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Airline bans couple after racist row over reclined seat

<p>Two travellers have been banned from Cathay Pacific flights after an argument over seat etiquette descended into racist insults. </p> <p>The incident occurred on a flight from Hong Kong to London, with a woman documenting her experience in a video posted on Xiaohongshu, China's version of Instagram.</p> <p>The woman, from mainland China, explained, "The lady sitting behind me asked me to put my seat up because it was blocking her husband's view of the TV. I politely declined, and she started stretching her feet onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like crazy."</p> <p>A flight attendant stepped in to find a solution to the issue, but when the woman continued to refuse to put her chair up, the situation only escalated. </p> <p>"When (the female passenger) realised my Cantonese wasn't so great, she started throwing around some nasty comments, calling me a 'Mainland girl' and other derogatory stuff," the woman said, explaining how people from Hong Kong speak mainly Cantonese, whereas mainland Chinese mainly speak Mandarin.</p> <p>"Once I started recording, the husband behind me even shoved his hand on my armrest and started shaking it like crazy. I felt my personal space had been completely violated," added the woman, who said other passengers then intervened.</p> <p>In footage of the incident uploaded by the woman, a female voice can be heard saying in Mandarin: "You're old enough — why are you bullying a young girl?"</p> <p>And others can be heard shouting in Cantonese: "You're embarrassing us Hongkongers!"</p> <p>"After some passengers spoke up for me, the flight attendant finally said I could switch seats. I felt it was absurd—what if no one had backed me up? Would I have just been left to deal with it on my own?" the passenger said.</p> <p>"As a major airline, isn't Cathay supposed to know how to handle such disputes? Shouldn't treating passengers differently get some consequences?</p> <p>In a statement released Saturday, Cathay Pacific said it wanted to "sincerely apologise" for the "unpleasant experience," with the airline saying, "We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviour that violates aviation safety regulations or disrespects the rights of other customers."</p> <p>"We will deny future travel on any Cathay Group flights to the two customers involved in this incident."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Best country in the world" crowned for the third year in a row

<p>The best countries in the world have been ranked according to a new survey, with Switzerland taking out the top spot for the third year in a row. </p> <p>According to new data released by <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US News &amp; World's report</a> in its annual Best Countries rankings, the small European nation has been dubbed the "best country in the world" for 2024. </p> <p>Among the top 25 list, 15 European countries nabbed spots, east and southeast Asia claimed four spots, and the Middle East took two spots, with North America and Oceania taking two spots each. </p> <p>The ranking was made based on the views of 17,000 people, who assessed how well each nation ranked on categories including power, openness for business and cultural influence. </p> <p>At the top of the ranking was Switzerland, which has been at the top of the table nearly every year since 2017, with the report saying the country was "bolstered by notable performances in three of the heaviest-weighted subrankings: quality of life, entrepreneurship and social purpose."</p> <p>Japan claimed second spot on the list for the first time, climbing four spots from last year's ranking, for its high rankings in the entrepreneurship and movers categories. </p> <p>Australia came in fifth place this year (down from fourth in 2023), ranking high in quality of life and social purpose, while New Zealand came in ninth place (down from eighth in 2023).</p> <p>Check out the top 25 best countries list below. </p> <p>1. Switzerland</p> <p>2. Japan </p> <p>3. United Stated of America</p> <p>4. Canada</p> <p>5. Australia</p> <p>6. Sweden</p> <p>7. Germany </p> <p>8. United Kingdom</p> <p>9. New Zealand </p> <p>10. Denmark </p> <p>11. Norway</p> <p>12. France </p> <p>13. The Netherlands</p> <p>14. Singapore</p> <p>15. Italy </p> <p>16. China</p> <p>17. United Arab Emirates </p> <p>18. South Korea</p> <p>19. Spain</p> <p>20. Finland</p> <p>21. Austria</p> <p>22. Iceland </p> <p>23. Belgium </p> <p>24. Ireland </p> <p>25. Qatar</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

International Travel

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Woman “bullied” on plane over budget seating trick

