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Eight key questions about lab-grown meat

<div class="copy"> It’s been around for a decade now — but <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/podcast/lab-grown-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cultured meat</a> still faces some huge hurdles. On 5 August, it will be ten years since the world was introduced to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23576143" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the first lab-grown burger</a>. A decade after its arrival, biotechnologist Professor Paul Wood answers eight key questions about cultured meat. <h2>What is lab-grown meat?</h2> Cultured meat, also colloquially referred to as lab-grown meat, is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/af/article/13/2/68/7123477" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the concept</a> of taking a biopsy from a living animal, selecting an individual cell type and growing these cells in large scale <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajpcell.00408.2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioreactors</a>. Technically, it’s a viable alternative to growing an animal to maturity before harvesting meat from its carcass. Multiple cell types can be used from animals, such as muscle, fat or <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Fibroblast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fibroblasts</a>. The initial stage of cell selection requires the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123745538002537" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">creation of a cell line</a> which will grow continuously in a selective culture medium. <h2>How long has it been around?</h2> The technology for the culture of cells in laboratories has been used for many decades to produce drugs like <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy/monoclonal-antibodies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">monoclonal antibodies</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7161866/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">viral vaccines</a>. The difference with cultured meat is the cells themselves are used to produce edible products rather than used as production systems for monoclonals or viral antigens. Cultured meat was first introduced back in 2013 with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23576143" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the unveiling of the world’s first lab-grown burger</a>, which cost a whopping USD$330,000 to produce. The first commercial cultured meat product was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55155741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a chicken nugget licensed in Singapore</a> in 2020. <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-meat-approved-for-sale-what-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In June 2023</a>, the US Department of Agriculture granted two companies — Upside Foods and Good Meat — licences to sell chicken-based products. Significant excitement ensued in the food industry with <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/ind.2021.29240.ctu?journalCode=ind" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predictions</a> that cultured meat will transform the meat industry by 2030. <h2>Is lab-grown meat commercially viable?</h2> Currently <a href="https://gfi.org/resource/cultivated-meat-eggs-and-dairy-state-of-the-industry-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">around USD$3 billion</a> has been invested in over 150 companies working on beef, chicken, pork, lamb and exotic cell-based products. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2023/03/woolly-mammoth-meatball-stunt-food-marketing/673578/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woolly mammoth meatball</a> anyone? Upside Foods has launched its <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/01/business/lab-grown-chicken-san-francisco/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new cell-based chicken product in a Michelin star restaurant</a>, but it is only available one night a month and the price has not been disclosed. Commercial success will require significant scaling in production, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bit.27848" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cost reductions</a> and consumer acceptance, or these products will be confined to niche markets for wealthy consumers. Cultured meat is unlikely to be the solution for the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/6/7/53" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increasing protein needs of developing nations</a>. The <a href="https://academic.oup.com/af/article/13/2/68/7123477" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technical challenges</a> involve scaling up cell growth in over 10,000 litre fermentation vessels, while significantly reducing the cost of cell-culture media, the capital cost of equipment and the operating cost of high-quality sterile biocontainment facilities. It has been estimated that the cost of production of cultured meat <a href="https://cedelft.eu/publications/tea-of-cultivated-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">must be reduced by over 1,000-fold</a> to match that of conventional meat production. Proponents of cultured meat like to quote the concept of <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/moores-law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moore’s law</a> that predicts that the cost of all new technology will be significantly reduced with time. However this law has never been applied to a biological system that has innate growth limits. <h2>Is it good for you — and does it taste okay?</h2> Currently <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20061-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">all cultured meats are hybrid or blended products</a>, in which the harvested cell paste — the meat component — is combined with plant-based materials, plus vitamins and minerals to produce burgers, meatballs, sausages and dumplings. Yes, you have to add the vitamins in, and no, you can’t make a steak with it yet. From a commercial perspective this is important, as cultured meat products will compete in the commodity meat market. Cultured meat does not produce a three-dimensional steak with multiple cell types and complex taste and texture. However, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2021/02/12/worlds-first-3d-bioprinted-and-cultivated-ribeye-steak-is-revealed/?sh=4b6baf0a4781" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">there are companies</a> aiming to develop whole cuts of meat using 3D printing and bioengineering technology. <h2>What is the motivation to produce cell-cultured meat?</h2> The drivers for cultured meat are that <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-05-06/vegan-alternative-plant-based-meat-grown-in-lab/9726436" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals are not slaughtered</a>, there can be less land and water usage and less greenhouse gases are produced than conventional meat production, particularly from ruminants like cattle and sheep. A lower manufacturing footprint is a terrific plus. And not killing animals is something a lot of people advocate for, but until cultured meat has been scaled significantly, it won’t be known if it’s really better for the planet or for humans. The <a href="https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2022/04/21/cultivated-meat-upside-foods-closes-400m-series-c-round-to-support-commercial-scale-plant-with-production-capacity-of-tens-of-millions-of-pounds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">largest facility built so far</a> is a pilot plant in the USA that aims to produce around 1,000 pounds (approximately 450 kilograms) of product per week, which is equivalent to the dressed weight of three carcasses — what a single suburban butcher processes in one day. <h2>Will it be expensive to buy?</h2> The taste and texture of food is critical to consumers — but so is value for money. So, it’s not surprising <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/mapped-meat-consumption-by-country-and-type/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chicken is the dominant choice of meat</a> currently. With high-end lab-grown meat products, both taste and texture can most likely be matched, and with supplementation with vitamins like B12 it should be possible to make cultured meat nutritionally equivalent to its traditional counterpart too. However, cost will be a major challenge and sales data indicated that <a href="https://www.freshplaza.com/oceania/article/9535792/consumers-are-not-willing-to-pay-more-for-sustainability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consumers will not pay any significant premium for slaughter-free or more sustainable products</a>. <h2>Who wants to eat meat grown in a factory?</h2> There are also questions around who the consumers will be for cultured meat. Vegans avoid animal products, vegetarians often reject the taste of meat and this new group of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224421003952" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flexitarians</a>, while interested in trying new products, are seldom converted to <a href="https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/11/16/What-do-flexitarian-consumers-want-Plant-based-innovation-opportunities-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regular customers</a>. In the US at least, this is one of the reasons that the many plant-based meat products have only captured <a href="https://gfi.org/marketresearch/#plant-based-meat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1.3 percent of the meat market</a>. It is also likely that plant-based products will be a <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/alternative-proteins-the-race-for-market-share-is-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">major competitor</a> to these new cultured meat products. <h2>Who will be next to approve cell-cultured meat?</h2> While the first cultured meat products have been licensed in Singapore and the US, it is expected more will follow from other regions. Even though <a href="https://www.fao.org/food-safety/scientific-advice/crosscutting-and-emerging-issues/cell-based-food/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a recent FAO report</a> identified over 50 potential health risks with cultured meat, it concluded that the overall risk was not greater than that seen with conventional meat products. There could be delays in Europe due to the conservative regulatory approach taken in the EU. In Australia, products are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-06-27/cultured-lab-meat-to-sell-in-australia-to-rival-plant-based-meat/102527330" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected to be approved in 2024</a>. For now though? Well, the message to Aussie meat producers is … don’t sell the farm. Image credits: Getty Images </div> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/nutrition/explainer-lab-grown-meat/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="null">Cosmos</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

