An Australian man has broken the world record for the longest surfing session – and was continuing to ride waves until Friday evening local time. Blake Johnston’s record break came after 30 hours and 11 minutes in the water at Cronulla beach in south Sydney. Describing himself as “pretty cooked”, Johnston told reporters he would keep going as “I still have a job to do”. His board-riding marathon has raised some $A240,000 for charity. With spotlights to illuminate a section of Cronulla’s surf known as “The Alley”, Johnston kept going overnight and by Friday lunchtime had ridden over 600 waves. … Continue reading Australian man set new record for longest surf session

A Canadian brother and sister born at 22 weeks have been named by Guinness as the world’s most premature twins. Adiah and Adrial Nadarajah were born at 126 days, overtaking the previous record of 125 days early set in 2018 by twins in the US state of Iowa. If the children had been born even one hour earlier than 22 weeks, life-saving measured would not have been attempted by the hospital, Guinness says. A full-term pregnancy is usually 40 weeks, making them 18 weeks premature. Mum Shakina Rajendram said that when she began labour at just 21 weeks and five … Continue reading Canadian siblings certified as world’s most premature twins

Judy Heumann, a renowned advocate for the rights of disabled people, has died at the age of 75. Heumann was an internationally recognised leader of the disability rights movement whose activism led to the implementation of major legislation in the United States. After contracting polio as a child, she became the first wheelchair user to work as a teacher in New York City. She died in Washington DC on Saturday. Heumann was “widely regarded as ‘the mother’ of the disability rights movement”, according to a message posted on her website announcing her death. She was at the forefront of major … Continue reading US Disability rights activist Judy Heumann dies aged 75

In front of 30,000 screaming Australian fans on Monday night, British pop star Harry Styles raised a sweaty sneaker full of water to his lips and drank. “This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever heard of,” he told the Perth stadium, grimacing before downing the drink to deafening chants of ‘shoey, shoey, shoey’. Post-swallow, Styles told the raucous crowd he felt “like a different person”. “I feel ashamed of myself,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length. At length!” Styles is just the latest international star to be subjected to … Continue reading Harry Styles downed a ‘shoey’ – a divisive Australian trend

Duangpetch Promthep, one of the 12 boys who was rescued from a Thai cave in 2018, has died in the UK. The cause of the death is unclear, but the teenager is reported to have sustained a head injury. He enrolled in the Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester late last year when he was 17. He was the captain of the Thai boys’ football team, which was trapped along with their coach for two weeks while exploring in the Chiang Rai province. Wat Doi Wao temple in Chiang Rai, which the team frequented, posted condolences to Promthep – … Continue reading Thai boy who survived dramatic cave rescue dies in UK

A baby girl has been rescued by authorities after she fell down a deep well in northern Thailand. The 19-month-old child fell down the 13m (42ft) deep shaft while playing on Monday afternoon in Tak province, near the Myanmar border. Authorities launched an overnight rescue operation after the girl’s parents – who had been working in a nearby field – raised the alarm. She was taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries, officials said. “She has signs of fatigue but still has good vital signs,” local police chief Ratsaran Ketsoising told AFP. Panic was sparked after the baby girl … Continue reading Dramatic rescue saves Thai baby who fell down well

A 30-year-old Portuguese dog has been named as the world’s oldest ever by Guinness World Records – beating a record that stood for a century. Bobi is a pure-bred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed that has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. The news comes just two weeks after Spike the Chihuahua, 23, was given the record for the oldest living dog. The previous oldest dog ever was Australia’s Bluey, who died in 1939 at the age of 29 years and five months. As of 1 February, Bobi was 30 years and 226 days old. This has … Continue reading Bobi breaks Guinness World Record for oldest dog ever

Police in California say they have resumed a search from the air for the missing British actor Julian Sands. Previous efforts were hampered by adverse weather conditions as the US state has been hit by deadly storms. There has been no sign of the 65-year-old since he disappeared on 13 January. Mr Sands had been hiking in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles, when he went missing. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department tweeted that it would use a helicopter from the California Highway Patrol which carries a device that can detect matching … Continue reading Update: New air search for missing actor Julian Sands

British actor Julian Sands has been named as a hiker who went missing in the San Gabriel mountains last week. The 65-year-old was reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on Friday, amid bad weather in southern California. Police said ground rescue teams were pulled off the mountain last weekend due to avalanche risks but searches continue by drone and helicopter. Mr Sands is known for roles in popular films and TV dramas including A Room With A View, 24 and Smallville. In a statement shared with the PA news agency, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department said Mr Sands … Continue reading Missing hiker in California identified as British actor Julian Sands

The world’s oldest person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118. Ms Randon – who assumed the name Sister Andre when she took holy orders in 1944 – died in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, France. Born in 1904 in southern France, she lived through two world wars and dedicated much of her life to Catholicism. “Only the good Lord knows” the secret of her longevity, she told reporters. Born when Tour de France had only been staged once, Sister Andre also saw 27 French heads of state. A spokesman from her nursing home, David Tavella, … Continue reading World’s oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, dies aged 118

Five months after setting out from the tip of Australia, marathon runner Erchana Murray-Bartlett has reached the country’s southern edge. The 32-year-old on Monday finished her 6,300km (3,900 miles) journey – a marathon every day for 150 days. Ms Murray-Bartlett’s effort sets a new world record for the most consecutive daily marathons by a woman. And she has raised over A$100,000 ($70,000) for conservation charity the Wilderness Society. Ms Murray-Bartlett has been running professionally for years, but after missing out on qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, she set her sights on another life-long dream. She was going to run the … Continue reading Woman makes record-breaking run across Australia

In what can only be described as an amazing luck, a nine year-old girl found a rare part of an extinct animal. Molly Sampson, nine, was on a Christmas Day visit to Calvert Beach in Maryland, and told her mother she was “looking for a Meg”. Wading in knee-deep waters, that’s exactly what she found: a tooth belonging to the now-extinct Otodus megalodon shark species. A local marine museum’s curator called it a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of find”. The megalodon – ancient Greek for “big tooth” – lived in seas worldwide until it died out at least 3.5 million years ago. … Continue reading Girl, 9, finds megalodon shark tooth on Maryland beach