New Zealand teenager survives 16-story fall, and more

New Zealand teenager survives 16-story fall

A New Zealand teenager somehow survived after falling 16 stories from a high-rise apartment building to a concrete floor below. The boy suffered only a broken rib and fractured wrist after the fall, and witnesses said his descent was slowed when he hit the roof of a parking garage and crashed through. Doctors, who say it is rare to survive a fall beyond five stories, described the boy’s survival as “miraculous.”

Britney Spears gives counsel to Mel Gibson

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Mel Gibson is getting career advice and counseling from an unusual source—Britney Spears. The pop singer, 28, has been telling friends that a panicky Gibson has been calling her, confiding that he’s afraid he’s ruined his career and his life because of his taped tirades against his former girlfriend. “Mel has been talking to her a lot,” a friend of Spears tells In Touch. “They speak on the phone all the time, usually late at night.” Spears and Gibson became friends when he reached out to her during her own emotional breakdown. “She believes that demonstrates what a loving and wonderful man he is,” the friend says. “She wants people to give him a second chance.”

Shorter french fries? Blame global warming

German agriculture officials have warned that global warming will result in smaller-than-average French fries this year. Verena Telaar, spokeswoman for the German Farmers’ Association, said hot, dry weather has shrunk the nation’s crop of extra-large potatoes, and that the average German fry this year may be only 1.8 inches long, instead of the usual 2.2 inches. “Consumers will have to brace themselves for shorter fries,” said Telaar.