,” O’Neal wrote.</p> <p>Hasbulla tweeted the same video saying: “Australia has been great, Shaq isn’t even that tall."</p> <p>O’Neal then posted on Monday morning, after what was no doubt a busy weekend of back-to-back events for the two, showing them together asleep on a couch with the caption “tired boss”.</p> <p>The rendezvous saw the likes and retweets coming in thick and fast.</p> <p>O’Neal’s jam-packed trip saw the basketball superstar visit Melbourne for the sold-out fan experience “An Evening with Shaquille O’Neal” at Melbourne’s Margaret Court and DJ gigs late last week before he headed to Sydney for the second stop of the touring event.</p> <p>Hasbulla is also in Australia for his “Hasbulla visits Down Under” tour. The beloved 19-year-old was born with a rare Growth Hormone Deficiency condition that is responsible for his diminutive size. He quickly gained a following on social media in 2020 thanks to his fight training and adorable prank videos.</p> <p>Hasbulla has a fiercely loyal fanbase, clocking up billions of views with high engagement on his content. What can we say, he is a very loveable little man.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Why turning old city bridges into new urban parks is such a great idea

<p>The recent opening of the <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castlefield-viaduct/features/a-garden-in-the-sky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Castlefield Viaduct Sky Park</a> in Manchester, UK, has brought fresh attention to the growing number of projects that reuse urban infrastructures to create linear parks.</p> <p>When the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jun/07/paris-promenade-plantee-free-elevated-park-walkway-bastille-bois-de-vincennes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Promenade Plantée</a> opened in 1993 on top of an abandoned railway viaduct in Paris, it was reportedly the first of its kind. It provided local residents a green escape, ten metres above the tarmac of the street below, and a beautiful, three-mile meander from the Bois de Vincennes to Bastille. The opening of New York’s fabled <a href="https://www.thehighline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">High Line</a>, in 2009, further cemented this type of urban regeneration as something for cities to aim for.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ztZl6fYuXhQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Post-pandemic, finding innovative ways to eke out accessible green spaces in the urban environment is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-cities-can-add-accessible-green-space-in-a-post-coronavirus-world-139194" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more urgent than ever</a>. Doing so provides <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-021-10474-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-green-cities-to-become-mainstream-we-need-to-learn-from-local-success-stories-and-scale-up-119933" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmental</a> benefits alongside <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-investing-in-green-infrastructure-can-jump-start-the-post-coronavirus-economy-139376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic</a> ones, by <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promoting</a> biodiversity, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721036779" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mitigating</a> air pollution, and in some (though <a href="https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2019/09/the-solution-to-urban-heat-is-not-one-size-fits-all/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not all</a>) cases, reducing <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6458494/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the heat island effect</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477844/original/file-20220805-7920-f8qtwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Plantlife spills over the edges of an elevated railway above a busy intersection" /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The High Line in Manhattan.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-usa-july-2017-entry-1371108503" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Krzysztof Stefaniak | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>How a local approach to high lines is needed</strong></p> <p>Since the 2000s, city planners across the world have tried to replicate what has been called <a href="https://publicjournal.online/the-high-line-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“the High Line effect”</a>. Built on top of a disused stretch of elevated freight rail line in western Manhattan, the High Line garnered considerable <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/arts/design/09highline-RO.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x4e1dALkhc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a> coverage from the outset. It has been rightly championed as a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/arts/design/15highline.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">success story</a>, attracting eight million visitors a year and <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nycs-high-line-park-marks-10-years-of-transformation/1646268/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fostering new economic activity</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8H8dqMjUCo?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>But not everywhere else is wealthy Manhattan. By reinvigorating the industrial heritage and cultural identity of a place, this approach can <a href="https://idus.us.es/bitstream/handle/11441/116705/TS2_Libro-de-Actos_-Proceedings-Book-1-655-669.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase tourism</a> which can have mixed results.</p> <p><a href="https://cityparksalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Equity_and_Parks_Funding_7.16.19.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recent research</a> has shown that without policies in place to ensure that lower-income local communities can enjoy the benefits of newly greened spaces, including health benefits, these projects can actually exacerbate inequality by raising property values and causing the displacement of long-term residents who can’t afford to stay. Urban planning experts talk about green gentrification, as has been noted in the case of the <a href="https://www.chicagoreporter.com/green-gentrification-and-lessons-of-the-606/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">606 linear park in Chicago</a>, among others.</p> <p>Instead of simply trying to copy what has been done elsewhere, this type of regeneration is best done when attuned to the local heritage. As Historic England <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/wellbeing-and-the-historic-environment/wellbeing-and-historic-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has emphasised</a>, the best way to steward heritage sites and the historic environment is by keeping people’s wellbeing in mind. In particular, it’s about giving local people a voice, a place to be active and a sense of belonging.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477850/original/file-20220805-26-ub4qtg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Signposts at a junction in a pedestrianised green space." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The 606 elevated trail in Chicago.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/chicago-usa-september-20-2018-chicagos-1184490604" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Why reusing existing structures is best</strong></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-have-reusable-cups-bags-and-bottles-so-why-are-our-buildings-still-single-use-171345" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adapting</a> existing infrastructure is an integral part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/future-cities-new-challenges-mean-we-need-to-reimagine-the-look-of-urban-landscapes-151709" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rethinking the city</a> in an era of <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150152/a-july-of-extremes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate emergency</a>. The era of <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1587078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grand visions for public parks</a> is largely over, as most cities are already full. Both spatially and economically, forming large green spaces from scratch is not possible.</p> <p>Reworking old railway lines and bridges into parks, conversely, contributes to a wider strategy of adaptive reuse and what designers term <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/948304/urban-acupuncture-regenerating-public-space-through-hyper-local-interventions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urban acupuncture</a>. Since the 1960s, <a href="https://theconversation.com/parks-help-cities-but-only-if-people-use-them-103474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pocket parks</a> have been created out of small, hidden or overlooked bits of land between existing buildings.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477847/original/file-20220805-22-e4y1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A pond set between planted beds in an elevated walkway." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The Promenade Plantée in Paris.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seoul-korea-21-september-2019-top-1539297443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joao Paulo V Tinoco | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>The hyper-local nature of this type of urban greening makes it easier for residents to access and benefit from these spaces. As pressure increases on how we use resources and keep carbon in the ground wherever possible, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-021-10474-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enabling everyone</a> to have access to green space for <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-parks-and-waterways-in-cities-could-prevent-premature-deaths-study-finds-170973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health reasons</a> is critical.</p> <p>This can be challenging in those cities where a large proportion of residents do not have access to private gardens. Capitalising on a city’s vertical space – as elevated walkways do – is a huge advantage in high-density cities where significant pressure on ground-level space exists. What’s more, the structures being turned into parks are usually found in those parts of a city that are post-industrial and in need of regeneration.</p> <p>In terms of environmental impact, these parks have great potential. Each year the High Line, for example, <a href="https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/high-line" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sequesters</a> over 1.3 tons of atmospheric carbon and its tree canopies collect over 24,340 gallons of stormwater.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477848/original/file-20220805-12-mu1w4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="An overhead shot of an elevated park in a city centre." /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">The Seoullo 7017 Skygarden.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/seoul-korea-21-september-2019-top-1539297443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keitma | Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>Further, by reusing existing industrial structures rather than demolishing and replacing them, embodied carbon can be <a href="https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/15481-continuing-education-embodied-carbon-adaptive-reuse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept where it is</a>. Research on the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/143/1/012061" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seoullo 7017 Skygarden</a> in Seoul, a linear park built atop a disused highway overpass which cuts across the city’s main rail station, has shown that rewilding and landscaping urban infrastructures is more cost effective and less environmentally impactful than completely replacing them.</p> <p>There is growing evidence of how important <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/67/9/799/4056044" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biodiversity in cities</a> is, not just during daylight hours but <a href="https://theconversation.com/cities-need-to-embrace-the-darkness-of-the-night-sky-heres-why-149129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at night</a> too. Reused infrastructure projects can play an important role in providing ecological corridors across <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179121000074" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cities for nocturnal creatures</a>. Supporting both human and non-human life in this way is a valuable step towards <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/cities-ecosystems-biodiversity-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">improving</a> the sustainability and resilience of places.</p> <p>Linear parks thus <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329947799_The_Sustainable_Vertical_City_Research_Project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weave nature</a> into the flow of a city. They support wildlife. They encourage sustainable transport and physical activity (walking, biking, jogging). They are, as landscape architect Diana Balmori puts it in her 2010 book, <em><a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300156584/a-landscape-manifesto/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Landscape Manifesto</a></em>, dynamic spaces: “not peaceful retreats but ways”.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188182/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-dunn-131665" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nick Dunn</a>, Professor of Urban Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/lancaster-university-1176" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lancaster University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-turning-old-city-bridges-into-new-urban-parks-is-such-a-great-idea-188182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Real Estate