The world is about to hit eight billion people

The world is expected to have eight billion people living on it by 15 November this year, according to the United Nations. And India will become Earth’s most populated country in 2023. These are among the latest projections <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> by the UN in its World Population Prospects report, which also highlights the rapid decline in global population growth – now at its slowest rate since 1950 – continuing into the second half of the century. “The cumulative effect of lower fertility, if maintained over several decades, could be a more substantial deceleration of global population growth in the second half of the century,” says UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs population division director John Wilmoth. The UN predicts global population could reach a further 8.5 billion by the end of this decade, 9.7 billion by 2050, and peak at 10.4 billion by the end of the century. That’s a reduction of around 300 million people in 2100 from its estimates <a href="https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">three years ago</a>. It’s still higher than other projections in recent years, suggesting the world population might peak before the end of the century. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930677-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Research</a> from the University of Washington, US, published in 2020 predicted that the world population would peak at about 9.73 billion in 2064, observing that increases in female education and access to contraception would see declines in fertility and population growth. That followed a 2018 <a href="https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/15226/1/lutz_et_al_2018_demographic_and_human_capital.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre that predicted a peak of 9.8 billion between 2070 and 2080, but also suggested rapid social development and education reach in line with sustainable development goals could see a peak of 8.9 billion by 2060. The reason for these different projections comes down to the assumptions researchers make along the way. At the most basic level, explains Associate Professor Gour Dasvarma, from Flinders University in Adelaide, a population projection considers trends in birth and death rates. “Projections are done by extrapolating past trends, long term trends in fertility, mortality and migration for a country population,” he explains. “For the world population, migration doesn’t matter. “One of the things with the projections is that as and when new data become available, people will revise those. “The latest predictions for the UN is that the world’s population will peak at 10.4 billion by 2100 and then it will start declining. “By that time, the trends indicate that fertility in most of the countries of the world will have declined to a sufficiently low level, the ageing of the population will take hold, and the so-called momentum of population growth will slow down.” <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p197949-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> What are the world’s population trends? Nations transition through <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/watch-the-human-population-skyrocket-in-200-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/watch-the-human-population-skyrocket-in-200-years/">cycles of population growth</a>, stability and decline as their economies develop. From periods of stability with high birth and death rates, populations increase as mortality drops. Over time, fertility rates begin to decline, causing stabilisation in population numbers. It’s only when death rates nudge above births that populations begin to naturally decrease. For nations like those in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, this demographic transition was completed between the pre-industrial era and the mid-20th century – a period of about 200 years. “But after 1950, some developing countries like China, other parts of Southeast Asia […] and also Latin America have done it within 70 years because of the increase of contraceptives and faster decline in fertility,” says Dasvarma. With life expectancy projections increasing, nations in the Global South will continue to see their populations to do likewise. Although more than half of the world’s population lives in East, South-east (29% of global population), Central and Southern Asia (26%), the UN expects these regions along with Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Northern America to begin declining before the end of the century. In contrast, sub-Saharan African nations are likely to keep growing through 2100, while the next quarter century will see over half of the world’s population increase come from just eight nations. They include India – which will overtake China to be the world’s most populous nation next year – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. Populations are ageing quickly Two thirds of the world’s population now live in areas where lifetime fertility has dropped below 2.1 births. Long term, that equates to zero population growth: one child to replace each parent in nations with low mortality. COVID-19 has also impacted population data – with a drop in global life expectancy (now 71, down from 72.9 before the pandemic) and short-term decreases in pregnancies and births. But the pandemic’s impact was unevenly distributed around the world. In regions hardest hit by deaths, life expectancy at birth dropped by nearly three years. In contrast Australia and New Zealand saw this indicator increase by more than a year, likely thanks to border closures imposed throughout much of 2020. These decreases in national fertility rates will see populations age further in the coming years. By the century’s midpoint, 16% of the global population is expected to be aged over 65 – the same proportion as people under 12 years of age. It’s prompted the UN to recommend nations with ageing populations invest in social safety nets to meet the needs of older people. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=197949&title=The+world+is+about+to+hit+eight+billion+people" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/world-population-eight-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/matthew-agius" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matthew Agius</a>. Matthew Agius is a science writer for Cosmos Magazine. Image: Getty Images </div>

