Man breaks into winery and pours away more than $2.8M worth of luxury wine
By Leo Black
A man poured away more than $2.8M worth of luxury wine during a break-in.
CCTV footage shows a hooded figure slipping between the tanks at a Spanish winery and releasing 60,000 liters of two of the company's most expensive wines.
During the break-in, which took place around 3:30 am on February 18, the intruder opened five tanks at Cepa 21's facility in Castrillo del Duero, Spain.
The wines, Horcajo and Malabrigo, retail for around $112 and $49 a bottle, respectively, and the equivalent of 80,000 bottles were lost.
The total cost of the wine lost was given as $2.8 million (€2.5million).
Representatives of the winery have speculated that the perpetrator knew the building as he was able to navigate the premises easily in the dark.
They have also said that the tanks that were emptied were not easy to open, which seems to indicate knowledge of winemaking.
Police continue to investigate the incident.
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Do look up! Out-of-control satellite will plummet to Earth
By Dean Murray
Do look up! An out of control satellite is set to plummet to Earth today (21 Feb).
Scientists say they have no idea where the 2294 kg European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) will land.
The latest information the ESA (European Space Agency) shared at 9 am Wednesday (21 Feb) of time of reentry into the atmosphere of their doomed sat is 3:49 pm.
However, that crash prediction comes with a margin of error less than two hours either side.
The UK Space Agency has tried to predict where they think ERS-2 is expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
Issuing a world map on Tuesday with possible flight routes, they added: “Risk to individuals and property is deemed to be very low.”
The UK Space Agency said Friday they are on alert ahead of the impact and have been working with satellite tracking company HEO to observe the rogue sat.
The images captured from space by HEO – an Australian company with an office in the UK – were taken by other satellites between January 14 and February 3 and show ERS-2 as it rotates on its journey back to Earth.
ESA describes the ERS-2 reentry as ‘natural’ as it is no longer possible to control the satellite.
The only force causing ERS-2’s orbit to decay is atmospheric drag, which is influenced by unpredictable solar activity.
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“I’m a leap year baby – I should be 55 but I’m only 13 and still throw kids parties"
By Emma Dunn
A "leap year baby" who should be 55 but has only celebrated 13 birthdays loves to throw herself children’s parties – and says she gets to be "young forever".
Liz Duren, 55, was born on February 29, 1968 - a leap year - and has always seen the rare birthday as "lucky" and "special".
When the date rolls around every four years Liz loves to have a children's party – throwing a bash fit for a 10-year-old complete with a magician and games for her 44th.
This year she is turning 56 – although it is only the 14th time the date has recurred in her lifetime – and plans to have an ET themed party.
Liz, a podcaster and local historian, from Charleston, South Carolina, USA, said: “When I turned 44 I threw a 10th birthday party.
“I had a magician and games.
“I’m 55 but also 13.
“I can be young forever.
“I look great for 56 but crappy for 13.”
Ever since she was little, Liz has always loved her leap day birthday.
Her family threw her a first birthday party when she turned four and she ended up on the front page of her local paper.
When it is not a leap year Liz celebrates on the following day – March 1 – but doesn’t mind when her friends wish her a happy birthday.
She said: “It’s very confusing for all my friends for when to wish me happy birthday.
“I’ve got two birthstones.
“I’m really very relaxed about how people want to celebrate my birthday.
“I try to make the 29th special.”
This year Liz will be acting in a play on her birthday and holding an ET themed party that weekend.
She said: “I consider myself the luckiest person in the world.
“I make a joke about myself.”
Liz - who is adopted - also said her rare birthday helped her track down her birth parents when she was 44.
She was able to track down her birth mum - who does not want to be named - by contacting strangers on Facebook who went to her mother’s high school and jogging their memory with her unique date of birth.
She was also able to track down her biological dad, Harry Bennett, 83, who she now has a close relationship with.
Liz said: “Through my adoption documents I was able to work out her high school.
“I contacted people she went to school with.
“I was able to spark people’s memories with the date.
“Being born on a unique day was easier to find my birth mum.”