Entire HARBOUR up for grabs in epic seaside sale

<p dir="ltr">If you’re in the market for somewhere to house your boats that’s just a stone's throw away from pristine beaches, this unusual property could be the one for you - and it costs less than the <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-property-prices-in-sydney-and-melbourne-record-first-quarterly-fall/73549c4c-88c3-42a9-aa11-f1e58b5440ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">average home</a> in Sydney.</p> <p dir="ltr">For just £500,000 ($AUD 867,000 or $NZD 960,000), you could snap up Sandside Harbour in Caithness, Scotland, according to <a href="https://search.savills.com/property-detail/gbabruabr210016" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the listing</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">The listing describes it as a “unique private stone harbour” built in around 1830, which comes with a traditional net store and bothy - basic living quarters - located on the store’s upper floor.</p> <p dir="ltr">The harbour is still functional, boasting “immaculate stone-built harbour walls”, two piers that form a basin, and a slipway boats can launch from, including local leisure boats and a few used for lobster and crab fishing on a “grace by favour basis”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Currently, the building is unoccupied and the listing notes that it needs “extensive upgrading”. With its double-height ceiling on the ground floor, originally used to hang fishing nets, potential buyers could consider converting it to create additional accommodation or incorporate it into the bothy flat to create “a spectacular single dwelling.</p> <p dir="ltr">The building has direct access to the harbour and is immediately adjacent to white sandy beaches that are surrounded by cliffs and inlets teeming with birds and other wildlife.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sandside Beach, a hidden gem that’s thought to be one of the least visited beaches in the country, is also right on the harbour’s doorstep.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the potential to develop the area or simply enjoy its natural offerings, Sandside Harbour’s new owner is sure to get plenty of bang for their buck.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6211d055-7fff-36ad-f53b-b642b8002c31"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Savills Realty</em></p>