Caring

Religious group members charged over eight-year-old’s death

Members of a religious group in southern Queensland have been charged over the death of an eight-year-old girl earlier this year. Elizabeth Struhs died on January 7 at her home in Rangeville, Toowoomba, after she was allegedly denied insulin for the treatment of her type 1 diabetes for about six days, per the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-05/religious-group-arrests-over-8yo-elizabeth-struhs-death/101208762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>. Five men and six women have been charged as a result, with one 60-year-old man being charged with one count of murder and failing to supply the necessities of life, while the remaining eleven - aged between 19 and 65 years old - have been charged with one count of murder. Elizabeth’s parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, have previously been charged with murder, torture, and failing to provide the necessities of life. Police allege the dozen involved were aware of Elizabeth’s condition and didn’t seek medical assistance, adding that emergency services weren’t contacted until about 5.30pm on January 8. It is alleged the parents and other members of the religious group prayed for Elizabeth’s recovery instead. The charges laid against them come after six months of investigation by the Toowoomba Child Protection and Investigation Unit, the Child Trauma Unit, and the Homicide Investigation Unit. More than 30 officers conducted a search at a residence in Harristown, where the 12 residents were arrested. Detective Acting Superintendent Gary Watts said the investigation was unlike anything he had ever seen. “In my 40 years of policing, I’ve never faced a matter like this,” he said. “And I’m not aware of a similar event in Queensland, let alone Australia.” According to sources that spoke to the ABC, the religious group is small, tight-knit, and has no ties to any established church in Toowoomba. In a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-brothers-and-sister-of-elizabeth-struhs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundraiser</a> set up to support Elizabeth’s siblings, her older sister Jayde Struhs said her estranged parents were part of a “fear-driven and controlling” cult that took religion to its extremes. She said her younger sister’s death had left their extended family “completely shattered and heartbroken”. “We have faced the brutal reality that the people who should have protected her did not, and we may never know the full extent of what took place,” she said. The people charged in relation to Elizabeth’s death are expected to appear in court on Wednesday, while her parents will return to court later in July. Image: Supplied

Travel Trouble

Qantas’ eight-year streak as safest airline ended by Kiwi rival

In the wake of some of its toughest years during the pandemic, the airline industry has welcomed the gradual return of travelling by announcing the safest airlines in the world for the year ahead - with the top prize going to Air New Zealand. The 2022 rankings were compiled by <a href="https://www.airlineratings.com/news/air-new-zealand-worlds-safest-airline-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AirlineRatings.com</a>, which considered the number of serious incidents over the previous two years, safety initiatives, fleet age and COVID-19 safety protocols in each airline’s score. Air New Zealand was lauded for its technical innovation and young fleet of planes, with the website’s editors noting that the airline operates in “some of the most challenging weather conditions and remote environments”. <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-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CagcvZXlCNq/?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/p/CagcvZXlCNq/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Air New Zealand ✈️ (@airnz)</a> </div> </blockquote> “The last two years have been extremely difficult for airlines with COVID-19 slashing travel and Airline Ratings editors have particularly focused on the lengths airlines are undertaking to re-train pilots ahead of a return to service,” said Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas, He added that Air New Zealand was a leader in the field thanks to its “comprehensive retraining”.. This year’s rankings has also seen the end of Qantas’ eight-year streak, with the website stating that an incident at a Perth airport in 2018 caused the drop in its ranking. Despite this, the Aussie airline still made the top 20 of the 385 airlines included in the ranking, coming in seventh place. The top 20 ranking, in full, is as follows:Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airways, TAP Portugal, SAS, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, Air France/KLM Group, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Emirates. Meanwhile, the safest low-cost airlines have also been ranked, with Jetstar, Ryanair, Vietjet, Westjet and Wizz were among those that made the top ten list for 2022. Image: @qantas (Instagram)