Liz hopes other leap babies can feel “lucky” to have such a special and rare birthday.
She said: “I have only met a handful of people that have my birthday.
“I hope they embrace it.”
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“I’m child-free so I don’t pass on rare genetic condition – trolls tell me I won’t know true love”
By Ruby Watson
A woman is child-free by choice so she doesn't pass on a rare genetic condition - but says trolls tell her she can't know "true love" unless she has a child.
Sophie Power, 33, and her husband, Joe, 33, decided not to have children because they would have an increased risk of developing cancer.
Sophie was born with Li Fraumeni syndrome - a rare genetic condition that increases her risk of the disease.
She has had cancer twice - surviving neuroblastoma aged five and breast cancer just last year.
Sophie, who works in PR, from Telford, Shropshire, England, said: "I’ve always joked that one of the most attractive things that my now-husband said when we first met was that he didn't want kids.
“We got told once that you can’t know true love until you've had your own child. It's absolutely mad the stuff some people come out with.
“It would be easier to tell them that I couldn’t have kids. It’s possible, I just don’t want them.
“If people are going to be really judgy about it then you probably don’t need that negativity in your life."
Sophie discovered she had Li Fraumeni syndrome after losing her younger brother, Daniel Belcher, seven, to a brain tumour in 2001.
Her mom, Michelle Belcher, 39, and nan, Jenny Pitchford were both successfully treated for breast cancer but later developed secondary cancers elsewhere.
Michelle passed away after the cancer returned and spread to her liver, ovaries, brain and lungs.
Jenny died three years later from cancer and a number of health problems.
The pattern lead Sophie and her family to go for genetic testing and she was diagnosed with the rare condition.
She said: “I have a yearly MRI - so I have my full body, breast scans.
"I have brain scans and stuff every year so that’s how they keep on top of everything."
Sophie had never felt particularly maternal and always wanted to focus on her career.
She said: “I always joked that I would get broodier over puppy videos than I would with human babies.
“My parents were told quite a few times that I wouldn’t make it to secondary school, that I wouldn’t make it to university so I’ve always had those goals in my mind.
"There was no way I wasn’t doing either of those things."
There are options for people with Li Fraumeni syndrome to have children such as in vitro testing and IVF but Sophie and Joe, a corporal in the RAF, have decided against these.
Sophie said: “Ultimately although they might not have that condition, they could have another.
“Even if we were to have kids and we’d done all of the testing, I wouldn't want to be one of those parents that was a hypochondriac because I was just massively worried about something happening to them.
“I just don’t think it would be a good headspace to be in."
Sophie often faces a lot of negative reaction to her decision.
She said: “I’ve been in so many conversations where they just cannot fathom why I wouldn’t want to have kids.
“There is even now such an expectation that you, as a woman - that’s what you’re built to do.
"You are but there still is choice involved. Just as it’s your choice to have a child, it’s a choice not to have one.
“It's just nice that people are actually talking about it and we’re not just the crazed childless person in the corner of the office."
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“We stayed celibate for five years - we’re now celebrating 21 years of marriage”
By Emma Dunn
A couple who were celibate for five years – despite both being sexually active previously – say abstinence helped their marriage but that it’s not for the “faint-hearted".
Tashawnda Jamison, 47, asked her partner, Alton, 45, if he would wait to have sex until they tied the knot – because she wanted it to be “special”.
Tashawnda was raised in the church and Alton had “found God” around the time they met – but they had both previously been intimate in relationships.
They both agreed to stay celibate as they felt their relationship felt “different”.
The couple lived separately and abstained from sex for five-and-a-half years before they finally tied the knot.
They say consummating the marriage on their wedding night was “gentle” and “sweet” and now 21 years and two children later they feel their intimacy is even “better”.
Tashawnda, a math teacher, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US, said: “We made a vow. We wanted to honor that vow but it was definitely difficult.
“Sex doesn’t then get in the way of clouding your judgment.
“I got to see that true person.”
Alton, an engineer, said: “I think there is a lot to be said about your last love as opposed to your first love.