Real Estate

New details revealed in Operation London Bridge

<p dir="ltr">New details have emerged about Operation London Bridge, the codename for the plans for when Queen Elizabeth dies.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Royal Household has made a request to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers to sound bells in religious buildings using muffles - a pad of material attached to the ball of the bell clapper - to create a more solemn sound.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have spent a lot of time talking to the Royal Household and Lambeth Palace about the day the monarch passes, which we hope will not be any time soon,” Vicki Chapman, the spokeswoman for the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, told the <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10703457/Leatherworkers-flooded-orders-church-bells-muted-Queen-dies.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Adding muffles makes bells sound mournful, more like a hum - so they will sound like thud, thud, thud rather than dong, dong, dong.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is about paying due reverence to the service of the monarch and commemorating her life.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Church bells are sometimes rung half-muffled for Remembrance Day and funerals, but the full muffle is reserved for the monarch’s death.</p> <p dir="ltr">As a result, many churches have realised their supply of muffles has rotted over the years, having been left unused since the death of the Queen’s father, King George VI, 70 years ago.</p> <p dir="ltr">This has prompted a surge in demand for leather workers to make more muffles, which Philip Pratt of Big Wilf’s Bell Muffles near Bristol knows all about.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Muffles are a specialist product and only a very few leather manufacturers in the UK make them,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Pratt added that the company has received “a lot of enquiries” and has been “taking on more and more orders”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The details come as the Queen is expected to celebrate her 96th birthday on April 21.</p> <p dir="ltr">The monarch, who has suffered mobility issues of late and has had to withdraw from several in-person events, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/10/covid-left-me-exhausted-queen-tells-bereaved-couple" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently revealed</a> how catching COVID-19 left her “very tired and exhausted” after testing positive for the virus in February.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b00381f1-7fff-610a-034b-debd9982475f"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Daylight robbery: Men arrested for nicking a bridge

<p dir="ltr">Eight men have been arrested in the Indian state of Bihar for stealing an iron bridge in broad daylight.</p> <p dir="ltr">When several men arrived in the village of Amiyavar with an excavator and gas torches, locals believed the government was finally removing an old metal bridge that had become more of a nuisance than useful.</p> <p dir="ltr">The men, including some from the state government’s irrigation department, arrived at 7am and worked until dusk for three days. They cut the iron with gas torches and loosened the ground with excavators before taking the metal away in a rented van.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, a local journalist told the <em><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61066473" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a></em> that no one knew the men were actually stealing the metal, before depositing it at the warehouse of a local scrap dealer for a profit.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-32b2bcb9-7fff-ed56-770b-ab3f202e8b92"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“No-one suspected it was a heist,” Jitendra Singh, a journalist who lives “200 metres from the bridge”, told the outlet.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Unique theft in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bihar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bihar</a>, thieves became officers of the irrigation department and stole a 60 feet long iron bridge</p> <p>In Nasriganj, Rohtas, thieves posing as officers, with the help of local personnel, 1/2<a href="https://twitter.com/UtkarshSingh_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UtkarshSingh_</a> 📽️ <a href="https://t.co/jhnTbUSYDw">pic.twitter.com/jhnTbUSYDw</a></p> <p>— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) <a href="https://twitter.com/sirajnoorani/status/1512521001719894017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The operation was reportedly supervised by Arvind Kumar, who worked part-time at the irrigation department. He allegedly told anyone who asked that “the work had an official sanction”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ashish Bharti, the senior police official leading the investigation, said Mr Kumar was one of the men arrested.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Irrigation department official Radhe Shyam Singh, the van owner and the owner of the scrapyard are also among those arrested. We are looking for at least four more people,” Mr Bharti said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Even three days ago, the structure of the bridge was there but suddenly it disappeared and we informed local officials,” Amiyaway local Suresh Kumar told <em><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/thieves-make-away-with-500-tonne-iron-bridge-in-bihar/article65305774.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hindu</a>.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Pawan Kumar, who lives in a neighbouring village, made the discovery that the operation wasn’t legitimate after he tried contacting Mr Singh and couldn’t reach him.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c265fe8a-7fff-0d81-4d02-497620f9bfa8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I tried calling irrigation department official Radhe Shyam Singh, but when he didn’t answer, I called a senior official to ask why they had not followed procedure - the authorities are expected to issue a tender and the work is given to the lowest bidder,” Mr Kumar told the <em>BBC</em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The remnants of the 500 tonne bridge that was stolen in Rohtas, Bihar. Pic via <a href="https://twitter.com/AmarnathTewary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmarnathTewary</a> <a href="https://t.co/AaB3Ohc41x">pic.twitter.com/AaB3Ohc41x</a></p> <p>— Nistula Hebbar (@nistula) <a href="https://twitter.com/nistula/status/1512713303797035011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The official told him he was unaware that the bridge had been taken down, prompting a complaint to be lodged with police.</p> <p dir="ltr">After conducting several raids, police have recovered 24.5 tonnes of iron scrap from the bridge, as well as the pick-up van and tools used to strip the bridge, per <em><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bihar-bridge-theft-case-water-resources-dept-official-seven-others-arrested/article65310750.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hindu</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The bridge in question was in a serious state of disrepair and had been out of use since the early 2000s, when a concrete bridge was built nearby.</p> <p dir="ltr">Journalist Jitendra Singh said the head of the village had sent a petition to authorities to remove the bridge since it had become a health hazard. </p> <p dir="ltr">He said bodies of cattle and even people would get stuck under the bridge after floating from upstream.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Over the years, all the wood used in the bridge had disintegrated and the iron had rusted. Thieves had stolen bits and pieces of the metal to put it to other use or sell it as scrap for a few rupees,” Shailendra Singh, who lives in the village, told the <em>BBC</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But what happened last week was daylight robbery.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Metal is stolen in many parts of India, as well as the US, UK and parts of Europe. </p> <p dir="ltr">In India, manhole covers and water pipes are common targets, while signalling and power cables, overhead line equipment, and clips to hold train tracks in place in England have caused thousands of hours of delays each year.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Legal

