Nearly one in five cruise holiday customers cannot swim, according to a survey.
Most of the non-swimmers do not think being able to keep their heads above water is important, the poll by bonvoyage.co.uk found.
Of those attaching no importance to swimming ability, most are unconcerned as they know lifejackets are available, with 52 per cent of the non-swimmers saying they feel “completely safe” even when surrounded by water.
A total of 1,562 tourists who had taken a cruise holiday were surveyed, with 19 per cent saying they cannot swim. (AP)
Baby born in African court
A South African magistrate found herself swapping her robe and gavel for a pair of cleaners gloves, as she helped volunteers with the birth of a baby in a courtroom toilet.
Acting senior magistrate Pearl Andrews was among those crammed in to a bathroom stall giving a hand to the surprised mother and her newborn at Cape Town’s Wynberg magistrates’ court.
Andrews helped remove the mother’s shoes and soiled clothes so that she could move a little bit in the tight space, and the newly arrived baby could be brought forward before paramedics arrived (AFP)
Woman killed for working
An Afghan man stabbed his wife to death because she worked for an NGO outside the home, police have said after arresting the suspect in Herat.
“Kulsoom was stabbed eight times by her husband... because she was working,” provincial police spokesman Noor Khan Nekzad said. “We have arrested the murderer, Abdul Rahim, who killed his wife.”
The couple had been married for six years and had two children. (AFP)
‘Dulux dog’ endangered
The old English sheepdog has been put on a watchlist of endangered dogs over fears it could face extinction.
The breed, used in advertisements for Dulux paint for more than 50 years, had just 316 of its puppies registered this year, according to the Kennel Club which is highlighting the plight of old English sheepdogs before they get to vulnerable levels of less than 300 puppies.
Bill Lambert, manager of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, said: “The decline of the old English sheepdog....can be partly explained by lifestyle changes as it needs a lot of grooming and exercise and so is not suitable for the fast paced urban lifestyles of many people.” (PA)
Coffee from elephant dung
For those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain.
The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup. But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the “naturally refined” coffee costs a staggering $1,100 (€850) per kilogram – making it one of the most expensive blends in the world. (AFP)