<p dir="ltr">A young woman has recalled a flight from hell when she was “bullied” by a couple who were trying to utilise a seating hack that went viral on TikTok. </p> <p dir="ltr">The solo traveller took to Reddit to recount the story and ask social media users if she was in the wrong for her action. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman began by saying she usually pays more to select her plane seat ahead of time, but a medical emergency on another plane had her waiting on standby and left with no option other than to sit in a middle seat.</p> <p dir="ltr">When she was finally able to board, she was greeted by a couple who had purchased both the window and aisle seats in a bid to have more space, utilising a travel “trick” that has been popular on TikTok.</p> <p dir="ltr">The method, which has been dubbed the 'poor man's business class', usually leaves travellers with an empty middle seat and more space, and few travellers opt to pick a middle seat. </p> <p dir="ltr">“When I got to my row the man and woman were chatting and sharing a snack... it was obvious they were together. I mentioned to the man that I'm in the middle, and he got up to let me in,” the unsuspecting traveller wrote on Reddit.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“I asked them if they would prefer to sit together, I said I was totally okay with that. The woman reacted rudely to this and said ‘you're not supposed to be sitting here anyway’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After noticing how the plane was full, she offered to show the pair her new ticket with the correct seat number on it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She flicked her hand at my ticket and made a disgusted sound. I offered again if they wanted to sit together to which she didn't reply, her partner said it's okay and... made some small talk,” she continued. </p> <p dir="ltr">The man’s girlfriend then interrupted their conversation to ask,”'Did you use one of those third party websites to book your flight? It's so frustrating when people cheap out to inconvenience others.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The American woman explained that she had booked her flight directly and she had been placed on standby like everyone else and didn't choose the middle seat - she was assigned it.</p> <p dir="ltr">She then tried to keep the peace by refusing to engage with the furious woman.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was so done with her attitude, I put my headphones on and attempted to do my own thing,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the “entitled” girlfriend wasn't letting it go, as the woman explained, “This woman kept reaching over me and tapping her partner and trying to talk to him in a way that was super intrusive.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could tell even her partner was trying to engage her less so that she would hopefully stop, but she didn't.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think they tried to pull that tactic where they don't sit together on purpose...hoping no one will sit between them. But on full flights it doesn't work. And even so - it's not the other person's fault.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The traveller's post was met with hundreds of comments slamming the girlfriend’s behaviour, as one person wrote, “It's like a toddler having a tantrum.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was disappointed and a total a**hole. Gross entitled people,” another added. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another person applauded the traveller’s level-headed behaviour, writing, “Wow! You are my hero for keeping it classy - I’m afraid I would not have been as kind as you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Not going to save anybody": Exit row passenger prompts plane evacuation