Domestic Travel

Tourist sentenced to eight years in prison over a drone flight

Image: News.com.au A French tourist has been sentenced to more than eight years in a notorious Iranian prison after he was arrested on spying charges, all because of a drone. Benjamin Briere, 36, was arrested in May 2020 after taking pictures in a national park near the Iran-Turkmenistan border with a recreational drone. This week, the French citizen was sentenced to eight years in prison and was handed an additional eight-month sentence for propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system, his Paris-based lawyer Philippe Valent said in a statement. Mr Briere’s family and his lawyer have accused Iran of holding him as a political “hostage”. “This verdict is the result of a purely political process and … devoid of any basis,” Mr Valent said. Calling the trial a “masquerade”, Mr Valent said that Mr Briere “did not have a fair trial in front of impartial judges” and noted he had not been allowed to access the full indictment against him. The French foreign ministry described the verdict as “unacceptable”, saying Mr Briere was a “tourist”. He is one of more than a dozen Western citizens held in Iran and described as hostages by activists who say they are innocent of any crime and detained at the behest of the powerful Revolutionary Guards to extract concessions from the West. Mr Briere is being held in Vakilabad Prison in the eastern city of Mashhad. A prison which has reportedly undertaken hundreds of secret executions within the facility. In September last year, an unidentified political prisoner in the same prison, described life in the facility, saying it is “overcrowded” and “full of bedbugs and lice” with poor hygiene and terrible food. The unnamed prisoner said: “If coronavirus does not kill me, the fights inside the prison will kill me.” The verdict against Mr Briere comes as Iran and world powers seek to reach agreement at talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 deal over the Iranian nuclear program. Nationals of all three European powers involved in the talks on the Iranian nuclear program – Britain, France and Germany – are among the foreigners being held. “It is not tolerable that Benjamin Briere is being held a hostage to negotiations by a regime which keeps a French citizen arbitrarily detained merely to use him as currency in an exchange,” Mr Valent said. Mr Briere’s sister Blandine told AFP her brother is a “political hostage” subjected to a “parody of justice”. Iran insists all the foreigners held are tried in line with domestic law but has repeatedly expressed readiness to prisoner swaps.

Travel Trouble

Pierce Brosnan film to debut after eight-year delay

Pierce Brosnan’s latest role sees him portray King Louis XIV in The King’s Daughter, but its January release comes after an unusually long delay. The film, based on Vonda N. McIntyre’s 1997 novel The Moon and The Sun, follows King Louis XIV’s journey for immortality. His quest seemingly ends when he captures a mermaid with the intention of stealing her life force to fuel his immortality. However, the plot thickens when he discovers his illegitimate daughter, Marie-Josèphe, has become close with the mythical creature. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OdCNs2pkNLk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Starring alongside Brosnan is Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner) as Marie-Josèphe, Fan Bingbing (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as the Mermaid, and Julie Andrews as the film’s Narrator, as well as William Hurt, Benjamin Walker and Rachel Griffiths. Although a trailer for the film was released in December 2021, no-one had heard of the film at the time, with <a rel="noopener" href="https://screenrant.com/kings-daughter-pierce-brosnan-movie-8-year-delay-release/" target="_blank">ScreenRant</a> reporting that the film was actually completed in 2014. With an initial release date set for the following year, The King’s Daughter was cancelled just weeks before its premiere due to issues with the film’s water-based visual effects with no future release date set. After responsibility for the film’s distribution was passed around multiple times, independent film company Gravitas Ventures eventually secured the rights and will now release it on January 21, 2022. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846767/brosnan2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f96782bb92b94b66a203ff15ec356131" /> Pierce Brosnan stars as a French king in the film, which will finally be released after eight long years of delays. Image: Thekingsdaughter.com The film’s lengthy delay comes as the film industry continues to grapple with the impact of COVID-19, which has seen delays affect big titles such as John Wick 4 and Marvel’s Morbius among others. Though delays are often a bad sign for films, Paul Currie, a producer for <a rel="noopener" href="https://thekingsdaughtermovie.com/" target="_blank">The King’s Daughter</a>, has said he is confident in the film and claims it will be “somewhere between Twilight and Alice in Wonderland”. Expectations may also be running high due to the popularity of the source material, with the critically acclaimed The Moon and The Sun even beating Game of Thrones for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1997. But, it’s debut is sure to spark plenty of scrutiny too, as is common with book adaptations. Whatever the outcome, the long-overdue release of The King’s Daughter will prove to be a victory in itself, all while showing that pandemic-related delays are nothing to be complained about. Image: Thekingsdaughter.com

