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Paris makes controversial Olympics decision

<p>The mayor of Paris has caused an uproar amongst locals are announcing plans to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower indefinitely. </p> <p>In an interview with Ouest-France, Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the iconic landmark will be keeping the Olympic symbol after the conclusion of the summer Games. </p> <p>“The decision is up to me, and I have the agreement of the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. So yes, they [the rings] will stay on the Eiffel Tower,” she said. </p> <p>The giant Olympic rings, measuring 29 meters wide and 15 meters high, were installed on the Eiffel Tower ahead of the Paris Olympics, which began on July 26th, and were set to be dismantled after the Paralympic Games draw to a close on September 8th. </p> <p>However, Hidalgo is pushing to keep them in place permanently, albeit in a lighter version, replacing the current 30-tonne structure.</p> <p>The plan has drawn mixed reactions from Parisians, with many slamming the idea and calling out the "defiling" of the iconic French landmark. </p> <p>“It’s a historic monument, why defile it with rings? It was good for the Olympics, but now it’s over, we can move on. Maybe we should remove them and return the Eiffel Tower to how it was before,” one local told French publication <em>France Bleu</em>.</p> <p>Descendant of the Eiffel Tower designer Gustave Eiffel even chimed in on the debate, as a family statement read, "It does not seem appropriate to us that the Eiffel Tower, which has become the symbol of Paris and the whole of France since its construction 135 years ago, has the symbol of an outside organisation added to it in a permanent way, whatever its prestige."</p> <p>The SOS Paris group, which campaigns to protect Paris's landmarks and environment, added, "The Eiffel Tower has a history of 135 years and surpasses a sports and media event of 17 days," while the chairman of the association Friends of the Champs de Mars, the park around the Eiffel Tower, said the idea "needed to be the subject of a wider consultation".</p> <p>However, some people were in favour of the rings remaining on the Eiffel Tower, as one local told the publication, “The Eiffel Tower is very beautiful, the rings add colour. It’s very nice to see it like this.” </p> <p><em>Image credits: Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Man arrested for climbing Eiffel Tower before closing ceremony

<p>A British man has been arrested after climbing the Eiffel Tower just hours before the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics was due to commence. </p> <p>Shocked onlookers were horrified when they spotted the shirtless man scaling the 330m structure with no harness, as he stood on top of the blue Olympic ring before continuing his dangerous ascent.</p> <p>Incredible footage of the dangerous stunt, which was posted to X, shows him reaching halfway up the giant landmark with just a bag of chalk to help him, as he was not supported by any ropes or harnesses. </p> <p>Other videos shows the free climber being taken away in handcuffs by French police as tourists looked on from the viewing platform.</p> <p>The Paris Prosecutor’s office confirmed to <em>The Sun</em> the man was British and has been charged with endangering others and intrusion into a historic or cultural site.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">someone was trying to climb up Eiffel Tower after the Olympics, he was detained by police shortly after 💀<a href="https://t.co/m1oRWsKYeX">pic.twitter.com/m1oRWsKYeX</a></p> <p>— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/scubaryan_/status/1822685874691444924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>A Paris police spokesman said: “At 2.45pm, an individual was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower. The police immediately intervened and arrested the individual.”</p> <p>According to spectators, the man could be heard saying “bloody warm, innit” as he was led away by police. </p> <p>Security officials quickly cordoned off the Eiffel Tower as they evacuated the site at around 3pm, as those inside were briefly locked up on the second floor, before they were allowed to leave around 30 minutes later once the man had been escorted from the area.</p> <p>Specialist climbing police were sent up the tower after it was cleared to check for any suspicious or unusual activity.</p> <p>Tourists queuing up for the landmark were left unaware of the ongoing situation and were left frustrated after they were told to leave.</p> <p>One social media user posted on X: “Just waited in line for so long to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but someone is trying to climb it so they just shut the whole thing down. Super.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p>

Legal

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Tasmanian tower on the edge of the world finds new owner

<p>A mediaeval Tasmanian house that appears to teeter on the edge of the world now has a new owner, who must really enjoy the solitude.</p> <p>Marketed recently for $3.5 million, "The Keep" in Tasmania's far northeastern region has to be one of the world's most stunning and remote properties.</p> <p>Constructed in the image of a Scottish fortified tower, the amazing structure at 535 New England Road in Goulds Country sits atop a 650-metre pinnacle, and its lonesome presence has made it a favourite of tourists and travel photographers alike.</p> <p>From its incredible vantage point, the property takes in 360-degree Bass Strait, forest and valley views, on the very edge of Tasmania's wild coastline.</p> <p>The only neighbours are the lights of the Eddystone Lighthouse at night, and myrtle, sassafras and tree ferns in the surrounding Blue Tier Forest Reserve.</p> <p>Built in 2009, The Keep has only just allowed tourists to see inside for the past two years – and since opening, has been at 90% occupancy, according to the listing. The owners who bought the property in 2019 transformed it from a private residence to guest accomodation - adding one of the greatest attractions, an outdoor granite bath.</p> <p><em>Images: Domain</em></p>