<p>A whole plane has been forced to disembark after a woman seated in the exit row refused to comply with safety instructions. </p> <p>Passengers were up in arms when they had to leave the plane, after the woman was overheard telling cabin crew that she would only save herself in the event of an emergency, before yelling at flight attendants. </p> <p>The interaction, which was captured by another passenger on video and posted to TikTok, shows the woman becoming heated while talking to cabin crew on the Frontier flight. </p> <p>The passenger can then be seen and heard progressively raising her voice to cabin crew, with fellow flyers pleading with the woman to disembark the plane.</p> <p>The traveller who filmed the altercation claims the woman said she was “not going to save anybody” when seated in the exit row, saying the disgruntled passenger had “attitude” and went on to say that if something were to happen, she would “only save” herself. </p> <p>“That was her attitude throughout the seating process. And I already knew something was about to pop off when she had that attitude,” the TikTok user said.</p> <p>The altercation only became more heated as the yelling progressed, before police eventually arrived on the plane to escort the woman off. </p> <p>The video then shows another Frontier employee approach the passenger and say, “I’m gonna ask you one more time, nicely, to get off, if not, we’re going to deboard the plane and police will come and escort you off.”</p> <p>When the cabin crew make repeated futile attempts to get through the woman, the pilot came down from the cockpit to try and call for calm. </p> <p>“You’re inconveniencing everybody else,” the pilot can be heard saying to the woman. as the pair continue to exchange words while he repeatedly points toward the front of the plane.</p> <p>Following the failed attempts, two police officers then make their way down the aisle and towards the passenger. </p> <p>Towards the end of the five-minute video, which has been viewed more than 80,000 times, all the passengers on board the flight were filmed disembarking the aircraft while the passenger at the centre of the ordeal exits with police from a separate door onto the tarmac.</p> <p>It is unclear if charges were laid.</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machine: what’s the best option for cardio at home?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lewis-ingram-1427671">Lewis Ingram</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/saravana-kumar-181105">Saravana Kumar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p>Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, refers to any form of rhythmic physical activity that increases your heart rate and breathing so the heart and lungs can deliver oxygen to the working muscles. Essentially, it’s the type of exercise that gets you huffing and puffing – and fills many people with dread.</p> <p>People often do cardio to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30003901/">lose weight</a>, but it’s associated with a variety of health benefits including reducing the risk of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6481017/">heart disease</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30191075/">stroke</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27707740/">falls</a>. Research shows cardio also improves <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29334638/">cognitive function</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26978184/">mental health</a>.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity">World Health Organization</a> recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week.</p> <p>There are many ways to do cardio, from playing a team sport, to riding your bike to work, to going for a jog. If you’re willing and able to invest in a piece of equipment, you can also do cardio at home.</p> <p>The treadmill, stationary bike and rowing machine are the most popular pieces of cardio equipment you’ll find in a typical gym, and you can buy any of these for your home too. Here’s how to know which one is best for you.</p> <h2>The treadmill</h2> <p>In terms of effectiveness of exercise, it’s hard to look past the treadmill. Running uses most of your major muscle groups and therefore leads to greater increases in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334197/">heart rate</a> and energy expenditure compared to other activities, such as cycling.</p> <p>As a bonus, since running on a treadmill requires you to support your own body weight, it also helps to build and maintain <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26562001/">your bones</a>, keeping them strong. This becomes even more important <a href="https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/exercise-your-bone-health">as you get older</a> as the risk of developing medical conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis – where the density of your bones is reduced – increases.</p> <p>But the treadmill may not be for everyone. The weight-bearing nature of running may exacerbate pain and cause swelling in people with common joint conditions such as osteoarthritis.</p> <p>Also, a treadmill is likely to require greater maintenance (since most treadmills are motorised), and can take up a lot of space.</p> <h2>Stationary bike</h2> <p>The stationary bike provides another convenient means to hit your cardio goals. Setting the bike up correctly is crucial to ensure you are comfortable and to reduce the risk of injury. A general rule of thumb is that you want a slight bend in your knee, as in the picture below, when your leg is at the bottom of the pedal stroke.</p> <p>While cycling has significant benefits for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21496106/">cardiovascular</a> and metabolic health, since it’s non-weight-bearing it doesn’t benefit your <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026049507003253">bones</a> to the same extent as walking and running. On the flipside, it offers a great cardio workout without stressing your joints.</p> <h2>Rowing machine</h2> <p>If you’re looking to the get the best cardio workout in the least amount of time, the rowing machine might be for you. Because rowing requires you to use all of your major muscle groups including the upper body, your heart and lungs have to work even harder than they do when <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32627051/">running and cycling</a> to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8325720/">deliver oxygen</a> to those working muscles. This means the energy expended while rowing is comparable to running and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3193864/">greater than cycling</a>.</p> <p>But before you rush off to buy a new rower, there are two issues to consider. First, the technical challenge of rowing is arguably greater than that of running or cycling, as the skill of rowing is often less familiar to the average person. While a coach or trainer can help with this, just remember a good rowing technique should be felt primarily in your legs, not your arms and back.</p> <p>Second, the non-weight-bearing nature of rowing means it misses out on the same bone health benefits offered by the treadmill – although there is some evidence it still can increase bone density <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7551766/">to a smaller degree</a>. Nevertheless, like cycling, this drawback of rowing may be negated by offering a more joint-friendly option, providing a great alternative for those with joint pain who still want to keep their heart and lungs healthy.</p> <h2>So, what’s the best option?</h2> <p>It depends on your goals, what your current health status is, and, most importantly, what you enjoy the most. The best exercise is the one that gets done. So, choose whichever piece of equipment you find the most enjoyable, as this will increase the likelihood you’ll stick to it in the long term.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213352/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lewis-ingram-1427671"><em>Lewis Ingram</em></a><em>, Lecturer in Physiotherapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-bennett-1053061">Hunter Bennett</a>, Lecturer in Exercise Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/saravana-kumar-181105">Saravana Kumar</a>, Professor in Allied Health and Health Services Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/treadmill-exercise-bike-rowing-machine-whats-the-best-option-for-cardio-at-home-213352">original article</a>.</em></p>

