Looking up, the chimp's eyes widen in amazement upon seeing an unobstructed view of the azure blue sky for the first time in her life.

The video, shared by Save the Chimps, shows the sweet moment 28-year-old female chimpanzee Vanilla wandered into her new home at a sanctuary in Florida.

That's not what makes the moment so special though; it's Vanilla's long journey to freedom that explains her happiness.

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The chimpanzee spent an early portion of her life in a New York biomedical research facility, where she was "suspended from the ground like bird cages," according to a statement from the not-for-profit organisation.

She was rescued from that facility in 1995, along with 29 of her peers, and taken to Wildlife Waystation, a Californian based animal rescue.

That animal sanctuary closed in 2019 and nearly 480 animals needed to be re-homed, including 42 chimps.

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According to Save the Chimps Vanilla was housed in an enclosure with a "caged top" during her time there. 

Vanilla now has a 1.2 hectare island to explore, and has "fully-integrated" into her new group.

Save the Chimps added that Vanilla enjoys exploring her island, relaxing and grooming with her new family.

Chimps were used for biomedical research since the 1930s in the US, however, in 2015 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they would no longer support this.

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They've long been known for their surprising intellect, akin to that of a dog, but now new evidence suggests that octopus may be even smarter than we think, seemingly experiencing dreams as they sleep.

Cephalopods are thought to undergo two different stages of sleep: "quiet" and "active" – the latter includes body parts twitching and changes in the pattern and texture of the skin.

According to researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan, scientists have not only determined that octopuses are in fact asleep during this "active" stage, but close similarities with REM sleep – seen in vertebrates including humans – were also observed.

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REM sleep is a phase of slumber closely associated with dreaming. 

The team's lead author, Professor Sam Reiter, said that results were "consistent" with the idea that octopuses dream.

"We can associate certain skin patterns during wakefulness to certain situations: hunting, social displays, threat displays, camouflage to different sorts of environments. We show that these patterns reappear during active sleep," Reiter said, per The Guardian.

"So, if we are looking at something like dream, and I repeat this is a possibility we do not prove in this study, they would resemble a pseudo random walk over different types of waking experiences."

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Another possible reason for the changing of texture in the animals' skin during could be due to a "refining of pattern", Reiter added.

The study found that of the 29 octopuses studied, the animals tended to close their eyes in daylight and "adopted a resting posture associated with sleep".

Every 60 minutes or so during this period, they would undergo "rapid changes of skin colour" lasting a minute, with changes in breathing rate, as well as body and eye movements observed.

When scientists tapped on the tanks and watched how the octopus responded, they found the animals showed a range different reactions, depending on whether they were awake, in the quiet stage of sleep, or in the active stage.

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Some of Australia's major health insurers are passing on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of claims savings to its customers.

Not-for-profit insurer HBF announced the decision earlier this week to deposit $110 million in COVID-19-related savings into customer bank accounts.

That was followed today by the announcement of a further $125 million returning to Medibank and ahm customers.

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Both HBF and Medibank said the money would go straight into customers' bank accounts.

HBF's payments range from $45 for singles holding an extras-only policy, up to $330 for families holding a hospital and extras policy.

"The payments are part of HBF's commitment that as a not-for-profit, member-based organisation we would not financially benefit from the pandemic, with COVID-19 support provided to HBF members now totalling more than $255 million," CEO Dr Lachlan Henderson said.

"We are returning this round of claims savings via a cash payment after our members told us in surveys they would prefer the simplicity of having the money directly in their bank accounts rather than returned via premium increase deferrals."

The payments will be offered to HBF members who had an active policy on March 1 this year and who remained with HBF during the payment period.

READ MORE: On July 1, a range of changes will hit Australia with the new financial year. This is what you need to know

"We hope these payments help support our members at a time when Australian households are dealing with rising cost-of-living challenges," Henderson said.

Medibank payments range from up to $91 for extras only policies and up to $402 for hospital and extras policies.

On average this will be $19 for extras only policies and around $78 for hospital and extras policies. 