Real Estate

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Avril Lavigne shows off massive engagement ring in Paris

<p dir="ltr"><em>He was a sk8er boi she said YES</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne has shown off her huge and absolutely stunning engagement ring. </p> <p dir="ltr">After just one year of dating, Derek Ryan Smith who goes by the name Mod Sun, got down on one knee in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower and proposed. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Oui! Je t’aime pour toujours. Dimanche. 27. Mars. 2022,” Avril wrote in a series of heartwarming photos of the proposal. </p> <p dir="ltr">A simple translation from French, Avril’s message reads “Yes! I love you forever” along with the date.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mod Sun went a step further and wrote a loving message to his now fiancée also sharing sweet snaps of the treasured moment. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The day we met I knew you were the one. Together forever til our days are done,” his message began.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I had a dream where I proposed in paris. I pulled out a ring + asked you to wear it. I was on one knee as I looked in your eyes. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You’re too beautiful for my words to describe. I grabbed your hand + took one last breath…I said “will you marry me?” + she said “yes”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I love you Avril.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The endearing photos show the loved-up couple kissing, smiling at one another, as well as Avril showing off the heart-shaped engagement ring which glows on her left finger. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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How the Eiffel Tower grew six metres this year

<p dir="ltr">The Eiffel Tower has grown a whopping six metres in just one day, after a new communications antenna was attached to the top by a team of engineers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The digital radio antenna was taken to the top of the Iron Lady by helicopter and fixed on, taking the looming structure from 324 metres to 330 metres tall, as reported by the <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/the-eiffel-tower-grows-even-higher-thanks-to-new-antenna/VPMOIA7FBPLYDS2S6S63BE3H7Y/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a></em>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-96312ded-7fff-7b9e-5a5b-77cbc3a8d53b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Though it may seem like a minor event to tourists, Jean-François Martins, the Eiffel Tower company’s president, said it was a historic moment in the tower’s 133-year history.</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/p/CbIesarMOXL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CbIesarMOXL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tour Eiffel (@toureiffelofficielle)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a historical moment this morning because the Eiffel Tower is getting higher, which is not so common,” Mr Martins told the Associated Press.</p> <p dir="ltr">“From the invention of the radio at the beginning of the 20th century to right now, decades after decades, the Eiffel Tower has been a partner for all the radio technology.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-eb85e943-7fff-9532-fd9e-955519d87e29"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">But when the Eiffel Tower was first inaugurated in 1889 - when it was just 312 metres high - it wasn’t a hub for tourists or meant to be a permanent attraction.</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/p/CbLDZ0uoP_Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CbLDZ0uoP_Q/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tour Eiffel (@toureiffelofficielle)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Originally built as a main attraction at the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, the structure caused controversy in the art world and was meant to be taken down after 20 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">As Parisians began to welcome its bold design, its creator, Gustave Eiffel, saved it from deconstruction by making it an enormous antenna for wireless broadcasting.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the Eiffel Tower’s <a href="https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument/eiffel-tower-and-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, the structure’s creator intended for it to be a hub for science, with barometers, anemometers, lightning conductors and even a meteorology office added to it on the day it was inaugurated.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, it also broadcasts 45 TV channels and 32 radio stations across the region, thanks to its various emitters and installations.</p> <p dir="ltr">Visitors can also see the names of 72 French scientists engraved on the tower, including the chemist Henry Louis Le Chatelier (the namesake of a principle of thermodynamics) and Léon Foucault (who was credited with naming the gyroscope and demonstrating how the Earth rotates).</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f75a0536-7fff-afc0-3b45-08076a8c7c19"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @toureiffelofficielle (Instagram) </em></p>

Technology

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Meet water tower mural artist Joel Fergie

