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A snowy owl has been spotted in Central Park for the first time in more than a century, sending birdwatchers into a frenzy.  Nearly 100 people gathered in the park Wednesday with binoculars and long lens cameras after the arctic owl landed on a baseball field in the early afternoon.  The last time a snowy owl was spotted in the park was way back in 1890, with one birder describing Wednesday's sighting as a 'historic occurrence.' Snowy owls are native to the Arctic tundra, with their speckled black and white feathers allowing them to blend in to the wintry habitat.  But while the birds sometimes fly south of Canada, they usually land along sandy beaches and almost never reach Manhattan.  'Yesterday's snow and cold to our north likely encouraged this snowy owl to fly south in search of better hunting conditions,' the Manhattan Bird Alert account posted on Twitter.  'These owls like flat lands and beaches, so the Central Park North Meadow, flat and with sand-fi

A pet ferret has made a 'miraculous' recovery after going through a full cycle in his owners' washing machine. Two-year-old Bandit was given a one per cent chance of survival after he sneaked into Josh Crosse and Jackie Redfern's machine and underwent a 100-minute wash. He was taken to Vets4Pets Leeds Colton from his home in Halton, West Yorkshire, where he received emergency treatment. Two-year-old Bandit was given a one per cent chance of survival after he sneaked into Josh Crosse and Jackie Redfern's machine and underwent a 100-minute wash He was taken to Vets4Pets Leeds Colton from his home in Halton, West Yorkshire, where he received emergency treatment 'Bandit was in a pretty bad way when he came in, but the team here got to work quickly to try and save his life,' said veterinary surgeon David Massey. 'His owners' quick-thinking upon realising the situation also helped ensure we could prevent a tragedy. 'Amazingly, within four hours of bein

New York's Attorney General has accused the Cuomo administration of undercounting the number of people who died from COVID-19 in nursing homes by as much as 50 percent.  In a report released on Thursday, AG Letitia James said that the New York State Health Department only ever counted people who physically died in nursing homes, rather than people who contracted the disease in nursing homes but then died in hospital too.  According to the state department's data, 8,500 people died have from COVID in nursing homes to date.  But when using the Attorney General's estimate that 50 percent more died, that number goes up to more than 12,000.  The report also says that a March directive that nursing homes had to accept COVID-19 positive patients 'may' have contributed to a higher number of infection, but that it is impossible to directly attribute it to him.  Instead, her office is focusing on whether the homes themselves are to blame for not containing the spread once the

A hospital in Washington State is under fire from Gov. Jay Inslee after 110 major donors allegedly were moved to the front of the line for a COVID-19 vaccine. Overlake Medical Center & Clinics shut down invite-only online access to schedule appointments with its vaccine clinic after receiving a call from Inslee's staff, The Seattle Times reported.  Molly Stearns, chief development officer at the hospital, reportedly sent an email last Friday which was addressed: 'Dear Overlake major donors.' 'We're pleased to share that we have 500 new open appointments in the Overlake COVID-19 vaccine clinic, beginning this afternoon and tomorrow and next week,' the email reads, according to the outlet.  Overlake Medical Center, pictured, has come under fire for allegedly giving preferential treatment for vaccines to rich donors  The Overlake Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in the country to treat COVID-19 after its emergence Inslee said at news conference on

The parents of the terminally ill killer doctor who murdered a pediatrician mother-of-three on Tuesday then took his own life have apologized to her family and say they do not know why he did it. Dr. Bhurat Narumanchi, 43, killed Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson, also 43, on Tuesday night at Children's Medical Group in Austin, Texas.  They had never met before but Narumanchi - who had been given weeks to live- had applied for a volunteering position at the practice a week earlier and was turned down.  On Tuesday, he held Dodson and four others hostage then shot her and killed himself. The others escaped or were let go.  In a statement on Thursday, his parents offered their condolences to her husband and their three children, and said they had no explanation for his actions. 'We, the parents of Dr. Bharat Kumar Narumanchi, wish to extend our most sincere condolences and most fervent prayers to the family, friends and colleagues of Dr. Lindley Dodson.  'We share your grief for a

Two small Australian gems are big winners in this year's TripAdvisor travel awards, a relief for Australian holidaymakers who can only dream of overseas jaunts. New South Wales' Shoalhaven and the wine region town Mudgee have made spots eight and ten on TripAdvisor's top emerging destinations category. The nods are likely to boost tourism in the regions, as Australians seek glamorous staycations in their own backyard.    Two Australian towns are shock winners in this year's TripAdvisor travel awards, a relief for Australian holidaymakers who can only dream of overseas jaunts (pictured, Seven Mile Beach just south of Gerringong in the Shoalhaven area of New South Wales - which got a nod) New South Wales' Shoalhaven and Mudgee have made spots eight and ten of TripAdvisor's top emerging destinations category (pictured, View of Gerrigong from Mount Pleasant Lookout, Shoalhaven) The 'emerging destinations' list features places international travellers haven&#

With Queensland's tourism industry in dire straits, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has pleaded with the federal government for a multi-million dollar JobKeeper extension. The remarkable plea for tax-payer funded help prompted NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to come out swinging, accusing the Queensland government of asking taxpayers to bail the state out for the economic hit from its own border closures. The ongoing closures also saw thousands of businesses crippled financially in the Sunshine State, with holidays cancelled last minute after borders were slammed shut not one but three times. 'Queensland, closed one day, asking someone else to pick up the tab the next,' Mr Perrottet said. 'People in NSW have not only been banned from entering Queensland, but now Queensland wants the taxpayers of NSW to pay for that decision.'  The picturesque Gold Coast has been crippled by the lockdown in Queensland - with interstate travellers banned for months and thousands of hol

New Zealand has managed the coronavirus pandemic best in the world with Australia in eighth behind the likes of Rwanda and Cyprus. Rankings by the Lowy Institute's Covid  Performance Index judged 98 countries on their management of the pandemic after their hundredth confirmed case. New Zealand was ranked as the world's most effective handler, recording only 25 deaths and 2,295 cases.  New Zealand has been ranked as the best country to manage the COVID-19 pandemic (pictured: cars lining up at a testing station in Auckland)  Vietnam came in second place with a population of 70 million, followed by Taiwan, Thailand, Cyprus, and Rwanda. Australia was just ahead of Singapore, Finland and Norway - well ahead of most European countries that are gripped by a deadly second wave. The worst performing country was Brazil, with over 8.9 million cases and over 200,000 deaths to date. Brazil is just ahead of Mexico, Columbia, Iran and the United States, who together suffered more than 30 mil