Police charge teen over horrific Harbour Bridge smash

<p dir="ltr">A 19-year-old Queensland man has been <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-09/police-identify-alleged-sydney-harbour-bridge-crash-driver/100895066" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> by detectives for allegedly stealing a car before causing a fiery three-car crash that closed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police were able to identify the man as Christopher Walker one day after releasing a photo of his arm and calling on the public to help. </p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-42ab4a56-7fff-a17b-f4f7-0a37536b382d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The image showed a distinctive tattoo of a large eye on Mr Walker's hand with wavy lines that extended across his fingers and wrist.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/tattoo.jpg" alt="" width="322" height="215" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Police released an image to help them identify the driver. Image: NSW Police</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-422bd487-7fff-c897-3d6e-a741b2a5d96a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">They allege he drove a Toyota Kluger SUV which swerved into oncoming traffic and careened into a van on Monday morning.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sydney?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sydney</a> Harbour Bridge closed due to a terrible multi-vehicle crash that brought all lanes to a standstill.<br />Motorists have been advised to avoid the area and use Sydney Harbour Tunnel instead.<br />Stay safe <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SydneyHarbour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SydneyHarbour</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dryadusingh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dryadusingh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DrAmitSarwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrAmitSarwal</a> <a href="https://t.co/umbbU6oiIg">pic.twitter.com/umbbU6oiIg</a></p> <p>— The Australia Today (@TheAustoday) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAustoday/status/1500600916746989572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Mr Walker remains in hospital under police guard, where he is being treated for suspected head injuries.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police have laid several charges against him, including dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and assault with intent to take/drive motor vehicle.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police also allege Mr Walker stole the keys to the SUV from a man he assaulted in the CBD just before 7am on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-70f75b7e-7fff-0c28-ab75-171c2294c000"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency services were then called to the three-car crash a short time later, after the SUV flipped on its roof and burst into flames during morning peak hour.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Sydney Harbour Bridge is closed and three people have been injured – including one who was trapped – after a horror head-on crash during peak hour.<br />Inquiries are continuing into the incident.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/australia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#australia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sydney?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sydney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/habourbridge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#habourbridge</a> <a href="https://t.co/1U05QgKMpV">pic.twitter.com/1U05QgKMpV</a></p> <p>— 5 News Australia (@5NewsAustralia) <a href="https://twitter.com/5NewsAustralia/status/1500671979023892480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The two other drivers were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries, with the van driver sustaining serious leg and pelvic injuries and a woman driving a Honda Civic sustaining minor injuries.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police have spoken to several witnesses over the past few days who were on the bridge at the time of the collision of saw the lead-up.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Walker <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/man-charged-over-fiery-harbour-bridge-crash-and-alleged-carjacking-20220309-p5a37w.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> before Central Local Court via a bedside hearing on Wednesday afternoon, where he was formally refused bail.</p> <p dir="ltr">He is due to appear in court again on March 23.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><em>Image: @5NewsAustralia (Twitter)</em></p>