<p>Known as the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/meet-water-tower-mural-artist-joel-fergie">Banksy of the bush</a>, Zookeeper is an artist who travels around outback Australia painting giant murals. Unlike Banksy, the Zookeeper doesn't hide his identity.</p><p>Joel Fergie aka "Zookeeper" is based Sunshine Coast. His large-scale artworks span inner-city laneways to remote silos and water towers across central Australia.</p><p>Some of his biggest works can be seen on painted tanks and silos in Cloncurry, Mackay, Hughenden, Thallon as well as interstate.</p><p>Joel says he got the name Zookeeper from his childhood love of wildlife. "As a kid I was obsessed with animals and I was a huge David Attenborough fan and as I learnt to paint, animals became a big part of that," he said.</p><p>The 32-year-old artist, who studied fine art at QUT and graduated in 2011, said art was a big part of his life growing up. </p><p>"I wasn't born great at painting; it was something that I had to put a lot of time and practice into and gradually over time I got better.</p><p>"I started by doing my bedroom wall and then under our house, then a few friends asked me to do their café and then a I did a soccer club and the more I did the more opportunities arose."</p><p>The biggest job that Joel has done was seven silos at Sea Lake in north-west Victoria which took him over three weeks. When tackling the big jobs, Zookeeper collaborates with his mate and fellow artist Drapl aka Travis Vinson.</p><p>"We meet in 2010 and we had heard of each other and ever since then, when there's a big job that requires many hands, we collaborate," he said.</p><p>"The big jobs can take weeks and weeks of planning and we can use over 500 litres of paint."</p><p>Most of Zookeeper's and Drapl's work comes from community grants or funds raised by the community, and over the past decade he believes he has painted more than 1,000 murals.</p><p>"My favourite part of painting in the outback is the openness of people. There's fewer people, so they have more time for you," he said.</p><p>Joel's last big mural was a water tower in Middlemount which he finished in December and last week he finished a retaining wall in the Pioneer Valley community at the Marian State School which was only 20 metres by 2 metres.</p><p> </p><p>Image: ABC</p>

Art

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See inside the $100 million apartments at Crown Casino Tower

<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Rich property owners have been spending millions to snap up apartments in Sydney’s newest skyscraper, the Crown Casino tower, where residents are treated like royalty.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Officially called One Barangaroo, the 71-storey tower has earned the title of Sydney’s tallest residential building after its completion in 2021.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Selling agent Knight Frank has said that 90 percent of the building’s 82 units have already been sold, with many residents already fully moved-in.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">James Packer, the Crown’s largest shareholder, has even scored himself an apartment, spending $72.229 million for it.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">According to marketing material for the apartments, “the design and amenities of the residences are matched only by the effortless luxury of our impeccable hotel service, available day and night to every resident”.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Residents can also enjoy sweeping views of the CBD, a pool deck, multiple gyms, and various restaurants, bars and cafes - where residents get priority reservations - as well as housekeeping and valet services.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Other services <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://onebarangaroo.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> an on-site luxury spa with various beauty treatments on offer, as well as “mindfulness training” and access to full-time personal trainers.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">According to Knight Frank, the pool deck area is one of the most popular spots within the development, with residents able to relax or invite friends, family, or grandchildren over.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Erin van Tuil, Knight Frank’s marketing agent, said part of the appeal was that the homes were a “branded residence” under the Crown name.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Hotel-branded apartments are also becoming an increasingly popular concept elsewhere in the world, and Ms van Tuil said it can offer a different service than regular apartment complexes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">“A hotel concierge offers a different service than what you can find in serviced apartments. For example if you want to organise a sommelier or private chef they can do that for you - a normal concierge wouldn’t,” she <a style="background: transparent;margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10459507/Get-glimpse-life-inside-James-Packers-Sydney-Harbour-Crown-Casino-tower.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">Though almost all of the residences have already sold, a two-storey penthouse still remains available for anyone looking to spend $100 million.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff">The six-bedroom apartment includes three private balconies - including one with a plunge pool - as well as three private bars and a butler’s kitchen that is separate from the main kitchen.</p><p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;font-size: 16px;vertical-align: baseline;color: #323338;font-family: Roboto, Arial;background-color: #ffffff"><em style="margin: 0px;padding: 0px;border: 0px;vertical-align: baseline">Images: One Barangaroo</em></p>

Real Estate

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World’s tallest athlete towering in Tokyo

