Almost 20 per cent of children aged eight to 15 have never paddled in the sea, either in the UK or abroad, according to a British survey.
And more than two in five in this age range have not been on a plane, the poll by travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk found.
The survey also revealed that two-thirds of eight to 15-year-olds have never been camping, 52 per cent have not been on a boat and 52 per cent had only been to one other country. Also, 32 per cent had never built a sandcastle on the beach and 37 per cent had never seen a crab.
Sunshine.co.uk co-founder Chris Brown said, “I think with advancements in technology, such as games consoles and computers, more kids are staying indoors and not wanting to go out into the open air, which is an awful shame.” (PA)
Newborn steals the show
A performance of Jean Racine’s 1677 play Phaedra at Vienna’s prestigious Burgtheater was upstaged by real-life drama late on Friday, when a theatre-goer gave birth in the foyer, a newspaper reported.
The daily Kurier said that a 40-year-old pregnant woman identified only as Miryam S. went into labour shortly after the end of the performance. But before the ambulance could arrive, she gave birth to a baby boy with the assistance of the theatre’s doctor.
Mother and child were then taken to a hospital and both were doing well.
German director and Burgtheater chief Matthias Hartmann described the dramatic turn of events on Friday evening as “an historic occasion”.
Mr Hartmann added that the boy would be honoured with lifelong free entrance to the theatre. (AFP)
Hangover helpers
Your head aches, you’re hungry and your house is littered with sticky plastic cups. Who ya gonna call? Hangover Helpers.
Two University of Colorado graduates are marketing a new business by that name in Boulder where the main university campus is based. They’ll bring in breakfast burritos and Gatorade the morning after a party – and clean up the mess.
Marc Simons and Alex Vere-Nicoll charge £10 per room-mate. They expect business to pick up in spring, Boulder’s prime party season. (PA)
Old and disorderly
An angry 84-year-old man hit a police officer in the stomach with his cane when the deputy warned him to leave a clinic where he had been swearing at an office manager.
The man was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer after the incident in Bay County, Florida.
Police said the office manager asked them to remove the man who also hit the officer in the leg as he was being handcuffed. (PA)
Flight attendants strip for calendar
Stewardesses from ailing Mexican airline Mexicana pose in sexy outfits in a new calendar aiming to raise money to compensate their losses since the company suspended activities in August.
“We’re not models, we don’t have perfect bodies, but we want to keep going,” said one of the stewardesses who presented the calendar last week.
The selected flight attendants pose next to planes on a runway in bikinis and tiny outfits in the 2011 calendar. One thousand calendars have been produced, but a second print run of 3,000 is already planned after the move provoked a media frenzy. (AFP)
Breastfeeding areas
The UK Government is urging employers to set aside private areas where working mothers can carry on breastfeeding their babies after they return to work.
A public health white paper to be published this week will set out proposals to encourage firms to adopt “breastfeeding-friendly employment policies”.
Ministers argue that increasing breastfeeding rates has the potential to reduce the impact of health inequalities and cut infant mortality levels.
They are particularly concerned that just 66 per cent of women in manual jobs breastfeed compared with 88 per cent of professionals. (PA)
Andre recovers after operation
Singer and reality TV regular Peter Andre has been discharged from hospital after an emergency operation.
The former chart star had to postpone two gigs over the weekend after being taken to hospital “in excruciating pain”.
“All other tour dates will be unaffected and will run to schedule,” a statement on his website said.
Mr Andre’s manager Claire Powell said the singer had been “terribly disappointed”. (PA)