Legal

Car explodes on Sydney Harbour Bridge

<p dir="ltr">The Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed on Monday morning following a multi-car crash where one vehicle burst into flames.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-553c63f2-7fff-2a3a-0726-0719df2b42a6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency services were called to the iconic bridge just after 7am after three cars collided, with one flipping and catching fire.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Woken by all the sirens streaming onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Hearing exploding fuel/gas tanks, acrid smoke plumes into the sky. Prayers 🤲🏼 <a href="https://t.co/0AfkDhfCbO">pic.twitter.com/0AfkDhfCbO</a></p> <p>— Laura Banks (@laurakatebanks) <a href="https://twitter.com/laurakatebanks/status/1500570546832310275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Images and footage from the crash show the fireball rising up from the flipped car in the citybound lane, with witnesses saying it rose up to three metres into the air.</p> <p dir="ltr">Those on the scene who helped the drivers out of the cars have been praised as “heroes”, including a nearby Traffic Management Centre worker who helped drag a van with a trapped man inside away from the fire after he heard the crash and raced to the scene.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two of the drivers - a man and a woman - were treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.</p> <p dir="ltr">The van driver was trapped in his vehicle for some time before he was freed by emergency services.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-066c225e-7fff-453c-ac16-d44b9de4cbcf"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">He was later taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a serious but stable condition.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dashcam footage of the crash on the Sydney Harbour Bridge this morning. Just horrific. No one is critically injured - what a miracle. <a href="https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstSyd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10NewsFirstSyd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/breaking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#breaking</a> <a href="https://t.co/zRgMXofUjQ">pic.twitter.com/zRgMXofUjQ</a></p> <p>— Charlotte Goodlet (@cgoodlet) <a href="https://twitter.com/cgoodlet/status/1500616289882353664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Fire and Rescue NSW extinguished the flames, with the organisation’s superintendent, Matt Sigmund, <a href="https://7news.com.au/travel/nsw-traffic/major-traffic-delays-after-fireball-breaks-out-on-sydney-harbour-bridge--c-5957213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirming</a> the driver had made it out of the vehicle before the fire started.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also said the man was incredibly lucky to escape.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Crews on arrival reported thick black smoke coming from one of the vehicles and we had heard reports of persons still in the vehicle,” Mr Sigmund told <em>Sunrise</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The driver that was trapped in the van is really lucky to have escaped at this stage.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4274b35f-7fff-5dac-1112-3e4ac1d45e82"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“The traffic commander from that depot actually drove up at the time of call, the van was located next to the car that was involved on fire, he hooked that van up and dragged it away from the car that was on fire.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/fire1.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="281" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 9News</em></p> <p dir="ltr">NSW Ambulance Inspector Giles Buchanan praised the bystanders and emergency service workers who rescued the drivers.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A number of bystanders and other emergency service workers who risked their lives to assist these patients are absolute heroes, we can’t thank them enough,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the vehicles was well alight when we arrived on the scene, it was an extraordinary effort to get the patient out of the vehicle safely.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Crash investigators have remained at the scene, while motorists have been <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-harbour-bridge-car-crash-car-in-flames/ff266b3b-55e1-44ba-80de-87071c78315b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> to avoid travelling towards the city and delay trips.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Those travelling towards the city should allow plenty of extra travel time and consider using the Sydney Harbour Tunnel or Anzac Bridge as an alternative,” Live Traffic Sydney said.</p> <p dir="ltr">EDITOR'S UPDATE</p> <p dir="ltr">Police allege that the Toyota Kluger’s owner was changing a tyre on the corner of Sussex and Goulburn streets in Sydney’s CBD when a man approached and started a conversation about the car.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There was a short scuffle which ensued and then the man got into the Kluger and drove it away headed towards the Harbour Bridge,” Sydney City Police Area commander Detective Superintendent Rohan Cramsie told 2GB radio.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’d certainly ask anybody who has witnessed the (alleged) stealing of that Kluger to come forward.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-07eee4e3-7fff-7adc-4976-b3b268362b30"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

World first tourism ad filmed atop Sydney icon

<p dir="ltr">A new advertisement from Tourism NSW has gone to new heights, featuring the first artist to film a music video on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.</p><p dir="ltr">Australian indie musician Azure Ryder recorded her own rendition of Nina Simone’s jazzy 1965 hit, <em>Feeling Good</em>, which is the soundtrack for the NSW government’s latest tourism campaign, Feeling New.</p><p dir="ltr">The ad sees Ryder traverse the Megalong Valley and Lincoln’s Rock in the Blue Mountains, before appearing at Mary’s Underground in The Rocks.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f1aef81b-7fff-abf4-c907-c88992f8cfb4"></span></p><p dir="ltr">The climax of both the ad and Ryder’s music video sees the artist performing on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s Southern Pylon.</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/Azure-Ryder-Feeling-Good-2-4-screenshot.png" alt="" width="1280" height="544" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Azure Ryder took part in a world-first, filming part of her new music video atop one of the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)</em></p><p dir="ltr">Stuart Ayres, who is both the Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade and the Minister for Tourism and Sport, said the clip truly showed off the diverse landscapes of NSW.</p><p dir="ltr">“I am delighted with the music video for the soundtrack behind our Feel New campaign. It captures all the things I love about our state,” Mr Ayres <a href="https://media.destinationnsw.com.au/feeling-good-nsw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c3088ace-7fff-ce64-4b6a-994eea96ecf3"></span></p><p dir="ltr">“We are incredibly blessed in NSW to have some of the most spectacular filming backdrops in the world and to have one of our brightest talents in Azure Ryder pay tribute to her home city and state this way highlights what incredible places Sydney and NSW are to live and visit.”</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/Azure-Ryder-Feeling-Good-1-23-screenshot.png" alt="" width="1280" height="544" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Azure Ryder collaborated with Tourism NSW to go to new heights, capturing this stunning view from Lincoln’s Rock in the NSW Blue Mountains. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)</em></p><p dir="ltr">Ryder said the experience filming the clip for <em>Feeling Good</em> was also quite special for her, capturing both the energy of her home state and the lyrics of the classic tune.</p><p dir="ltr">“The experience you will see through my music video is one that I grew up my entire life believing in,” Ryder said. “The importance of what our surroundings can teach us, show us how to feel, and ultimately teach us how to be human. </p><p dir="ltr">“The soul that Nina embodies and speaks of in <em>Feeling Good</em> is the soul that is all around us if we just step out, open our eyes, and look up to the beauty and the story written along mountaintops and city pavements.</p><p dir="ltr">“We are so lucky to have such magic on our doorstep.”</p><p dir="ltr">You can watch the new ‘Feeling New’ ad from Tourism NSW below.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZyNzRXFGnw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div style="padding: 16px"><div style="flex-direction: row;align-items: center"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px"> </div><div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0"> </div><div style="height: 50px;margin: 0 auto 12px;width: 50px"> </div><div style="padding-top: 8px"><div style="color: #3897f0;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 550;line-height: 18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"> </div><div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"><div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"> </div></div></div><div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px"> </div></div><p style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: 17px;margin-bottom: 0;margin-top: 8px;overflow: hidden;padding: 8px 0 7px;text-align: center"><a style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: normal;line-height: 17px;text-decoration: none" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZyNzRXFGnw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by New South Wales (@visitnsw)</a></p></div></blockquote><p dir="ltr">To see Ryder’s full music video, head <a href="https://youtu.be/geAG0J820lY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d41c3ada-7fff-e6da-6c50-9890fe55a02d"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Oliver Beggs & Reece McMillan (Tourism NSW)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