<p>The world’s tallest athlete Morteza Mehrzad, who competes sitting down, is 246cm tall and he’s part of the Iranian men’s sitting volleyball team which is on track for back-to-back gold medals at the Paralympics.</p> <p>The middle-eastern nation has dominated the sport for decades — winning six of the past eight gold medals in the men’s game — but it’s the addition of Mehrzad which has made the team even more unbeatable.</p> <p>The 33-year-old is the second tallest man alive and the tallest Paralympian in history.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.12648221343875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843638/tallest-athlete-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e7faee5aa18846fc80928421dc4af12c" /></p> <p>In a sport where players with a variety of ailments sit down and try to get the ball over the net which is approximately 1.15m off the floor, it’s very easy for Mehrzad.</p> <p>Iran will meet the sport’s other powerhouse Bosnia Herzegovina in the semi-finals on Thursday night in a rematch of the gold medal game in Rio four years ago.</p> <p>On that occasion, Mehrzad made the difference and Iran won the medal.</p> <p><strong>Iran’s coach asked Mehrzad to join</strong></p> <p>Iran’s coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani saw Mehrzad on a TV program about physical disorders and got in contact with him, asking him to join the team.</p> <p>He took up the sport nine years ago and made his international debut in 2016 and immediately started winning awards. He’s only improved, continuing to dominate at the Paralympics.</p> <p>Even sitting down, when Mehrzad raises his right arm, it reaches a height of 1.93 metres. When spiking — the term used to describe a forceful attacking shot to get the ball over the net — he can get his dominant hand up to 2.3m in the air.</p> <p><strong>It’s not all good news for the Iranian sports star</strong></p> <p>While it’s easy to see why Mehrzad would be happy with his progress, it isn’t all good news for the Iranian superstar.</p> <p>He suffers from acromegaly - a medical condition which arises from the brain’s pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone after the body’s growth plates have closed. By the age of 16 he was already over 1.9m tall.</p> <p>Mehrzad rarely stands up though because he seriously injured his pelvis in a bike accident as a teenager, meaning he now spends significant amounts of time either on crutches or in a wheelchair.</p> <p>His right leg has stopped growing and it’s about 15cm shorter than his left. The sad reality is that while he’s helping his teammates to win and bringing recognition to his country in Tokyo at the moment, his condition does not bode well for his long term future.</p> <p>A spokesperson for his team said: “His health is not going well. His health is currently declining because he’s getting taller. I think he’s still growing. The first time we saw him he could walk better but now he has to walk with crutches.”</p> <p>But now is a time for Mehrzad and his team to focus on the positives. Iran has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympics, and with Mehrzad’s help, it looks likely they’ll be heading home from these Games with some more medals as well.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

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Would you climb a 47-metre tower for a free car lease? In Norway, you can

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At 47 metres high, the tallest free-standing climbing tower in the world has opened in Norway, and car company Ford’s new campaign has brought it additional attention.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After opening in June this year, professional climbers were invited to try and reach the top of the tower, with the fastest climber taking home a free two-year lease on a Ford Explorer PHEV.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company even crane-lifted their newest model onto the top of the tower, sitting on top of a special platform that supports the weight of the plug-in hybrid car.</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/CR8cy0XgSIy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CR8cy0XgSIy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ford Norge (@fordnorge)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ford’s Explore New Heights challenge saw 14 climbers compete after successfully completing a qualifying test.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing the footage to their Instagram page, Ford eventually found a winner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the clip, many of the climbers can be seen losing their grip and combating the jumps and obstacles designed by champion climber Martin Mobråten.</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/CSG0pIUAPUZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CSG0pIUAPUZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ford Norge (@fordnorge)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eventually, Leo Ketil B</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ø</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">e, 21, managed to score the free lease with a time of three minutes and 33 seconds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Any who made it to the top alongside Leo were rewarded with breathtaking views across the Skagerrak, a strait running between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Visit Norway</span></em></p>

International Travel

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Tragic detail in death of Aussie couple in Miami tower collapse

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An Australian couple has been identified among the 28 bodies pulled from the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Miami, Florida.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tzvi, 68, and Itty Ainsworth, 66, were found following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South building on June 24.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a tragic turn of events, it has been revealed the couple were celebrating the birth of their new grandchild just one day before the disaster occurred.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sad news about the couple was shared on social media on Tuesday, July 2.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is with immense sadness this morning that we report Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth, a beloved couple who lived in Australia for nearly 20 years, are among the people confirmed killed in the Florida building collapse disaster,” the Australian Jewish News posted.</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/CQ9ilajhF-O/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CQ9ilajhF-O/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Australian Jewish News (@jewishnews_au)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The AJN’s thoughts and prayers are with their family at this time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to NBC, Mr and Mrs Ainsworth moved from Australia to Surfside within the past several years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the tower first went down, no one has been pulled out alive. The death toll has reached 28 and 117 people are still missing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reason for the collapse has not been confirmed.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Facebook</span></em></p>

News

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"I can't breathe!": Dramatic tower arrest of man delivering food to Melbourne towers

<p>A man working with a youth charity was arrested outside a locked-down public housing tower in Flemington, Melbourne just before 10 pm on Tuesday night.</p> <p>The man was trying to deliver food to residents and dramatic footage of the arrest shows police swarming the man.</p> <p>He yells "I can't breathe".</p> <p>Australasian Mercy Secondary School Association Youth Connect arrived just after 9 pm with groceries for residents. Volunteers claim that they waited around for about half an hour before deliveries were able to begin and the fight broke out shortly after.</p> <p>Counsellor Tigist Kebede filmed the incident and is heard yelling for the man to be let go as he scuffles with the police.</p> <p>“Please, please don’t choke him, please … he’s just trying to deliver food,” she says.</p> <p>Moments later, three officers appear to tackle him to the ground.</p> <p>At one point in the clip, Tigist approaches the man to check on him.</p> <p>“I’m good,” he says. “These guys are sick bro, I didn’t touch him … why? How?”</p> <p>A Victoria Police spokeswoman told NCA NewsWire said that there were two men involved in the fight on Tuesday night after an unknown man allegedly became verbally aggressive towards police about 9:50 pm.</p> <p>“The unknown man ran off from the scene, while the other man, a 28-year-old from Altona North who was refusing the direction of police, was arrested,” she said.</p> <p>“The Altona North man has been released pending further inquiries with police still to follow up the identity of the unknown man.”</p> <p>Tigist shared the footage to her social media pages, telling followers it was the "scariest thing I've ever seen".</p> <p>“I was so afraid this was going to be another viral black death,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.</p> <p>“We were lucky. That’s it.”</p> <p>Tigist said it was only by luck that the man did not die during the argument.</p> <p>“We shouldn’t have to rely on luck,” she said.</p> <p>“What happens when we’re not so fortunate? Does someone die? Does someone get injured?</p> <p>“Why are we exposed to violence and trauma for providing an essential service we were approved to do?”</p> <p><em>Photo credits: </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/i-cant-breathe-dramatic-tower-arrest-of-man-delivering-food-to-residents-in-lockdown/news-story/d7bccb2b56a7097c0df33a386b7df7a5" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink"><em>The Coloured Therapist</em></a></p>