"We have now given back $1.15 billion to customers through our COVID-19 give back program since the start of the pandemic," Medibank group executive Milosh Milisavljevic said.

Medibank and ahm customers will receive their cash by October 2023 as an automatic payment.

Eligible customers are those holding an active hospital and/or extras policy at any time during the period between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023.

A proportional cash back will be applied to customers who joined or whose policies have lapsed since January 1.

LIVE UPDATES: ICAC to hand down findings into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian

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US President Joe Biden has been caught on camera in another awkward communication blunder, mistakenly referring to the "war in Iraq" instead of Ukraine.

Biden told CNN on Wednesday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has "absolutely" been weakened by the short-lived mutiny over the weekend.

Asked whether the Russian president had been weakened, Biden said: "Absolutely."

"It's hard to tell but he's clearly losing the war in Iraq" Biden told reporters on the White House South Lawn, mistakenly referring to the war in Iraq instead of Ukraine.

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It was his most definitive comment to date on how the rebellion by Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin affected the Russian leader's stature.

"He's losing the war at home. He's become a bit of a pariah around the world. And it's not just NATO, it's not just the European Union, it's Japan," he added.

Biden and his team have been cautious in commenting on the events, wary of providing Putin pretext for claiming a western plot to oust him. But on Wednesday, Biden expanded on his views of Putin's diminished stature.

Asked again if Putin is weaker today than he was last week, Biden said: "I know he is."

Earlier this week, Biden sought to distance the United States from the weekend rebellion in Russia, insisting in his first public remarks since the episode that the West had nothing to do with the mutiny.

Still, American intelligence agencies were able to determine ahead of time that Prigozhin was preparing to challenge the Russian military, a sign of how closely the US had been monitoring tensions between Moscow and the Wagner boss.

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The US Coast Guard has recovered "presumed human remains" from the seafloor in the area of the Titan submersible's debris field.

The remains were recovered "within the wreckage" of the submersible, the Coast Guard said in a news release – an announcement coming nearly a week after authorities determined the Titanic-bound vessel had imploded in the North Atlantic, killing all five men aboard.

US medical professionals will analyse the presumed remains, the Coast Guard said.

READ MORE: Debris from implosion of Titanic-bound submersible returned to land

Huge pieces of the doomed submersible Titan were hoisted onto a Canadian pier on Wednesday nearly a week after authorities announced a "catastrophic implosion" had killed all five men onboard the minivan-sized vessel.

A white panel-like piece – taller than the two men guiding it onto land – and another similarly sized part with cords and wires draped with white tarp were taken off the anchor handling vessel Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, photos by The Canadian Press' Paul Daly show.

It was not immediately clear what the pieces are.

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Horizon Arctic, a Canadian ship, carried a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, to search the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck for pieces of the submersible.

Pelagic Research Services, a company with offices in Massachusetts and New York that owns the ROV, said in a statement on Wednesday that it had completed offshore operations.

Pelagic Research Services said its team is "still on mission" and cannot comment on the ongoing Titan investigation, which involves several government agencies in the US and Canada.

"They have been working around the clock now for 10 days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones," the company's statement said.

Debris from the Titan was located about 3,810 metres underwater and roughly 488 metres from the Titanic on the ocean floor, the Coast Guard said last week.

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After five years in custody, former ultra-Orthodox Jewish principal and convicted sexual abuser Malka Leifer is a broken woman.

Isolated and lonely, she chooses to remain in a cell, locked from the inside, in protective custody at Melbourne's high profile women's prison, the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

Her victims, sisters Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich, have battled darkness as a result of the insidious trauma inflicted upon them by Leifer.

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They refuse to be broken.

Together with their older sister, Nicole Meyer, the sisters spoke on Wednesday about overcoming the multitude of ways in which their lives have been impacted by the woman they believed they could trust.

Leifer, a 56-year-old mother of eight, was convicted in April of 18 charges including rape, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a child aged 16 or 17 over the abuse of Sapper and Erlich when they were students at the Adass Israel School between 2003 and 2007.

Leifer was acquitted of nine charges, including five against Meyer.