"COVID kicked my ass pretty good": Jeff Bridges' major health update

<p>Legendary actor Jeff Bridges has discussed his long battle with cancer, and with contracting COVID-19.</p> <p>The 71-year-old shared the first sneak peek from <em>The Old Man</em>, for which he is the star and executive producer, while also sharing a health update on his website.</p> <p><span>"My cancer is in remission — the 9" to 12" mass has shrunk down to the size of a marble. My COVID is in the rear view mirror," he said.</span></p> <p><span>"COVID kicked my ass pretty good, but I'm double vaccinated and feeling much better now," he continued, following up on a post from March where he </span>discussed how he contracted coronavirus at the same place he was undergoing chemotherapy for his lymphoma. </p> <p><span>"I heard that the vaccine can help folks with long haulers. Maybe that's the cause of my quick improvement."</span></p> <p><span>Jeff said he needed oxygen assistance after contracting the virus, but he overcome obstacles in his way to achieve a major milestone. </span></p> <p><span>"I had a goal — walking my daughter Hayley down the aisle," he wrote. </span></p> <p><span>"She was getting married to a wonderful guy, Justin Shane. Thanks to Zach [Wermers, physical therapist] and my terrific medical team, I was able to, not only walk Hay down the aisle, but do the father/bride dance with her without oxygen."</span></p> <p><span>Jeff shared the emotional moment of him dancing with Hayley at her wedding to the Ray Charles song Ain't That Love on his personal website.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

Lily Allen shares rare snaps of her daughters as flower girls

<p>Lily Allen has celebrated her first wedding anniversary with stranger things actor David Harbour.</p> <p>Marking this special occasion, the singer shared a video of the couple enjoying a romantic dinner, while also posting never before seen photos taken from their Las Vegas wedding.</p> <p>“1 year down with this guy. Happy Anniversary baby @dkharbour. I prefer my life with you in it. You can stay” Lily captioned the post with. Among these shared images were photos of Allen’s two daughters – Ethel and Marnie who were flower girls on the big day.</p> <p>In the sweet snap, the girls, who Lily Allen shares with ex-husband Sam Cooper, were dressed in cute matching pink ruffled dresses as they pink and orange roses.</p> <p>Allen wore a short blazer dress with a veil and the newlyweds then took Ethel and Marnie for a bite to eat at In-N-out burgers, which they then went on to eat in a car park.</p> <p>David Harbour wrote on Instagram “in a wedding officiated by the king himself, the people’s princess wed her devoted, low born, but kind credit card holder in a beautiful ceremony lit by the ashen skies courtesy of a burning state miles away in the midst of a global pandemic”. At the time he shared photos from the ceremony and car park reception.<br /><br />“Refreshments were served at a small reception following”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7KngMnprf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7KngMnprf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by David Harbour (@dkharbour)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The couple went public with their relationship in 2019 after they were seen catching a West End production of The Lehman Trilogy. A photo of the couple sharing a kiss followed in New York at Madison Square Garden later that year before they made their red-carpet debut at the SAG awards in LA in January 2020.</p>

Family & Pets

This new tourist attraction will make you dizzy

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A newly opened tourist attraction makes you feel like you’re floating on air, all while catching panoramic views of mountains and a valley that disappears beneath you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Vøringsfossen waterfall offers views of the landscape near Eifjord in Hardanger, western Norway.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The project, designed by architect Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk, has been over a decade in the making and is now ready for visitors brave enough to traverse the 99 steps that connect the two sides of the Måbødalen valley.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge is part of a series of developments in the area that aim to make the spot even more attractive to visitors, including new viewpoint platforms and footpaths.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The bridge is, of course, the heart of the project that connects two sides of the river and the waterfall together,” Hølmebakk told CNN Travel.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4dRB8MJji/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CF4dRB8MJji/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Carl-Viggo Hølmebakk (@carlviggoholmebakk)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge has been designed to fuse the natural and man-made seamlessly - with Hølmebakk and his team closely studying the local landscape and scanning the terrain with digital equipment to ensure they didn’t damage the environment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though those with a fear of heights may want to steer clear, the bridge will become another reason to visit one of Norway’s top destinations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The floating-on-air design is inspired by Norwegian folklore and its Romantic tradition, Hølmebakk said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But turning this concept into reality wasn’t a small task, as the team had to combine conventional building methods with helicopters and mountaineers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Construction began back in 2015, but Vøringsfossen’s mountainous location meant that work could only be done during the short summer season.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bridge is suitable for both older people and children, but won’t be wheelchair-friendly until the accessible footpath currently in development is completed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By 2022, a cafe will also be on site, giving visitors a perfect spot to catch their breath after walking on the bridge.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hølmebakk saw the bridge at each stage of construction but said he still marvelled the first time he saw it finished and was able to step onto the walkway.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said the scale is pretty incredible and crossing it was “fantastic”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even so, Hølmebakk stresses the bridge will always come second to the landscape.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The architecture is not the main part, but the beautiful nature, and the waterfall.”</span></p>