News

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"Dying of starvation": Public housing residents break down in tears after nine towers are forced into lockdown

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Public housing residents in Melbourne have broken down in tears as they claim that food supplies are dangerously low and people could die from starvation. </p> <p>Nine towers in Flemington and North Melbourne have been locked down in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus with 3,000 people unable to leave their apartments for any reason for at least five days.</p> <p>The Melbourne government has said that it has distributed 3,000 meals, 1,000 food hampers and 250 personal care packs to residents and the charity FareShare has provided more than 3,000 prepared meals and 4,500 pastries.</p> <p>Debbie Harrison, who is caring for her 83-year-old mother Ivy at a housing unit in North Melbourne has said that they have only been given four sausage rolls to eat in 48 hours.</p> <p>"They are just going to go in the bin, we're not touching them," Ms Harrison told <a rel="noopener" href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/north-melbourne-public-housing-residents-trapped-without-food-in-coronavirus-lockdown/461251f2-bd6b-4d94-b8e9-4b7d2ba61f6a" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">A Current Affair</a>.</p> <p>"Yesterday, I was fine. Today, it's just not fair."</p> <p>Her mother is more worried about her children and great-grandchildren.</p> <p>"I want things to be what they used to be, I've never known anything like this in my 83 years, never," she said. </p> <p>Other residents say they have been left in the dark when it comes to supplies and testing.</p> <p>"There's been no communication, they don't tell you anything," resident Brian told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/you-couldn-t-eat-it-food-for-tower-residents-left-in-corridors-as-deliveries-delayed-20200706-p559h6.html" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. </p> <p>Meals have been delivered but have been left in the corridors and eventually have turned rotten.</p> <p>"I can't eat it because I'm no gluten or anything like that, but the other people - you couldn't eat it, no way," he said. </p> <p>Fresh groceries have been donated by Coles and delivered by firefighters and police officers, which is a relief to residents.</p> <p>"It's a relief, even if people aren't being told about it. But there's still a lot of uncertainty and still a low of people worried," he said.</p> <p>Victorian Council of Social Services CEO Emma King said that she is concerned that culturally appropriate meals were not being provided by the government.</p> <p>"We need to make sure we're hearing directly from the residents on the estate around what they need and making sure we deliver on that," she told AAP.</p> <p>She also noted that residents were given copies of the public health orders or "detention directives" but the wording has sparked confusion over the term "lockdown" which could last as long as 14 days.</p> <p>"Any of us, to have police on your doorstep, handing a detention notice we can't understand, it would be really frightening," she said.</p> <p>"It is a very fine, precarious balance. We need to save lives first and foremost but we need to make sure people get the support that they need and they aren't terrified through the process."</p> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Surprising holiday photos that can land you in trouble

