7 Wednesday news bites (Oct 19)

1. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit freed

The Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap has begun, after Hamas released Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has now been reunited with his family. Buses of Palestinian prisoners, some of whom were imprisoned for carrying out fatal attacks, have also started to move from Israel into Egypt en route to Gaza where they will be freed as part of the swap deal, which involves the release of 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for Shalit. Shalit was captured after Hamas operatives tunnelled into Israel from Gaza in 2006. Israel has said it will release the final 550 prisoners for Shalit in the next two months.

2. The NBN will save you money

A price comparison has found users will pay a lot less for a National Broadband Network connection than they do for an equivalent ADSL2+ connection. The price comparison compared four internet service providers that have announced their NBN prices and found on a plan of 0 – 50GB per month, users will save on average between 24 and 43%. The site also found the NBN will offer much faster internet speeds than current internet plans.

3.The Queen is coming to Australia today

Her majesty will be in Australia for her 16th visit (her first visit was in 1954). During her 10-day visit, she’ll spend time in Canberra – where she’ll meet with PM Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott – visit flood-damaged areas in Queensland, and attend Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, where she’ll also attend a barbecue. (And no she won’t be accompanied by Prince WIlliam and Kate Middleton.)

4. Mr Not-Quite-Right is a better option than IVF

Well, that’s what a IVF specialist is saying. Director of Monash IVF Professor Gab Kovacs has suggested that women should consider settling for Mr Not-Quite-Right instead of freezing their eggs to use later in life. He said IVF technology was still improving and the rate of successful births from egg freezing was low. “I think they should be working harder to find a partner or changing their criteria for Mr Right,” Dr Kovacs said.

5. Susan Sarandon calls the pope a Nazi… twice

The 65-year-old actress was in an interview talking about her 1995 film Dead Man Walking, when she said she had sent a copy of the book it was based on to the Pope. She then clarified what she was talking about saying, “The last one, not this Nazi one we have now.” She drew laughter from the crowd when she repeated the comments. The President of the Catholic League has labeled Sarandon’s words as “obscene.”

6. News Limited expected to announce pay wall

Would you be prepared to pay for your online news? News Limited is set to charge readers $2.95 a week to read premium content from The Australian newspaper. But some content, like breaking news, will remain free. The announcement, expected on Thursday, will make The Australian the first mainstream newspaper in the country to charge for its online content.

7. WTF of the day: increasing demand for high heels for men

Apparently there’s been an increase in demand for designer heels for men, with shops in the US and the UK now stocking high-end shoes like Louboutin up to size 10. It’s not the first time heels for men have been in fashion – think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever in the ’70s, Louis XIV in the 1600s and Tom Cruise. The men interviewed in this Daily Mail article say wearing heels makes them feel powerful. “It’s a power thing. You’re higher than everybody else. You make more sound. You walk a different way. It makes your legs look better,’ one said

And to cap off today’s news, here’s a gallery of the yarn bombing – the art of crochet and knit graffiti. Pretty cool, huh? (via Street Art Utopia)

News today brought to you by Lucy