“I don’t want to do the same thing I’ve done with everybody else. I want it to mean something.
“I want to offer something meaningful. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
“It takes a lot of boundaries and willpower.
“Real men love for a lifetime, not just for a moment.”
Alton and Tashawnda met at gospel choir and were friends for three months before they started dating in December 1997.
Tashawnda felt she had made “mistakes” previously by sleeping with men and asked Alton if he would remain celibate until marriage with her.
She said: “I wanted to rectify that.
“I wanted to save myself for marriage. I wanted it to be special.
“He agreed reluctantly.”
Alton said: “If you sleep with a person what makes that person you marry any different to any other person?”
The couple set up a Bible study to help them stay celibate and they lived separately for five-and-a-half years.
Alton said: “It’s difficult and tempting. It’s not for the faint-hearted.”
Alton finally proposed in October 2002 when they were both out of college and ready to start a life together.
Tashawnda said: “It had been over five years. I didn’t want this to be a long relationship just for nothing.
“He proposed and I was a little teary-eyed and said of course.”
The couple got married in July 2003 and consummated the marriage on their wedding night.
Tashawnda said: “It was sweet. It was gentle and thoughtful.
“It didn’t feel like it was ordinary.”
Alton said: “It had been a long time coming. It was worth the wait.
“It felt right. I didn’t feel like we had cheated the system.
“You get an entire marriage to figure one another out.
“It makes that area of your marriage more special.
“It added a lot more excitement.”
The pair welcomed their daughter, now 16, in July 2007, and their son, 11, in 2012.
This year they are celebrating 21 years of marriage – and credit their successful relationship to their faith and remaining celibate while dating.
Alton said: “I feel like intimacy gets better as you get older.
“It’s still a priority.”
Tashawnda added: “Our faith has really kept us going.
“I don’t want to do life without him.”
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Woman swapped £64k corporate job for waitressing after burnout
By Ben Barry
A woman quit her high-flying £64k a year corporate job due to burnout and moved more than 9,000 miles across the world to work as a waitress.
Tara Franks, 29, quit her senior corporate job in January 2023 after being so burned out she fell ill while delivering a presentation.
She lost the ability to speak and see and said it was a "turning point" and after two weeks of returning to work, Tara resigned.
She had burnout - a state of complete mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion.
Tara and her boyfriend, James Thomas, 29, both ditched their corporate life and used £18k savings to travel and move abroad.
After traveling around South East Asia for four months, the pair landed in Cairns, Australia.
After two months of traveling, they settled down in Melbourne.
But instead of going back into their previous careers, they both found jobs in hospitality, and Tara now earns $32 (AUS) an hour on a weekday, $36 (AUS) on a Saturday, and $42 (AUS) on a Sunday.
Tara and James are planning to extend their visa and carry on living in Australia and have no plans to return to the US - or get back into the corporate world.
Tara, a restaurant host, originally from Wirral, Merseyside, said: "As I hit 27/28 I was like 'crap'.
"I was at a point in my career where things were going really well and I didn't have a reason to leave.
"I had shares in the company and if I had stayed another year I would have made a profit - I lost money leaving.
"I even spoke to work about starting up an office in Australia but it was too complicated.
"November 2022 was when everything changed - I went off with burnout.
"I was giving a presentation and I lost my sight and ability to speak.
"They had to call an ambulance and I spent three days in the hospital."
Tara started working for a start-up HR tech company in 2018 and progressed up the company ladder and moved to their London office.
After five years, she was in a senior position at the company earning £64k a year.
Tara said: "A lot of my friends were jumping from job to job at the time and I had been at the company for five and a half years.
"I had the most amazing friends and manager but it meant I didn't realize the signs of burnout."
In November 2022, Tara was delivering a presentation at work where she lost her sight and was unable to speak.
She was taken to St Thomas Hospital, where she spent 12 hours before being taken to Homerton University Hospital, London, England, where she spent three days.
Tara said: "They thought I had a stroke but it turned out to be a crazy stress episode.