<p>On holidays people tend to take photos of everything that they see, from old rustic buildings and narrow streets, to food at a restaurant and the view of city lights. But there are some photos in particular that can get you in trouble with the law.</p> <p>A British tourist in Egypt was arrested over mobile phone footage of the airport which happened to capture a military helicopter in the background.</p> <p>Muhammed Fathi Abulkasem, 19, from Manchester was arrested and charged with collecting intelligence on the Egyptian military, reported the Associated Press.</p> <p>The teenager innocently filmed the landing of his flight, which showed a helicopter in the background. Taking unauthorised photos or videos of military facilities, equipment or personnel is illegal in Egypt.</p> <p>“We all have one of those landing videos on our phones,” his cousin Shareen Nawaz from the UK told AP.</p> <p>“They shouldn’t have military helicopters in public spaces if this is what will happen.”</p> <p>Many countries have outlawed the photographing or filming of military related materials, equipment and personnel. The strictness of these laws are related to the country’s level of secrecy.</p> <p>More seemingly innocent photographs can also land tourists in hot water from places of worship, airports, museums and galleries, bridges, tunnels and railway stations – and even shopping centres and buildings.</p> <p>These all seem like normal things a tourist would capture on camera – but taking snaps of these places could be illegal without you even knowing it.</p> <p>The most surprising things people can’t take pictures of include some of the most famous photographs in the world, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris at night.</p> <p>The reason being, under European copyright law, works are protected for the lifetime of the artist, plus an additional 70 years. The tower’s designer, Gustave Eiffel, died in 1923 and the building entered the public domain 10 years later.</p> <p>Although the lights weren’t installed until 1985 by Pierre Bideau and are an artwork, they are still protected under European copyright law.</p> <p>Therefore, taking photos of the Eiffel Tower with the lights off isn’t breaking the law, although at night when the lights are flashing and dazzling over the city, it could get you in trouble with the law.</p> <p>Tokyo’s most famous night bar location in Golden Gai in the centre of the Shinjuku district is an iconic spot jam-packed with around 200 miniature bars with a labyrinth of really narrow alleys winding through the block.</p> <p>Signs throughout the district warn tourists of the banning of photographs.</p> <p>The Sistine Chapel in Rome also forbids photographs, although not for the reasons you may assume. The Sistine Chapel contains the famous artworks of Michelangelo and Cosimo Rosselli.</p> <p>People assume the reason is that the flash could damage the artwork, and although it is a concern for the longevity of the priceless art, that’s not the primary reason.</p> <p>A Japanese TV company owns the exclusive rights to these famous artworks. It attained these rights when they helped fund a major restoration project. The TV corporation offered US$4.2 million to spend on restoration in exchange for the exclusive rights to photograph and film the restored art. The company produced many documentaries and art books from the deal.</p> <p>The photo ban extends from buildings, artwork and iconic landmarks to animals. In particular, Chinese pandas. This ban comes after tourists have attempted to get dangerously close to the endangered creatures.</p> <p>In an attempt to maintain safety for tourists and the pandas, animal groups encouraged the ban.</p> <p>The tightly controlled and regulated country of North Korea consists of many photography bans, which extend to almost everything.</p> <p>Getty Images photographer Carl Court spent a week in the country documenting people’s daily life. Court explained the things he was an wasn’t allowed to photograph.</p> <p>The biggest rule for his photos included having to capture only full-frame images of Kim II-sung and Kim Jong-il statues and iconography.</p> <p>“You can’t crop the feet off the statues. You can’t cut a bit of the corner off,” Court said.</p> <p>Tourists are only allowed to enter the country if they are with a state-approved travel group that closely monitors where they go and what they see.</p> <p>Electronics and mobile phones may be searched by Korean authorities at any time.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Adele looks unrecognisable

<p>She may have one of the most incredible voices in the world – and a staggering 15 Grammy awards under her belt – but Adele certainly isn’t like other stars. The always-down-to-earth singer visited disadvantaged kids at London’s IntoUniversity over the weekend, ditching the make-up and opting for a fresh-faced look.</p> <p><span><img width="500" height="373" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/40417/image__500x373.jpg" alt="Image_ (404)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></span></p> <p>The “Hello” singer posed for selfies and spoke with survivors, who clearly couldn’t be happier to see her.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">More photos of <a href="https://twitter.com/Adele">@Adele</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/IntoUniversity">@IntoUniversity</a> <a href="https://t.co/n0TWpRymSJ">pic.twitter.com/n0TWpRymSJ</a></p> — Adele Now (@AdeleNowuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdeleNowuk/status/891109332288516098">July 29, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>It’s not the first time proud Londoner Adele has shown her support for survivors of the Grenfell inferno. In June, <a href="/finance/insurance/2017/06/adele-has-tea-with-grenfell-tower-firefighters/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">she visited the brave firefighters</span></strong></a> who risked their lives battling the blaze, sitting down with them for a cuppa and a chat.</p> <p>As if we could love her any more!</p>

Music

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You can now stay overnight in a flight control tower

<p>There’s staying next to the airport during a layover, and then there’s actually staying at the airport.</p> <p>The opportunity has presented itself in the shape of a former flight control tower at Stockholm’s Arlanda International – Sweden’s biggest airport, and the third-largest in Scandinavia – which has been turned into a swanky holiday let.</p> <p>Next to one of the airport’s two main runways, it had been sitting unused for 15 years. The tower offers a panoramic view of planes taking off and landing, as well as, presumably, those cute little carts that lug around all our baggage.</p> <p>It’s got 35 square metres of space, a kitchen and bathroom, room for four guests, and interiors designed by Cilla Ramnek, a Swedish artist, designer and pattern-aficionado. She described it as “by far among the most fun environment I have ever worked with.”</p> <p>The unconventional hotel option is cosily decorated with rugs, flowers, and sweet Scandi-style furniture. It was dreamed up by holiday rental booking company HomeAway, who were also responsible for a temporary holiday apartment in the Eiffel Tower installed to coincide with France’s hosting of the 2016 UEFA European Championship. </p> <p>There’s a competition open until the end of July to stay there with four lucky winners – which is only open to residents of Sweden, Denmark, Norway or Finland – but don’t worry.</p> <p>Stockholm also has a Boeing 747 airliner converted into a hostel right next to the airport, for all your plane-themed Scandinavian accommodation needs.</p> <p>And besides, there’s no mention of how soundproofed the walls are.</p> <p><em>Written by Nicole Frost. First appeared on <a href="http://www.domain.com.au" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Domain.com.au</strong></span></a>. Image credit: HomeAway / Domain </em></p>