Body

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The reason some planes skip row numbers

<p dir="ltr">When it comes to boarding a flight, a lot of people have specific preferences on where they want to sit, while others simply leave it up to chance. </p> <p dir="ltr">The next time you’re looking for your seat on your next flight, pay close attention to the row numbers and see if you notice anything strange. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to <em><a href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/03/21/which-airlines-skip-row-13-and-where-does-the-superstition-come-from">EuroNews</a></em>, a lot of aircrafts have been known to skip over rows, specifically rows 13, 14 and 17. </p> <p dir="ltr">The skipping of these numbers stems largely from superstitious passengers, with the number 13 being widely considered as “unlucky”. </p> <p dir="ltr">The superstition around the number originates largely from Christia scripture, as the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot, was the 13th guest at the last supper.</p> <p dir="ltr">The number 14 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture, as it phonetically sounds like the words “will die”. </p> <p dir="ltr">As for the number 17, Italian culture often steers clear of the number due to its Roman meaning. </p> <p dir="ltr">"This fear stems from the fact that the number 17's Roman numeral, XVII, is an anagram of VIXI, which means 'I have lived' in Latin. Some consider this a bad omen as it implies that death is just around the corner," explains <a href="https://www.abodeitaly.com/blog/why-italians-unlucky-day-is-friday-the-17th">Abode Italy.</a></p> <p dir="ltr">According to <em>EuroNews</em>, there are a few airlines that avoid the unlucky rows altogether.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ryanair, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airlines, Lufthansa, and Emirates have been known to skip over the three unlucky numbers. </p> <p dir="ltr">So the next time you’re boarding a flight, check to see if your chosen airline has indulged the superstitions or if any brave passengers have chosen to risk flying in the “dangerous” rows. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Savvy traveller shares how to guarantee an entire row on your next flight

<p dir="ltr">When it comes to flying, it's no secret that space is a hard commodity to come by. </p> <p dir="ltr">Travelling in economy often means being crammed in beside other passengers battling for real estate on your shared arm rests, and struggling to stretch out your legs in limited space for your feet and bags. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, a savvy traveller has shared a foolproof hack to get the most space you can on your next flight with Qantas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Frequent flyer Chelsea Badger has revealed how she recently managed to switch seats to a row of empty seats mere moments before her Auckland to Sydney flight, without having to pay an extra cent.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I can't believe this works,” Chelsea, who lives in Auckland, said in her now-viral TikTok. </p> <p dir="ltr">Chelsea said in order to make the hack work, you will need the Qantas app, and wait until 10 minutes before your flight to check in. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Once you've done this, open up the Qantas app and click the seat selector tool,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If there's a whole row free or even just a better seat, make a mental note of that number.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Chelsea added, “You won't be able to select that seat in the app as it's too close to boarding, so simply just go up to the desk and politely ask to have it changed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It's so easy and I can't believe this works!”</p> <p dir="ltr">She clarified that it has worked for her on several non-full Qantas flights, but she is not saying it will work for every airline. </p> <p dir="ltr">More than 300,000 people who viewed the video thanked Chelsea for sharing her secret trick, with many saying they would try it out for themselves.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Legit did this,” one commenter posted.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is smart AF,” another added.</p> <p dir="ltr">A third shared her own take on the trick, “I've made mental notes of empty rows while literally boarding the plane and then just sitting in those seats upon boarding - works every time.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Prince William's godmother resigns amid racism row