"I was then off for a month. I returned to work in January 2023 but handed my notice in after two weeks."
At first, she said her family didn't believe her traveling plans but the pair set off in May 2023.
She said: "They were super supportive. My dad didn't believe me until I booked the flights.
"Everyone was super supportive and we had about five leaving parties before I left.
"I am so glad we went traveling before we settled in Australia as it allowed us to get the ball rolling.
"It made me realize how I didn't want to go back to a corporate job."
Once they arrived in Australia, James and Tara spent two months traveling up and down the East Coast before staying with a friend in Sydney.
Tara said: "We had a great time traveling, we used money that we spent five years saving up which we thought would go on a house deposit to be able to afford the trip.
"We stayed in Sydney for six weeks. In that time we found a hospitality agency that was working random festivals.
"I worked for a Vogue catwalk event, a Tik Tok event and a few festivals here and there.
"I thought that was really cool and it gave me my first real taste of the hospitality industry."
The couple arrived in Melbourne, in November 2023, and started renting a one-bedroom flat for $650 (AUS) a month.
Tara is now a host in a restaurant and earns around $2k (AUS) a month and said she loves how "calm" her life is now compared to the UK.
She said: "It's not all about doing things just on the weekend now.
"My days off can be a Wednesday and then I always try and plan something fun to do.
"My time is now much more valuable when I have it off.
"I am not just racing to the weekend and getting drunk to then regret it the next day."
James has also given up climbing the corporate ladder and has become a supervisor in a cafe.
Tara said: "My life is not about money, my career, or climbing the corporate ladder anymore.
"I am currently on a casual contract which means I get paid more per hour but I don't have holiday or sick pay.
"The wage now is not too dissimilar to what I got paid in London, it is not frowned upon here to work in hospitality here either as you can make good money from it.
"The contracts in Australia are suited around people who are traveling or backpacking as there is such a big community here."
Tara's salary and rent in London -
Salary: £3,000 a month after tax
Rent and bills: £15,600
Tara's salary and rent in Melbourne -
Salary: £2,000 on average a month
Rent and bills: $650
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Flight makes emergency landing after wing comes apart mid-air
By Leo Black
A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after the aircraft's wing came apart mid-air.
Passengers on the domestic flight from San Francisco, California, USA, to Boston, Massachusetts, noticed the wing falling to pieces while in the air.
The Boeing 757 was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver, Colorado on February 20.
Kevin Clarke, who recorded the footage, says: "Can't wait for this flight to be over.
"They've got another plane waiting for us to continue to Boston and the ordeal will be over."
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“I live in a remote cabin in Alaska – temperatures drop to -40”
By Freddie Noble
A woman who lives in a remote cabin in Alaska where temperatures drop to -40°F says she "loves it" - despite having no running water or heating.
Karma Wilcox, 19, moved back into her childhood home in Homer, Alaska, USA, in March 2023, as she was craving a sense of "freedom".
California-born Karma had lived in the cabin with her dad, Luna, 43, who is the creator of the Altruist Relief Kitchen Project- working with people in war-torn areas across the world.
When she turned eight, she moved back to San Francisco, California, with her mom, Misty, 38, a life coach, but also lived in central Hollywood, Los Angeles.
But after turning 18, Karma decided to head back to the cabin, which is over 100 years old and has no running water or heating.
She says she loves it and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Karma, a content creator, said: "The insulation is not the best, the logs are cut down and layered around the cabin with moss with sticks nailed in between to keep some warmth in.
"My main source of heating is firewood which is on 24/7 and I go through about a cord of logs a day.
"When it snows, I go snowboarding pretty much every day which is so fun and I'm very lucky to have an endless garden around the cabin."
Karma enjoyed growing up while living in the wilderness.
"The cabin is such a good place to grow up as a child because you have no worries," she said.
"We used to play in the garden and go on really long hikes and ever since coming back it's been nice to relive the memories."
Luna's godfather rented the cabin to people in the area and Karma's dad convinced her to move into the cabin when she was old enough.
She added: "The cabin itself is owned by my dad's godfather, Tom, and he is who I pay rent to each month."