Accommodation

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How to skip the line at the Eiffel Tower (and other famous landmarks)

<p>Don’t let your experience be ruined by a line! Here’s how to avoid them.</p> <p><strong>Buy your tickets online</strong></p> <p>Don’t make the mistake of just turning up and joining the line. Go to the official website (toureiffel.paris) up to two months in advance, choose your half hour time slot between 9am and 930pm, and book your ticket for just €15. Beware of other third party sites that will try to sell you these same tickets at a big markup.</p> <p><strong>Join a tour</strong></p> <p>Even if you’re not a tour kind of person, now is a good time to get onboard. Many private tour companies will let you skip the queue as part of your package. Plus you’ll get the added bonus of an expert guide to give you all the inside info on the tower itself.</p> <p><strong>Get a Paris Passlib</strong></p> <p>The Paris Convention and Visitor Bureau has recently launched a special tourist pass that covers entry to lots of the city’s best attractions for one flat fee. You can book a one-, three- or five-day Paris Passlib and get entry to museums and galleries, plus a bus tour and one-hour boat ride. For an extra €15 you can add a fast track Eiffel Tower ticket.</p> <p><strong>Have a meal</strong></p> <p>Did you know there are two restaurants inside the Eiffel Tower? The casual 58 Tour Eiffel is on the first level and the formal Le Jules Verne is on the second level, and both have separate entrance lines from the main tower. A set lunch at 58 Tour Eiffel starts from €42.50 per person and includes a starter, main course and dessert served ‘picnic style’ in a basket, plus a beer or wine – all with a side of stunning views. If you want to splash out, head to Le Jules Verne for an unforgettable lunch or dinner that will set you back around €200.</p> <p><strong>Take the stairs</strong></p> <p>Feeling fit? There’s hardly ever a line for the stairs at the Eiffel Tower so you can make your way up to the first and second level under your own steam. It’s 330 steps to the first level and 670 to the second, and then you can buy a ticket to the top from the short lines there. A stair ticket only costs €7 and attendants never check tickets on the way down, so you can catch a ride back to earth on the elevators.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Last Fri, I was 1 of 700 ppl lucky to zip line at 90km/h, gliding along the 800m-long wire fr the iconic Eiffel Tower <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/smashperrier?src=hash">#smashperrier</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris?src=hash">#Paris</a> <a href="https://t.co/PLC85alSIg">pic.twitter.com/PLC85alSIg</a></p> — Hanis Zainul (@nizzkee) <a href="https://twitter.com/nizzkee/status/875552747659165697">June 16, 2017</a></blockquote> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <p><strong>And for other attractions?</strong></p> <p>A lot of these tips will work for popular spots like the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay and Notre Dame. Buy a special Paris Passlib with fast track entry, join a guided tour or hire a private guide, or look for alternative entrances that aren’t as popular. Good luck!</p>

Travel Tips

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Grenfell Tower survivors to move into luxury block

<p>After a week of living in community centres, hotels and vacant properties, the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire will be rehoused permanently in a £2 billion luxury complex in Kensington.</p> <p>The government revealed yesterday that it would acquire 68 units, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, to house the 250 Grenfell residents who lost everything in London’s worst fire in decades.</p> <p>The luxury units are only two kilometres south of Grenfell Tower, the 1974 building that went up in flames on the morning of June 14, killing at least 79 people.</p> <p>The units, which are on the market for between £1.5million and £8.5 million, have large spacious rooms and balconies, with access to pools, saunas and gyms.</p> <p>It is a stark contrast to the Grenfell Tower where families were crowded into subdivided apartments.</p> <p>The apartments are "all newly built social housing" located in the same Kensington and Chelsea borough, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday.</p> <p>It was paid for by the City of London Corporation, the wealthy local authority responsible for the capital's financial Square Mile.</p> <p>The announcement was made just before British Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for the chaotic failures by local and national governments responding to the fire.</p> <p>"The residents of Grenfell Tower have been through some of the most harrowing and traumatic experiences imaginable, and it is our duty to support them," Javid said.</p> <p>"Our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently rehoused locally as soon as possible, so that they can begin to rebuild their lives."</p> <p>While the housing situation is a relief for many of Grenfell survivors, some of the survivors still have concerns and want questions answered.</p> <p>"It's all very well in theory, but we need to read the small print," said Alan Crawley, whose mother survived the fire.</p> <p>"Putting a group of traumatised people who have lost loved ones and all their possessions in the corner of a shiny new building, isn't going to solve the problem in itself. The government should answer the resident's questions first before making these vague statements."</p>