<p>Prince William's godmother and Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting has resigned from her royal position after making "unacceptable comments" towards a black guest at Buckingham Palace. </p> <p>The incident reportedly took place earlier this week, when Camilla, Queen Consort was joined by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Rania of Jordan at an event to highlight domestic violence survivors and charities.</p> <p>Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, was invited to the afternoon reception at the palace through Safe Lives, a charity the Queen Consort is patron of.</p> <p>The next day, Fulani took to social media where she detailed an exchange with Lady Susan Hussey, saying the woman repeatedly asked where she was "really from", saying "this event remains a blur after the violation".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mixed feelings about yesterday's visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge. The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur.<br />Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/ManduReid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ManduReid</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/SuzanneEJacob?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SuzanneEJacob</a> for support🙏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/OUbQKlabyq">pic.twitter.com/OUbQKlabyq</a></p> <p>— Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sistah_Space/status/1597854380115767296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>The palace released a statement saying it took the matter "extremely seriously", labelling it "unacceptable" and confirming the staff member had stepped aside.</p> <p>"In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made," a statement from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning AEDT) said.</p> <p>"We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes."</p> <p>"In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect."</p> <p>Prince William's spokesperson almost made a statement to the BBC, saying "Racism has no place in our society."</p> <p>"The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect," they said.</p> <p>As the Palace claims it has reached out to Fulani, she told London radio station LBC and UK newspaper The Independent she hadn't heard from Buckingham Palace yet.</p> <p>Hussey, who served as Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting for over 60 years was given a role in the royal household by King Charles after his mother's death.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

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Unlikely classmates: Olivia spotted in same row as another Aussie icon

<p>An Australian icon has shared their primary school class photo, which features a young Olivia Newton-John before she shot to stardom. </p> <p>The photo also unearthed the little known fact that Olivia went to school with another giant of the Australian entertainment industry: Daryl Braithwaite.</p> <p>Just days after Olivia <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/honouring-dame-olivia-newton-john" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died from breast cancer</a>, Braithwaite, 73, shared the black-and-white class photo taken at Christ Church Grammar School in Melbourne in 1961. </p> <p>“This is a lovely shot to look back at when Olivia was at (school) with all her friends back in 1961. Olivia is 2nd from the right and 3rd row from the bottom,” wrote Braithwaite, who is in the same row on the very far left.</p> <p>He added, “She also loved all animals and was a beautiful soul who left a legacy that will endure forever.”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/08/289791995_622869719154215_9160388663808533621_n.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>His post was flooded with comments, as people couldn't believe Daryl and Olivia's friendship went all the way back to primary school. </p> <p>One person said, "Who would of thought that two of Australia's greatest ever singers would come out of that class photo."</p> <p>Braithwaite has previously opened up about how the duo were briefly “boyfriend and girlfriend” while at the same school, before Newton-John moved to London in her teenage years. </p> <p>“She was one of the prettiest girls in the class, (we were) 11 or 12 I think,” he told <em>The Morning Show</em> in 2017.</p> <p>“I don’t know how, we must have sat next to each other and thought, ‘Oh yeah that’s good’ and we were talking and then we held hands and then it was over.”</p> <p>After their fleeting romance, Braithwaite said that the pair always stayed friends. </p> <p>He told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/daryl-braithwaite-olivia-newton-john-romance-64213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Now to Love</a> in 2020, “It is one of those friendships where there was a decade, or maybe more, where we didn’t speak to each other, mainly because we were too busy or whatever, but over the last year or so I have made more contact with her than ever before, and she is lovely, she really is.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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How to score a whole row of seats to yourself on a plane

