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☆ You can now pay $40 to get an empty seat next to you on some Qantas flights, and people can't decide if it's a luxury — or the airline making easy money off people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas's new 'Neighbor Free' program lets passengers block the seat next to them for a fee. 48 hours prior to departure, those eligible will be invited via email to buy a 'Neighbor Free' seat. The "Neighbor Free" program allows passengers to reserve the seat next to them for some extra space or perhaps to avoid an overly chatty neighbor. "I think I would pay the extra dollars, a little extra room would be lovely," said a man to Today News reporter Izabella Staskowski. On other airlines— including Singapore Airlines — hot towels and amenity kits are handed out to long-haul passengers in coach.

Persons: Izabella Staskowski, James Macpherson, it's, Macpherson, Rita Panahi Organizations: Morning, Qantas Airways, Sky News, Qantas, Air New, Singapore Airlines Locations: Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Air New Zealand

☆ Snorkeler survives crocodile attack by pulling his head from its jaws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Australian man bitten on the head by a crocodile while snorkeling in the sea off far north Queensland escaped the unusual attack by prizing open the reptile’s jaws. McGowan was rushed to Haggerston, a resort island some 45 minutes away, before being helicoptered to a regional hospital. I’m just grateful it was me and not one of the kids or ladies in the group,” he said in the statement. Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six meters long and weigh up to 1,000 kilograms, according to Australia Zoo. Crocodiles were sighted on nine occasions in Cook Shire on Cape York since the start of this year, according to the Queensland government.

☆ Photos: Inside $33.5 Million Mansion on Long Island's Gold Coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A $33.5 million home is for sale in Brookville, Long Island. Brookville is the second-most affluent neighborhood in the US, Insider previously reported. One of these properties is a $33.5 million mansion nicknamed "Shangri-La." It's located in the small village of Brookville, which Insider previously named the second most affluent neighborhood in the US. Keep scrolling to see inside this expansive property in one of the country's most affluent neighborhoods.

Before Abdel R. Salaam traveled to Ghana last fall, he didn’t have deep knowledge of its music and dance traditions. It’s a memory that stuck with Salaam, now the festival’s artistic director who this week brings Ghana back to the DanceAfrica stage. After immersing himself in the country’s culture — and holding auditions for 21 companies in different regions — he landed on a title: “Golden Ghana: Adinkra, Ananse and Abusua.”Before its independence, in 1957, Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. He likens “Golden Ghana” to the idea of “living my life like it’s golden,” as Jill Scott sings. “You want to reach for not just material gold, but the highest level of light,” Salaam said.

☆ Australian Rules-Tasmania savours victory in 'hard fight' to secure AFL team
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The state government signed off on commitments to secure the AFL's 19th team license and has targeted the 2028 season to launch in the Australian Rules top flight. "This has been a hard fight ... by many, many Tasmanians over a number of generations," state Premier Jeremy Rockliff said in the state capital Hobart. The AFL targeted richer eastern states and continues to spend a fortune propping up expansion teams in territory long owned by rugby league. AFL clubs relying on league distributions balked at the prospect of another drain on the league's coffers. ($1 = 1.5006 Australian dollars)Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Eliminated Slater handed wildcard to continue on WSL Championship Tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 11-times world champion will be able to surf and earn ranking points at the remaining events in 2023 and for the first half of the 2024 tour, the WSL said. "Slater's ranking points will also give him the opportunity to compete for provisional qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the WSL said. Slater was knocked out by Australian Liam O'Brien early in the Margaret River Pro last week, which left him below the mid-season cut line. Some surfing media criticised the wildcard decision, saying it was motivated by commercial considerations and made a mockery of the WSL's ranking system. France's Johanne Defay was also awarded a wildcard to continue on the Women's Championship Tour after falling well outside the mid-season cut.

☆ The mayor of a rich New York suburb says wealthy communities 'are losing their minds' over Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to increase housing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Affluent suburban communities around New York City are denouncing the proposal. The mayor of Bronxville, NY told Bloomberg some wealthy communities "are losing their minds." But many of the wealthiest suburban communities around New York City aren't having it. "People in Nassau and Suffolk are losing their minds," Mayor Mary Marvin told Bloomberg. Marvin told Bloomberg that Hochul wouldn't have been elected last fall if she'd campaigned on her housing plan.

☆ China warns against travelling out of Central African Republic capital after killings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) - China's embassy in the Central African Republic has urged its citizens to avoid travelling outside the capital, Bangui, after a report that nine Chinese nationals were killed in an attack by militants at a gold mine outside the city. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for "severe punishment" of the perpetrators in accordance to the law, and said the safety of Chinese citizens must be ensured, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. The security risk level in the Central African Republic, apart from the capital, was "red", or very high, the Chinese foreign ministry added. The ministry said it would work with governments and guide Chinese embassies and consulates to take further effective measures to fully safeguard Chinese citizens and enterprises in Africa. There have been several attacks on Chinese nationals abroad in recent months, prompting embassies to issue warnings and safety alerts and conduct evacuations.

☆ British couple and two Australians killed in helicopter collision at tourist hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A pilot, two British visitors and a Sydney woman have been identified as the four people killed in a collision of two helicopters over the waterfront at an Australian tourist hotspot. Authorities say it was fortunate the death toll in the crash of two aircraft operated by Sea World Helicopters was not higher. The pilot of the second helicopter managed to land safely on a sandy outcrop despite the aircraft being damaged in the collision Monday afternoon near Main Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast. His helicopter had been in the air for less than 20 seconds when it collided with the second Sea World Helicopter attempting to land. Mitchell said the main rotor blade of the aircraft made contact with the front cockpit of the descending helicopter.

☆ Two British citizens among dead in mid-air helicopter collision near Australian theme park
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Two travellers from the United Kingdom were among four people killed in a mid-air helicopter collision near an Australian theme park that authorities say could have been much worse. Queensland state police say two helicopters collided about 300 meters in the air on Monday afternoon as one was landing and another taking off near Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast. The helicopter that was taking off crashed, killing four of the seven aboard, including 40-year-old pilot Ashley Jenkinson and two visitors from the United Kingdom. Sea World Helicopters, which operated the aircraft involved in the crash, is independent of Sea World owner Village Roadshow Theme Parks and is closed until further notice, according to a statement on its website. Sea World was open on Tuesday.

☆ Connecticut's wealthy hedge-fund haven, home to Shonda Rhimes and the billionaire owner of the Mets, is losing federal 'high-cost' housing status after its home price gains lagged the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Fairfield County, Connecticut, is a ritzy NYC suburb known for hedge funds and shoreline mansions. Fairfield County, Connecticut, New York City's ritziest suburban enclave, barely saw any home-price gains in the year through September, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The county's median household income of $101,194 tops the overall median income in the US — $70,784 — by a large margin. Data from Douglas Elliman shows Fairfield County's median sale price rose by 8.2% year-over-year through September, for example. In 2022, with high-cost status, the county's limit has been significantly higher, at $970,000.

☆ Marion Barter: The search for a missing mother surfaces claims of her lover's 'life of deceit'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’ve exposed a way bigger fish than what I ever expected to find,” Leydon told CNN. He revealed that he’d had a four-month affair with the schoolteacher from February to June, 1997 – the same month she left Australia. Two years after Barter left Australia for Europe, Janet Oldenburg took a similar trip with Blum, who she knew as Ric West. She filed a police report and the inquest heard Blum told police he sent all the jewelry back. In court, Blum denied her claims and accused her of lying.

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