Movies

UK woman faces court over eight baby deaths

A British neonatal nurse <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/crime/uk-nurse-denies-murdering-eight-babies-c-4149921" target="_blank">has appeared</a> in court over charges of murdering eight babies and attempting to kill another 10 in the hospital where she worked. Lucy Letby answered “not guilty” to eight charges of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder in a brief hearing at Manchester Crown Court, appearing via video link from prison. The charges relate to incidents occurring between June 2015 and June 2016 at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England. Police began investigating the deaths of babies at the hospital in 2017 and arrested the 31-year-old nurse last year. Ms Letby was previously arrested in 2018 and 2019, but was bailed twice pending further inquiries. The identities of the children, surviving and deceased, and their parents are protected by a court order. Ms Letby has been remanded in custody. A judge said a trial will commence from October 2022, which is expected to last up to six months. Image: Chester Standard / SWNS.com

Legal

New Year miracle as dog missing for eight years is returned to owner

A dog owner had an emotional start to the year after she was reunited with her missing dog that disappeared eight years ago. Magdalena Klubczuk was devastated when her beloved Shih tzu Roxy vanished from her home in Connah's Quay, North Wales while she was at work. The 35-year-old spent weeks looking for her pet and even contacted the local vet, but no one had brought Roxy in. She eventually gave up on her search and assumed her three-year-old dog had passed away or been stolen. But in a New Year miracle, Roxy, now 10, was spotted running through the streets of Buckley at around 11pm. She was then taken to Skylor's Animal Rescue in North Wales. Dawn Taylor, who runs the centre in Dobshill, scanned the dog to see if she had a microchip and was able to get the contact details for Ms Klubczuk. Ms Klubczuk, a mother-of-one said: “When I received the phone call I told them it was not possible. “When she explained I couldn‘t even speak I was that shocked. “We‘ve spent all these years thinking she was dead. “I was at work and she was at home with my son and my brother, the door was open for her to go into the garden. “When I got home I realised she was gone. “She had a collar on with my details on it and she was chipped so I‘m starting to think she may have been stolen. “I reported it to the vets, but I heard nothing and over time just gave up hope. “I was just in total disbelief. I actually told her it wasn‘t possible because my dog was next to me on the sofa, then I realised she was talking about Roxy!” Roxy is currently staying with a friend of Ms Klubczuk until she can safely introduce her to her six-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She added: “I will be taking her to the vets on Monday. “She looks well, but she is very skinny. “Until then we just don‘t know how serious the tumour is. “It was such an emotional reunion, I felt like she recognised me when she saw me”.

Family & Pets

Eight lives left: Oscar the cat survives washing machine ordeal

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Oscar the two-year-old Burmese has eight of his nine lives left after surviving a hot 12-minute cycle in the washing machine after his owner didn't check if he was in there. Oscar's owner, Amanda Meredith, heard a strange meowing sound coming from the washing machine after her husband put the bedsheets in the washing machine. She thought it was coming from the cupboard and hung out another load of washing before realising Oscar was in the machine. "The poor little cat had his hands on the glass as he was doing the rotations and he was looking at me," she said. "It was tragic." It took two minutes for the machine to drain and turn off before the machine door could be opened and Oscar could be free. Meredith phoned her vet immediately who warned her that the first six hours would be "touch and go". Dan Capps from Beachside Veterinary Surgery said that Oscar emerged from the machine battered and bruised from the hard fins in the machine but was alive. Oscar was given anti-inflammatories and stayed in the practice for 24 hours before being allowed to go home. "He's a very lucky but strong little fellow," Dr Capps said. "This is not the first time this has happened. "During the cooler weather it is the perfect place for feline friends to try and hide for a warm nap." Upon returning, Meredith said that Oscar slept solidly for the next seven days. After a weeks' recovery, Oscar is fine. "There was no damage," Meredith said. She estimated that Oscar had used up "three of his nine lives". She's able to laugh about the incident three weeks later but said that the initial time was "traumatic". "Waiting the two minutes [for the washing machine's door to release] was traumatic to say the least," she said. As for Oscar's interest in the washing machine? The ordeal has not turned him off. "He sits there and watches it tumble-turn all the time," Meredith said. "Maybe he has PTSD or something — he has to sit at the door watching the wash cycle." Photo credits: <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-02/cat-in-washing-machine-has-lucky-escape/12412364" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">ABC</a> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