<p dir="ltr">A seasoned traveller has shared her simple tricks for ensuring you get a whole row of seats to yourself on your next flight. </p> <p dir="ltr">Chelsea Dickenson, from London, shared a video to TikTok to tell her followers of the hack she uses when travelling in a pair. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Row to yourself travel hack. This actually works,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to Chelsea, when selecting your seats online, she suggests booking the aisle and the window, leaving the middle seat free in between you.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The theory here is that someone is much less likely to book a seat in between two strangers and they’ll opt for another row,” Chelsea said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And even if they do book that middle seat, you can always ask them if they want the aisle or the window and it works out for everyone.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Chelsea suggested the best rows to book are “towards the back of the plane” because it “tends to work a bit better”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Testing out her own theory, Chelsea and her friend James booked the seats in row 13 on a flight. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve gone for row 13 as lots of people think it’s unlucky,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The video shows Chelsea and James waiting patiently in their seats before the cabin crew completed boarding.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Here we go, here’s the moment of truth,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yes, the row is clear. We bloody smashed it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Back so soon, La Niña? Here’s why we’re copping two soggy summers in a row

<p>Last month was Australia’s <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-weather-australia-records-wettest-november-in-122-years-more-rain-to-come-in-summer/4f2d7ce6-5547-4949-b947-b9aaf51e4271">wettest November</a> on record, and summer in Queensland and parts of New South Wales is also expected to be soggy for the second consecutive year. So why is our summer parade being rained on yet again?</p> <p>Weather systems bring rain all the time. And from November to March, the monsoon occurs in northern Australia which adds to the wet conditions.</p> <p>But this year, three climate phenomena also converged to drive the Big Wet over Australia’s eastern seaboard: a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, a positive Southern Annular Mode, and a La Niña.</p> <p>So will this summer be the wettest and wildest on record for Australia’s southeast? It’s too early to say, but the prospect can’t be discounted.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437370/original/file-20211213-25284-165mf1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="man in front of flood waters and flood warning sign" /> <span class="caption">Three climate phenomena have converged to bring the current wet conditions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stuart Walmsley/AAP</span></span></p> <h2>La Niña: the sequel</h2> <p>You’ve probably heard about the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/">La Niña</a> that’s emerged in the Pacific Ocean for the second year in a row. This event often brings overcast conditions, above-average rainfall and cooler temperatures.</p> <p>A La Niña occurs when the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become cooler than normal, due to an interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean.</p> <p>During La Niña, atmospheric pressure increases in the east of the Pacific and lowers in the west. This pressure difference causes trade winds to strengthen. The Pacific waters north of Australia become warmer than normal, as the central and eastern Pacific cools.</p> <p>The warm ocean around Australia increases moisture in the atmosphere and enhances the chance of rainfall for the northern and eastern parts of the country. It also increases the likelihood of tropical cyclones.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">A schematic showing interactions between the atmosphere and ocean that produce a La Niña.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bureau of Meteorology.</span></span></p> <p>La Niña and its opposite drying phenomenon, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a008-el-nino-and-australia.shtml">El Niño</a>, are together known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). When each occur, they generally develop during winter and spring, mature in early summer and finish by autumn.</p> <p>We saw that autumn finish in March this year, when the tail end of the last La Niña brought extreme rain and floods to the NSW coast and other regions.</p> <p>So why are we seeing it back so soon? It’s actually not uncommon for La Niña to occur in two consecutive years. In fact, since 1958, about half of La Niña events reoccurred the following year, as the below graph shows.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437383/original/file-20211213-19-uxzzbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437383/original/file-20211213-19-uxzzbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Graph showing La Niña events since 1950.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Authors provided. Data at https://origin.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/ONI_v5.php</span></span></p> <p>These repeat events are far more common for La Niña than El Niño. That’s because after an El Niño, strong air-sea interactions cause the equatorial waters of the Pacific to rapidly lose heat. These interactions are weaker during La Niña, meaning the Pacific sometimes retains cool water which enables a second La Niña to occur.</p> <p>We saw this in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/history/ln-2010-12/">consecutive</a> La Niña events of 2010-11 and 2011-12. The first of these was an extreme La Niña, bringing heavy rain and the devastating Brisbane floods.</p> <h2>La Niña is not acting alone</h2> <p>La Niña is not the only phenomenon driving the wet conditions. This year, after the wet autumn in NSW, an event known as a negative “Indian Ocean Dipole” (<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/history/ln-2010-12/IOD-what.shtml">IOD</a>) developed.</p> <p>An active negative IOD tends to change wind patterns and rainfall conditions over Australia’s southeast during spring, setting the scene for more wet conditions in summer.</p> <p>Adding to this, the Southern Annular Mode (<a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/sam/">SAM</a>) has been in its positive phase for a few months. The SAM refers to the position of westerly winds in the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere.</p> <p>When the SAM is in a positive phase, mid-latitude storms move poleward, away from Australia, as onshore winds to eastern Australia enhance. This increases moisture and rain to the continent’s southeast.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437375/original/file-20211213-31407-1tphns9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="cars and pedestrian traverse wet road" /> <span class="caption">The negative phase of an IOD typically brings wet weather from Western Australia to southeast Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dean Lewis/AAP</span></span></p> <h2>What about next year?</h2> <p>The Bureau of Meteorology’s <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/rainfall/median/seasonal/0">seasonal outlook</a> shows an increased chance of rain this summer (January to March) over parts of Queensland and the NSW coast, but not much for the rest of Australia.</p> <p>So while it’s unlikely to be the wettest ever summer in Australia overall, we can’t yet rule that out for the east coast. Safe to say, the climate conditions are ripe for extreme wet weather over the next few months.</p> <p>But rest assured that a third consecutive La Niña, while possible next year, is unlikely. Since 1950, three consecutive La Niñas have occurred only twice: in 1973-75 and 1998-2000. These were preceded by extreme El Niño events, which tend to induce La Niña events.</p> <p>And while the rain might disrupt your summer plans, it’s worth remembering that just three years ago southeast Australia was in the midst of severe drought. The successive La Niñas have brought water and soil moisture back to the Murray Darling Basin – and in that sense that’s a very good thing. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173684/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrea-s-taschetto-169429">Andréa S. Taschetto</a>, Associate Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/agus-santoso-123850">Agus Santoso</a>, Senior Research Associate, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-so-soon-la-nina-heres-why-were-copping-two-soggy-summers-in-a-row-173684">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Dan Himbrechts/AAP</em></p>