International Travel

Russell Crowe shares new photo of harbour cruise with Chris Hemsworth

<p>The South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL game on Friday night became an unexpected celebrity magnet when Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky were accompanied by their A-list mates at the match.</p> <p>The Thor star watched the game from a private box along with Isla Fisher, Taika Waititi, Jeff Goldblum, Natalie Portman and other friends.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CM5eGiLJHSy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CM5eGiLJHSy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It seems that they were hosted by longtime Rabbitohs fan Russell Crowe.</p> <p>Crowe and Hemsworth spent tile together prior to the kickoff too, with the actor and his wife enjoying quality time with the Oscar winner on a luxury yacht on Sydney Harbour.</p> <p>"Thanks for the hospitality<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/russellecrowe/" target="_blank">#russellecrowe</a>," Hemsworth wrote alongside some photos, one of which Crowe also shared on his Instagram and Twitter.</p> <p>Hemsworth is in Sydney to film the upcoming<span> </span><em>Thor</em><span> </span>movie, directed by Taika Waititi and also starring Natalie Portman. Meanwhile, Isla Fisher and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen have relocated to Sydney with their kids.</p>

Beauty & Style

11 of the longest bridges in the world - not including the Harbour Bridge

<p><strong>Human feats of wonder</strong></p> <p>While most of the longest bridges in the world exist in Asia and the United States, engineering marvels that allow travellers to pass over large bodies of water and/or kilometres of tricky terrain, on a train or in a car, exist across the globe.</p> <p><strong>The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge</strong></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0k3Ik2gU9k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0k3Ik2gU9k/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by PlayDay Live! (@playdaylive)</a> on Jul 31, 2019 at 2:23am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>At 164.8km in length, China’s Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge is the world’s longest bridge. Built at a cost of approximately $8.5 billion dollars, per Britannica, this link between Shanghai and Nanjing opened as a viaduct on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway in June 2011. As of publication, this bridge remains in the <em>Guinness Book of World Records</em> as the longest bridge in the world.</p> <p><strong>Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge</strong></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzc35aXoB0u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzc35aXoB0u/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by MyExpatCommunity (@myexpatcommunity)</a> on Jul 3, 2019 at 3:24am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Also in China is the longest bridge in the world made of glass where pedestrians pay high prices for what <em>Business Insider</em> calls a “colossal waste of time.” That’s thanks to a sea of people and their shoes which scuff the glass beneath feet, despite the fact that booties are mandatory to, in theory, protect the 99 panels of 60cm thick glass. Tourists flock to walk the 427m long glass bridge that sits 299m above China’s Grand Canyon.</p> <p><strong>Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge</strong></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2EgdvhGgd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp2EgdvhGgd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by L U (@voyconlu)</a> on Nov 6, 2018 at 8:06am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>=What does $20 billion get you in the 21st-century bridge market? A huge 54.7km bridge connecting Hong Kong and Zhuhai/Macau. Commuting between those cities would previously have required an hour-long ferry ride, according to CNN. The newest world’s largest sea-crossing bridge, with immigration offices and border control at either end (because Hong Kong and Macau are governed under different laws), took nine years to build and opened in the autumn of 2018.</p> <p><strong>Lake Pontchartrain Causeway</strong></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBD35ejPsLZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BBD35ejPsLZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Fisk - Centro de Ensino (@fiskoficial)</a> on Jan 27, 2016 at 3:13pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Per the Telegraph, “Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southern Louisiana is an epic structure that crosses one of the most famous bodies of water in the United States; a lake that has inspired literature, music and film.” This nearly 39km-long bridge is the longest bridge in the world that’s not in Asia. It’ll cost you $5 to go southbound on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.</p> <p><strong>The Vasco da Gama Bridge</strong></p> <p>The longest bridge in Europe, found east of Lisbon, Portugal, took more than 3,000 workers 18 months to build. Heavy cloud cover on its inauguration day during the 1998 Lisbon World Exposition meant that travellers couldn’t see the other side. Spanning an impressive 17km over the Tagus River, “the Vasco da Game was named after the famous Portuguese explorer to commemorate the fifth centenary of his arrival from India in 1498. Gama was the first European to reach India by sea, from the Atlantic Ocean,” reports Civitatis’ Lisbon travel guide.</p> <p><strong>Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, Switzerland</strong></p> <p>In Switzerland, you’ll find a 494m suspension bridge that is the longest bridge in the world exclusively for pedestrian use. According to the Telegraph, the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge crosses “a valley between Grächen and Zermatt, and offers scenic views of some of Switzerland’s highest peaks, including the famed Matterhorn.”</p> <p><strong>Millau Viaduct, France</strong></p> <p>At 2460m, the Millau Viaduct is not even close to being one of the longest bridges in the world. Instead, this engineering marvel often seen cutting through the clouds on the A75 highway between Paris and Barcelona is the tallest bridge and, remarkably, is even higher than the Eiffel Tower.</p> <p><strong>Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel</strong></p> <p>Part bridge, part tunnel, this 28.3-mile marvel of engineering opened for automotive traffic way back in 1964. By the following year, it had been designated as “One of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World,” according to Travel Trivia. The site goes on to explain that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel “connects the Delmarva Peninsula with southeastern Virginia, spanning across open waters around the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.”</p> <p><strong>Atchafalaya Basin Bridge</strong></p> <p>The twin bridge that spans the largest river swamp in the country opened in 1973 and at the time “was the longest bridge in the United States,” reports the Advertiser. Drivers and passengers alike are afforded stellar views of Louisiana’s wetlands from Interstate 10 during the 30km stretch.</p> <p><strong>Bang Na to Bangpakong Expressway</strong></p> <p>Is a bridge still a bridge if it doesn’t cross over water? The six lanes of The Bang Na in Thailand span a whopping 53.9km, including a run through Bangkok, with only a relative drop of the Bang Pakong River flowing beneath. Structurally this bridge, which ranks as the longest road bridge in the world, was made with over a million cubic metres of concrete, according to Road Traffic Technology, and instead of a sea or lake, rises nearly 30.4 metres above another stretch of road, National Highway Route 34.</p> <p><strong>Akashi Kaikyo Bridge</strong></p> <p>Rising high above the Akashi Strait, and connecting the city of Kobe with Awaji Island in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, is the longest spanning suspension bridge in the world. At 3,911m in length, its length is only part of the story. According to PBS, the two towers of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, rising 283m, “are higher than any other bridge towers in the world.”</p> <p><em>Written by Jeff Bogle. This article first appeared in </em><em><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/destinations/11-of-the-longest-bridges-in-the-world?slide=all">Reader’s Digest.</a> For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><span><em> </em></span><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN93V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer.</em></a></p>