Octomom marks her eight children’s 11th birthday with new snap

“Octomom” Natalie Suleman has marked her youngest eight children’s 11th birthday with a new picture from the family celebrations. Suleman, who made headlines after giving birth to the eight children in January 2009, took to Instagram on Monday to share a snap and a birthday message. “Happy birthday to my beautiful angels. You are some of the kindest, most compassionate, caring human beings I’ve ever known,” she wrote. “Words cannot express how grateful I am to be your mother. You all have blessed my life immensely and I thank God daily for trusting me to care for, shape the lives of, and influence all of you.” <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/B7z0RI8nBE3/?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> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7z0RI8nBE3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Happy birthday to my beautiful angels. You are some of the kindest, most compassionate, caring human beings I’ve ever known. Words cannot express how grateful I am to be your mother. You all have blessed my life immensely and I thank God daily for trusting me to care for, shape the lives of, and influence all of you. Recent tragic events of loved ones lost are a powerful reminder of how fragile, precarious, yet precious life is, as tomorrow is never promised. We need to hug our loved ones a little longer and a little harder while they are here. You are my miracles, my angels, and I will love you with all my heart, forever. Happy 11th birthday Noah, Maliyah, Nariyah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, and Makai. #HappyBirthday #Angels #Blessed 🙏🏽</a> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/nataliesuleman/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Solomon Family</a> (@nataliesuleman) on Jan 26, 2020 at 8:26pm PST </div> </blockquote> The 44-year-old mother of 14 also referred to basketball great Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident on Sunday with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. “Recent tragic events of loved ones lost are a powerful reminder of how fragile, precarious, yet precious life is, as tomorrow is never promised,” Suleman wrote. “We need to hug our loved ones a little longer and a little harder while they are here. You are my miracles, my angels, and I will love you with all my heart, forever. Happy 11th birthday Noah, Maliyah, Nariyah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, and Makai.” <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/B7CroSKn5ev/?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/B7CroSKn5ev/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Solomon Family (@nataliesuleman)</a> on Jan 7, 2020 at 6:28pm PST </div> </blockquote> The Suleman octuplets, consisting of six sons and two daughters, were conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments. They are the only second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the US and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/04octuplets.html">the longest surviving</a>.

Family & Pets

Flight chaos: Eight hour delay after passenger’s huge mistake

A passenger aboard a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight couldn’t seem to wait when it came to using the bathroom and as she rushed to the toilet, she accidentally opened the emergency exit door – causing the slide to deploy, according to reports. PIA Flight 702 was preparing to depart from Manchester to Islamabad on Friday night but was faced with a delay of up to eight hours according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Independent</a>. The woman allegedly chose to ignore seatbelt signs and accidentally opened the emergency door towards the back of the plane, close to the toilet. All doors were “armed” which is what caused the emergency evacuation slides to deploy. “A passenger erroneously opened the emergency door causing the emergency slide to activate,” forcing all passengers to be removed from the plane, PIA said in a statement. When a slide is mistakenly deployed, the airline is able to continue to fly as per usual and replace it at its home base, which is the option PIA chose to take. Though problems tend to arise as fewer passengers are allowed to fly because of reduced evacuation capacity. 38 passengers put their hand up to board a later flight. “All passengers were provided dinner. The offloaded passengers were provided with transportation and hotel accommodation and will be adjusted on the next available flight,” the airline said. Though not everyone was satisfied, as many complained that their luggage was left in Manchester. “Pathetic service from PIA. I am one of the 38 passengers who voluntarily offloaded from PK702 so it can fly to Islamabad only on the condition that all 38 of us will get our luggage,” a passenger tweeted. “First you did not give it to us in Manchester. … Then when we reached here today, we were told half of our luggage is still at Manchester airport,” she wrote after arriving in Islamabad.

International Travel

Princess Eugenie changes her name – eight months after wedding

The royal family has figured out a sweet way to add in Princess Eugenie’s husband’s name onto hers without changing her royal titles, and we are sure they couldn’t be happier. Until recently, Prince Andrew and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson's youngest daughter’s official title had been Princess Eugenie of York. However, according to the Court Circular records, the 29-year-old princess is now going by the name Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank. Although the couple married over eight months ago in October at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, the royal has only just changed her name as of May 29. <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/Bs77jSQl2SF/" 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/Bs77jSQl2SF/" target="_blank">A post shared by Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie)</a> on Jan 22, 2019 at 4:13am PST </div> </blockquote> Princess Eugenie has welcomed the new last name with open arms before it was an official tittle, even going as far as to rock a Mrs. Brooksbank jacket designed by Sam Dougal for a reception after the couple’s wedding. <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/Bo7d9NDl_W5/" 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> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo7d9NDl_W5/" target="_blank">HRH Princess Eugenie wedding jacket. Im so so honoured to have been asked to design the bespoke look she wore for the day 2 wedding celebrations at Windsor. The pale pink biker jacket was embroidered with the words ‘Mrs Brooksbank’ in the Princess’ own handwriting 💙</a> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/do.u.gal/" target="_blank"> Sam Dougal</a> (@do.u.gal) on Oct 14, 2018 at 2:48pm PDT </div> </blockquote> The couple began dating in 2011 after meeting at the Swiss resort of Verbier while they were both skiing. Mr and Mrs Brooksbank announced their engagement in January 2018 before tying the knot officially in October of the same year. Image: Instagram @princesseugenie