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Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sir Elton John has revealed in his new autobiography </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Me</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the tough times he went through with singer Tina Turner. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two legends united for a joint tour in 1997, but tensions quickly rose and eventually Elton told Tina to “shove her song up her f***ing a**e”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an extract from the book, which has been serialised in the </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7551955/Elton-Uncensored-Tinas-tantrum-simply-best.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daily Mail</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Elton revealed that he was particularly upset after some suggestions from Tina. The suggestions included swapping his Versace for Armani outfits so he would look “less fat” and that he should update his hairstyle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I got off the phone and burst into tears: ‘She sounded like my f***ing mother,’ I wailed at David.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Things didn’t get better in rehearsals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Proud Mary</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f*****g song up her a**e and stormed off,” Elton added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Elton has had time to reflect on why Tina was acting like that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Maybe it was insecurity on her part. She’d been treated appallingly earlier in her career, suffered years and years of being ripped off, beaten up and pushed around. Maybe that had an effect on how she behaved towards people,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Later, once Elton had calmed down, he went to Tina’s dressing room to apologise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The argument made the pair realise that they had different performance styles, as Elton preferred to improvise, and Tina wanted to rehearse every detail.</span></p>

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This airport was named the busiest airport in the world for the 21st year in a row

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Definitely avoid this airport if you’re not a fan of crowds, as a US airport has topped the list of busiest airports in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It beat out hubs such as Dubai, Beijing and even more recognisable US airports such as LAX or New York’s JFK.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The airport has won the award for 21 years in a row, as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had close to 107 million passengers passing through back in 2018.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The annual world traffic report done by Airports Council International, which includes airport traffic trends as well as in-depth analysis of the world’s biggest aviation markets show that traffic across the world has increased to 8.8 billion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a 6.4 per cent increase from last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reason for the airport’s popularity is because of its position in the US, as it’s within a two-hour flight for 80 per cent of the United States population.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beijing Airport was in second spot, as it had 101 million passengers going in and out of the airport, whereas Dubai was third, which handled 89 million.</span></p> <p><strong>Here are the top five world’s busiest airports for 2018</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia, US) — 107.4 million passengers</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beijing Capital International Airport (China) — 101 million</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) — 89.1 million</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Los Angeles International Airport (California, US) — 87.5 million</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (Japan) — 86.9 million</span></li> </ol>