Travel Tips

Second victim in London Bridge attack named

<p>Saskia Jones, who was described as a “funny, kind and positive influence” has been named as the second victim of Friday’s London Bridge terror attack.</p> <p>The 23-year-old former Cambridge University graduate had only just applied to the police’s graduate scheme, with the intention to specialise in victim support, when her life was brutally stolen from her.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5iw2h9lqCY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5iw2h9lqCY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Kushal Roy (@unapologetickushal)</a> on Dec 1, 2019 at 12:26pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In a heartbroken statement, her family said her loss would leave a huge void in the lives of everyone she had met.</p> <p>“Saskia was a funny, kind, positive influence at the centre of many people’s lives,” they said.</p> <p>“She had a wonderful sense of mischievous fun and was generous to the point of always wanting to see the best in all people.</p> <p>“She was intent on living life to the full, and had a wonderful thirst for knowledge, enabling her to be the best she could be.</p> <p>“Saskia had a great passion for providing invaluable support to victims of criminal injustice, which led her to the point of recently applying for the police graduate recruitment programme, wishing to specialise in victim support."</p> <p>Miss Jones had been attending a prisoner rehabilitation initiative, when convicted terrorist Usman Khan attacked volunteers and delegates with two larges knives.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5gP5uKIzMD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5gP5uKIzMD/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ideologiekritische Aktion (@ideologiekritische_aktion)</a> on Nov 30, 2019 at 1:00pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>She died alongside another Cambridge graduate, Jack Merritt, who was as equally committed to helping others specifically prisoners’ who wanted to turn their lives around.</p> <p>Khan was released from prison last year after serving eight years of a 16-year sentence for plotting to blow up the London Stock Exchange and other targets.</p> <p>He had been invited to attend the event to discuss his experiences, however, began stabbing at least five people and fatally wounding Miss Jones and Mr Merritt.</p> <p>Director of the Institute of Criminology, at Cambridge Professor Loraine Gelsthorpe, shared a heartfelt statement about her former student.</p> <p>"Saskia's warm disposition and extraordinary intellectual creativity was combined with a strong belief that people who have committed criminal offences should have opportunities for rehabilitation,” she said.</p> <p>"Though she completed her MPhil in Criminology in 2018, her determination to make an enduring and positive impact on society in everything she did led her to stay in contact with the Learning Together community. </p> <p>"They valued her contributions enormously and were inspired by her determination to push towards the good."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ilhR7Jft1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ilhR7Jft1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by JD dan (@janined62)</a> on Dec 1, 2019 at 10:47am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>She also made a heartfelt tribute to Mr Merritt: "All of us at the Institute will miss Jack's quiet humour and rigorous intellect. Jack's passion for social and criminal justice was infectious. He was deeply creatively and courageously engaged with the world, advocating for a politics of love. He worked tirelessly in dark places to pull towards the light."</p> <p>Just last month, Miss Jones shared a post onto her Facebook page which relayed a heartfelt sentiment about appreciating the little things in life.</p> <p>“I hope I never get tired of the night sky, of thunderstorms, of watching cream make galaxies in my coffee,” the post read.</p> <p>“This world is ugly. I hope I never grow to be someone who can no longer see the small beautiful things.”</p>

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