Karma moved back to the cabin when she turned 18 in 2023 - for a sense of freedom.
She now pays $275-a-month in rent.
She added: "It's a two-story cabin - the downstairs is the living room, so it has the kitchen and the lounge area and the upstairs has two bedrooms."
Karma uses 5G to connect with others and doesn't need to pay for Wi-Fi as she gets a good signal - despite being out in the sticks.
She said: "People think Alaska is really off-grid but it's actually not - my 5G works just fine.
"It's such a lovely place to live and I'm loving it.
"The cabin looked very different when I lived there before and my dad has fitted a new roof but I'm more of an interior designer than him."
Despite loving her current lifestyle, Karma doesn't think she will live in the cabin forever.
She said: "I can’t live with no running water for my whole life but I'll probably stay in here for another year before I go to med school."
"I don’t want to stay in Homer, but I would like to go back there in the future."
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"I flew 2,000 miles for a first date - it went so well we're planning a second"
By Ben Barry
A woman flew more than 2,000 miles just for a first date - and is already planning a second one.
Nicole Christine, 30, flew to Park City, Utah, USA, from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, to meet a guy she matched on a high-end app.
She didn't think he was interested in her but struck up a conversation and the pair started planning a date.
The man lives in California so they decided to meet in the middle in Park City, Utah, for a four-night date, to go skiing, out for dinner, and shopping.
Nicole said the date - one week after they matched - went "perfectly" and they are planning to keep dating.
The marketing director, from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, said: "The date went perfectly, we had such a great time.
"It was a low-stakes, very transparent date.
"We didn't want to be too focused on a specific outcome.
"There will be other trips in the future and we will continue to see each other casually."
Nicole was scrolling down a dating app when she saw that a man she had known for nine years but hadn't spoken to him in years had liked her profile.
She dropped him a message and the pair struck up a conversation.
Nicole said: "I didn't think he liked me at all anymore but he showed me that he was interested.
"I responded and we started a conversation, we spoke about how we could meet up as he lives on the West Coast."
The pair planned to meet in the middle and planned a four-night stay in Park City, Utah starting on January 31, 2024.
Nicole said: "He was having some construction work in his living space and said he would have to leave anyway.
"I travel anyway so I am always happy to hop on a plane."
She had friends in the city so had also planned to see them if the date didn't go to plan.
She said: "We picked a place with great amenities, we enjoyed the hot tub, skiing, and shopping.
"We had some great dinner reservations, I was also working remotely at the time so he would ski while I would work.
"We both had friends in the city too so we would have our first date and if it didn't go well we would see friends."
Nicole headed back to Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 4, 2024.
She said: "We really enjoyed each other's company, we went out for food, skiing, and enjoyed the hot tub.
"It went by so quickly, it was like having a normal life but in a picturesque town.
"I did not have to revert to any second plans, we left feeling like we had done exactly what we wanted."
Nicole said the pair have agreed to see each other again but see other people due to the long distance.
She said: "With long distance, there is not an option to get there quickly.
"We are going to continue to see each other but we are going to respect each other and see each other when the time is right."
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NASA seeking 'Martians' for new mission
By Dean Murray
NASA is seeking 'Martians' for a new mission.
The U.S. space agency has put out a call for applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission.
The role listing released Friday (16 Feb), entitled 'Martians Wanted', is for the upcoming CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission.
This sees a four-person volunteer crew living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Scheduled to kick off in spring 2025, the second of three planned ground-based missions aims to help inform the agency’s plans for human exploration of the Red Planet.
The habitat, called the Mars Dune Alpha, simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, and other environmental stressors.
Crew tasks include simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise, and crop growth.
NASA say they are looking for "healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control."
Furthermore applicants "should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars."
However, check your resume before applying, as volunteers will need to meet standard astronaut candidate applicant requirements.
This can include a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, mathematics, or biological, physical or computer science or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft.
NASA have previously stated an aim for human landings on Mars by the mid-2030s.
The deadline for applicants is 2 April.
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