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Southern Lights delight New Zealand for second night in a row

<p>The Southern Lights were spotted from Auckland, Canterbury and the Otago Peninsula on Saturday. They then made an appearance in Wellington on Sunday, and were again spied in the sky over Canterbury.</p> <p>Natalie Crowther, who photographed the Aurora on Sunday, said she had never seen so many cars on the Port Hills, near Christchurch.</p> <p>"Fog covered Lake Ellesmere so we decided to go up the hill. There were about 200 cars that went through within three hours," she said.</p> <p>In Wellington, Jonathan Usher was also armed with a camera to capture the light display, and managed to snap the Aurora both nights of the weekend.</p> <p>"The scene was quite an amazing one," he said.</p> <p>It was Dave Watson's first time taking his 9-year-old daughter star-gazing on Saturday, and the pair weren't disappointed.</p> <p>They saw the glow from Rakaia Huts, southwest of Christchurch.</p> <p>Watson said the pair stood and watched in wonder at the Aurora's "big pointy streaks".</p> <p>Photographer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shadowandshadenz">Larryn Rae</a> spotted the lights in Auckland.</p> <p>He'd <a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/90954085/Rare-showing-of-the-Aurora-Australis-in-Auckland&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiPq7mGk7nTAhVE0mMKHfeJAkYQFggLMAI&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;usg=AFQjCNGuW3d6wS1-ycssBMotBQx1UrvKag">previously photographed the Aurora</a>, but said Saturday night's made "the last one look like play school".</p> <p>What made the Aurora particularly unusual was its light beams, which Rae didn't believe were normally spotted from Auckland.</p> <p>Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin captured photos of the Aurora from Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula, on Saturday.</p> <p>He said the rainbow colours were a "truly gorgeous display".</p> <p>It was caused by a geomagnetic storm - the result of a large hole in the sun's surface.</p> <p>The lights should continue to be visible on Monday night.</p> <p>Griffin, the former head of public outreach at Nasa's Space Telescope Science Institute, shared some tips for spotting them.</p> <p>"Get away from city lights, find a place with a good view to the south and keep your fingers crossed," he said.</p> <p>The Aurora could be seen "surprisingly frequently" in New Zealand, especially from southern parts of the South Island.</p> <p>"I've lived here in Dunedin now for about four years and I've seen it on over 100 [occasions], I think it's about the 159th now.</p> <p>"So, on average, it's once every couple of weeks," Griffin said.</p> <p>Statistics for Christchurch were not as favourable because the city was further north.</p> <p>"But having said that you can see it quite a lot from Christchurch . . . You need to have a combination of clear skies and the Aurora going off at the same time.</p> <p>"[Saturday] night's display was a pretty special one, it was seen as far north as Auckland," he said.</p> <p>Seeing an Aurora from Auckland was "quite rare".</p> <p>"If you go back through history, it's once every five years or so.</p> <p>"Having said that, sometimes you might get two or three in a year and then one not for for 15 or 20 years.</p> <p>So seeing the Aurora in Auckland is pretty special and that points to the power of [Saturday] night's display," Griffin said.</p> <p>What made this aurora 'special'?</p> <p>Griffin said Saturday night's display was particularly impressive because of a phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection.</p> <p>"The sun basically blasts off some material and it struck the earth, or it impacted the earth's magnetic field, and that's what gave life to last night's beautiful Aurora and, certainly, it was pretty stunning last night.</p> <p>"Some of the popular spots down here were really full of people," Griffin said.</p> <p>"It just turns out last night that there was a load of material coming off the sun and the circumstances were just about perfect for a really good display."</p> <p>In the Northern Hemisphere, displays of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) were expected to be visible as far south as New York, Washington and Wisconsin over the same period.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></a>. </em><em>Video credit: Facebook/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photographyjpg/videos"> Jpg Photography</a></em></p>

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