Family & Pets

Unsettled child’s eight-hour inflight tantrum filmed by passenger

A passenger on a flight from Germany to New York has shared shocking footage of a toddler’s tantrum, which lasted the entirety of the eight-hour flight. Shane Townley, an artist from New York City, recorded the footage as the toddler climbed over seats and screamed at the top of his voice before the flight had taken off. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hv1aczlrMsk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The boy’s mother is not identified in the footage, but is heard asking the flight attending to, “Get the WiFi going so we can get the iPad going”. The footage cuts to different sections of the flight, where the nightmare child is running around the plane and doing what he wants as the hours drag by. Townley uploaded the footage to YouTube, writing, “Watch as this kid runs and screams throughout the entire flight while the mother does little to nothing to stop him. “3 years old on a 8 hour flight from Germany to Newark NJ. He never quits!” In a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/" target="_blank">later interview with Daily Mail</a>, Townley explained he did not contact the airline, “but I’m certain someone did as the entire plane was affected the whole time.” Understandably, the video has attracted lots of commons online. “If this started before the plane took off, the plane should have taxied back to the terminal and kicked the kid and his parents off. This kind of behaviour is just unacceptable,” one wrote. “Call an exorcist,” another added. What are your thoughts? Do you think the mother did everything she could? Or is it just one of those things that’s going to happen when you’re travelling with toddlers?

Travel Tips

8 otherworldly Australian destinations

From pristine beaches to a captivating culture and world-class cities, Australia has no shortage of drawcards, which is probably why tourists keep coming back in droves. But if you really want to get a sense of what captures the imaginations of the intrepid, and separates Australia from the pack, it pays to take the time to visit some of the otherworldly destinations Down Under. Only in Australia, can you be a half hour’s drive from an experience that makes you feel as though you’ve stepped on another planet. We’ve created our guide to the otherworldly destinations in Australia that we think are well worth a visit. To see these incredible destinations, scroll through gallery above. Have you ever been to these destinations? Are there any we should have added to our list? Let us know in the comments section below, we’d love to hear from you. <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=travel-insurance&utm_medium=in-article-banner&utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/banners/Travel-Insurance_Website_GIF_468x602.gif" alt="Over60 Travel Insurance"/></a>

International Travel

Therapy dog saves 8-year-old boy from drowning

Nobody noticed eight-year-old Ross Parry was in danger of drowning at Wellington's Thorndon Pool in New Zealand – except for Paddy the black labrador. Liz Gasson's assistance dog, who helps her cope with multiple sclerosis, knew something was wrong, and became agitated as she sat beside the pool reading a book on Monday. "All of a sudden, he pulled forward, and then he sort of started nudging me towards the direction of where the little boy was," Gasson said on Tuesday. Gasson said Ross had tried to use his leg as a lever to get out of the pool, but instead his foot became lodged in a handrail. "It was an immediate response. [Paddy] just immediately got up and realised something wasn't right ... it was amazing. I'm so proud of him," Gasson said. Ross was lying backwards in the water, struggling to keep his head above the surface. His sister Rhianna was calling out for help, trying to alert the pool's lifeguards, who had been dealing with a group of rowdy children. Thanks to Paddy's attentiveness, Gasson and her husband, alongside Ross's mum Anita, freed the boy's leg and lifted Ross safely out of the water. But Paddy's work wasn't over yet. After the successful rescue, he consoled and calmed Ross the only way he knows – by licking his face. Ross had swallowed a lot of water, and admitted "it was really scary". But he insists the incident wasn't all bad, as he had found himself a new best friend. "He's a superhero," Ross said. Paddy, who turns three in March, was born on St Patrick's Day, with Gasson referring to him as her "little lucky charm". "He's just an amazing dog. He knew something was going on far before anyone started shouting or anything like that. "If it wasn't for Paddy alerting me, the kid would've been underwater longer. "It was quite extraordinary. He was the first to recognise that something wasn't right. "It could have been potentially very dangerous." Paddy's extensive training as an assistance dog ensures Gasson has the freedom to live as normal a life as possible. Assistance Dogs New Zealand was founded in 2008 to provide support for people with disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and diabetes. Paddy's training cost about $48,000. Written by Katarina Williams and James Paul. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

Caring

Barack Obama wore the same tuxedo for 8 years and no-one noticed

During the time of Barack Obama’s presidency, Michelle became a style icon pulling off various designer looks but her husband took a different approach. At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Michelle Obama revealed that while she wore hundreds of gowns at various events, Barack Obama got away with wearing the same tuxedo. “This is the unfair thing — you talk about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers — no matter what we do, he puts on that same tux,” she said during her appearance. “Now, people take pictures of the shoes I wear, the bracelets, the necklaces — they didn’t comment that for eight years he wore the same tux, same shoes.” <img width="403" height="605" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37938/barack-intext-2.jpg" alt="Barack Intext 2"/> Michelle shared that Barack noticed the double standard but enjoyed the fact he could wear his tux on multiple occasions. “And he is proud of it too. He’s like, ‘Mmm, I’m ready. I’m ready in 10 minutes. How long did it take you?’ I’m like, ‘Get out of here’.” In 2014, Karl Stefanovic wore the same suit for a year to prove a point about different fashion standards between men and women. “I’ve worn the same suit on air for a year — except for a couple of times because of the circumstance — to make a point,” he said at the time. “I’m judged on my interviews, my appalling sense of humour — on how I do my job, basically. Whereas women are quite often judged on what they’re wearing and how their hair is.”