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Adele has tea with Grenfell Tower firefighters

<p>She’s proven herself to be one of the humblest stars in the music world, and on Monday, the always-down-to-earth Adele made a touching gesture to thank the firefighters who worked tirelessly to save lives during the Grenfell Tower inferno.</p> <p>“She just turned up at the station and knocked on the window and said she has some cakes for us,” station manager Ben King told the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40339241" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BBC</span></strong></a>. “So we opened the door to her and then she took her sunglasses off and said, ‘Hi, I’m Adele’. Everyone was so shocked.</p> <p>“She came in, came up to the mess and had a cup of tea with the watch and then she joined us for the minute’s silence.”</p> <p>In a post on Facebook, firefighter Rob Petty described the singer as a “lovely girl, genuinely grounded and interested and humbled.”</p> <p>The “Hello” singer was one of the first famous figures to visit victims at the site of the blaze, comforting survivors at a vigil held the day after the fire.</p> <p>To see the sweet photos from her visit to Chelsea Fire Station, flick through the gallery above.</p> <p><em>Image credit: London Fire Brigade/Facebook.</em></p>

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Heartbreaking Fathers’ Day tributes flood in for Grenfell fire victims

<p>After a horror few months for Britons – Londoners in particularly – the community has come together over the Fathers’ Day weekend in support of the victims, families and survivors of the most recent tragedy, <a href="/finance/insurance/2017/06/london-tower-inferno-what-we-know/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">the inferno at Grenfell Tower</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>Hundreds of mourners gathered for a memorial service near the charred tower yesterday, honouring the dead with prayers, songs, and a minute of silence. The hero firefighters who risked their lives to fight the terrifying blaze were also honoured with applause and a standing ovation from attendees.</p> <p>There were emotional scenes at the site of the tragedy as children bid farewell to the fathers they’ll never see again, leaving flowers and heartbreaking messages. One read, “To dad, love you loads, never forget you, RIP. Love, your son Lee.” Another, left for a deceased 65-year-old granddad, promised, “This will never be forgotten.”</p> <p>Survivors and families of the victims have also been comforted by visits from a few very special guests – the Queen and Duke of Cambridge. Her Majesty described the incident as “one of the most terrible things I have ever seen,” while Prince William broke royal protocol and comforted one victim with a hug, vowing to make a return visit to the community. To see the touching photo, along with more images from the memorial, flip through the gallery above.</p> <p>The death toll currently stands at 58, though authorities expect this to rise even higher. Eighteen survivors remain in hospital, including nine who are still in critical care.</p>

Family & Pets

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Young sisters miraculously found in same hospital after London blaze

<p>The family of 8-year-old Malek and 6-year-old Tamzin Belkadi feared the worst when the sisters were reported missing after the <a href="/finance/insurance/2017/06/london-tower-inferno-what-we-know/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">terrifying inferno</span></strong></a> which engulfed London’s Grenfell Tower on Wednesday morning.</p> <p>24 hours later, they have finally been located and identified – miraculously in the same hospital. One of the girls is reportedly sedated and the other is in a coma. One of the girls was said to be “screaming” as she went into hospital. Their parents, Farah Hamdan and Omar Belkadi, along with their baby sister, are still unaccounted for.</p> <p>Adel Chaoui, Farah’s cousin, has criticised authorities for using the same protocols they would if the disaster had been a terrorist incident. There needs to be separate protocol for civil disasters. That’s what’s going wrong here,” he told <strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/police-keeping-us-dark-missing-relatives-family-lost-6-month/" target="_blank" title="www.telegraph.co.uk">The Telegraph</a></span></em></strong>. “They’re still treating everyone as suspects.”</p> <p>“The hospitals had no idea who these children were – they didn’t even realise they were related.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, the first victim of the confirmed 17 dead (though there are reports the number could rise above 100) has been formally identified. Mohammad Alhajali, just 23 years old, was a Syrian refugee studying in the UK. He was trapped inside the building with his brother, Omar, and was unable to escape due to the overwhelming smoke.</p> <p>“He sent a message to family in Syria in his final moments just saying, ‘The fire is here now, goodbye,’” a family friend told the <em>Telegraph</em>. Alhajali’s friends have taken to social media to share photos of their lost loved one, describing him as a “beautiful soul”.</p> <p>His brother is believed to have made it out of the tower and is now recovering in hospital.</p>

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