Beauty & Style

Find the eight rabbits hidden in this classic cartoon

There’s nothing like a <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2017/02/spot-the-coffee-beans-hidden-in-this-jungle/" target="_blank">brainteaser in the morning</a> to make sure your mind is sharp. And while this classic mind-bender might look simple, in reality it’s anything but. Shared by <a href="http://www.playbuzz.com/" target="_blank">Playbuzz</a>, this vintage puzzle employs an elusive colour scheme and a number of clever visual tricks to hide eight rabbits before your very eyes. Try it for yourself below. Can you spot the rabbits? <img width="500" height="644" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33691/rabbit-in-text-one_500x644.jpg" alt="Rabbit -in -text -one" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Did you see them? It’s tricky, right? Here are the answers: <img width="500" height="644" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33692/rabbit-in-text-two_500x644.jpg" alt="Rabbit -in -text -two" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Like we said, this puzzle is much harder than it seems. Did you find the rabbits straight away, or did you need a little help? Let us know in the comments section. Image credit: Dailymail / Playbuzz Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/01/dog-owner-classic-optical-illusion/">This optical illusion has the internet baffled</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/12/spot-the-shape-hidden-in-this-puzzle/">Spot the shape hidden in this puzzle</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/12/find-the-word-dog-in-this-brainteaser/">Find the word DOG in this brainteaser</a>

Mind

72-year-old Mick Jagger expecting baby number eight

Rock legend Mick Jagger is expecting his eight child with his American ballerina girlfriend, Melanie Hamrick. Mick, 72, and Melanie, 29, have been dating since 2014. This is Melanie’s first child with the rock star, who has seven other children with four different women. Mick also has five grandchildren and recently became a great-grandfather. A source closed to the couple told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/1446255/rock-legend-mick-jagger-72-having-baby-number-eight-with-american-ballerina-29/?CMP=spklr-_-Editorial-_-TWITTER-_-TheSunNewspaper-_-20160714-_-Showbiz&TV-_-517231451">The Sun</a>, “This is great news. It will be Mick’s eighth child and nothing fazes him. He’s been incredibly supportive. “She’s very bright, intelligent, sparky and has her own ideas about how she wants to lead her life. She knows what a great relationship Mick has with all of his children and can’t wait for him to be a dad again. “She has always been a maternal person and can’t wait for the next chapter of her life as a mum. Melanie is very excited to become a mum and thinks Mick is the most amazing man she’s ever met. “They are taking the news in their stride.” A spokesperson confirmed the happy news last night. After the tragic death of L’Wren Scott, Mick’s partner of 13 years, Mick and Melanie at a Rolling Stones concert in February of that year. Their relationship soon developed despite the 43-year age difference. Related links: <a href="/entertainment/music/2016/06/unforgettable-songs-of-the-60s/">Unforgettable songs of the '60s</a> <a href="/entertainment/music/2016/05/actors-turned-musicians/">7 actors we didn’t know were also musicians</a> <a href="/entertainment/music/2016/05/one-hit-wonders-today/">One-hit wonders: where are they now?</a>

News

Massive wave highlights just how dangerous Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools can be

Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools are becoming an increasingly popular attraction, but it seems as though some people visiting the site aren’t exercising as much caution as they should. In the disturbing footage above we see a freak wave come almost out of nowhere, and knock a bunch of swimmers over. The footage was shared on Instagram and provides a stark reminder for people visiting Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools to pay attention to the tide and exercise upmost caution. Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/01/find-cat-hiding-in-this-kitchen/">Can you find the cat hiding in this kitchen?</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/01/man-leaves-wife-at-service-station/">Man accidentally leaves wife at service station, drives 100km before realising</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/01/25-worst-online-passwords-used-in-2015/">25 worst online passwords used in 2015</a>

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Find the eight rabbits hidden in this classic cartoon

72-year-old Mick Jagger expecting baby number eight

Massive wave highlights just how dangerous Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools can be

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Eight key questions about lab-grown meat

The world is about to hit eight billion people

Religious group members charged over eight-year-old’s death

Qantas’ eight-year streak as safest airline ended by Kiwi rival

Tourist sentenced to eight years in prison over a drone flight

Pierce Brosnan film to debut after eight-year delay

UK woman faces court over eight baby deaths

New Year miracle as dog missing for eight years is returned to owner

Eight lives left: Oscar the cat survives washing machine ordeal

Octomom marks her eight children’s 11th birthday with new snap

Flight chaos: Eight hour delay after passenger’s huge mistake

Princess Eugenie changes her name – eight months after wedding

Unsettled child’s eight-hour inflight tantrum filmed by passenger

8 otherworldly Australian destinations

Therapy dog saves 8-year-old boy from drowning

Barack Obama wore the same tuxedo for 8 years and no-one noticed

Find the eight rabbits hidden in this classic cartoon

72-year-old Mick Jagger expecting baby number eight

Massive wave highlights just how dangerous Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools can be

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