The sisters sat in court as Leifer's barrister Ian Hill KC detailed the impact of prison on Leifer.

A former colleague at the Adass Israel School, Malky Fixler, provided a reference in support of Leifer.

"She observed Mrs Leifer to now be angry and agitated – that she had gone from being an upbeat and inspiring educator to an isolated, depressed shadow of her former self," Hill said during a pre-sentence hearing.

She is medicated for anxiety and depression, Hill said.

"She's lonely and without family and support and it is clear that it's having an effect on her mental health," he said.

Leifer's husband, eight children and 17 grandchildren all live overseas.

Earlier, Judge Mark Gamble was told Leifer was the first person who told Sapper that she was loved – something she yearned for.

"Faced with the painful truth that her love wasn't real was a betrayal of such magnitude it left me broken," Sapper said.

Erlich told Leifer her darkness would not define her.

"Instead I choose to focus on the light," she said.

"I am resilient, I am powerful and I am so much more than the limitations you chose to impose on me."

The County Court hearing is set to continue on Thursday.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

beyondblue 1300 22 4636

Ticket-less Swifties take heart — global megastar Taylor Swift is adding extra shows to her Aussie tour next year amid a storm of demand.

The Eras tour will now include an additional performance in both Sydney and Melbourne, making seven in total.

The extra dates are February 18 at the MCG for Melbourne, and February 26 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

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Tickets will go on sale on Ticketek at 10am AEST on Friday, June 30, for all of Swift's Sydney shows, and at 2pm AEST on Friday, June 30, for all of her Melbourne shows.

The new dates were added after what publicists Frontier Touring described as "historically unprecedented demand".

Millions of fans battled to score one of 450,000 pre-sale tickets yesterday, setting a new national record for online demand.

It's unknown how many tickets remain available for Swift's shows, but with a capacity of 83,500 at Accor stadium, and just over 100,000 at the MCG, the two new performances add plenty more chances for eager fans.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift tour declared major event in Victoria in bid to crack down on ticket scalpers

Taylor Swift's 2024 Australian Dates

DATE	CITY	VENUE	ON-SALE DATE & TIME
February 16	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)	Fri 30 June, 2pm (local)
February 17	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)	Fri 30 June, 2pm (local)
February 18	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)	Fri 30 June, 2pm (local)
February 23	Sydney, Australia	Accor Stadium	Fri 30 June, 10am (local)
February 24	Sydney, Australia	Accor Stadium	Fri 30 June, 10am (local)
February 25	Sydney, Australia	Accor Stadium	Fri 30 June, 10am (local)
February 26	Sydney, Australia	Accor Stadium	Fri 30 June, 10am (local)

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The new financial year doesn't just mean you can start working on your tax return – there's a range of other changes coming to Australia on July 1.

From superannuation changes to electricity price hikes, the changes coming are wide-ranging, and plenty of them will affect your hip pocket.

Here's what you need to know.

READ MORE: The key dates you need to know for your tax return this year

Electricity prices

All across the country, electricity prices will be increasing from July 1.

The amount varies from state to state, from 2.5 per cent in Western Australia all the way up to almost 29 per cent in parts of Queensland – although the actual amount you'll pay will depend on your provider and plan.

However, there are also a range of energy rebates coming into effect, including the federal government's Energy Price Relief Plan, which provides rebates of up to $500 to eligible housholds and $650 for businesses.

EXPLAINED: Electricity prices are increasing. This is who's getting hit hardest

Superannuation

There are a range of changes coming to super, but the main one is an increase to the superannuation guarantee.

Instead of contributing 10.5 per cent of your salary into your super account, your employer will now have to increase that to 11 per cent.

Other changes include rising income thresholds for government co-contributions, the total super balance cap increasing from $1.7 million to $1.9 million, and removing the COVID-era temporary minimum drawdown requirements reduction.

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Tax returns

The major overhaul of Australia's tax system won't come into effect until 2024-25, when the stage three tax cuts come into effect, but there are still a few changes this year.

The end of the low and middle income tax offset – a tax cut of up to $1500 for people earning under $126,000 – will make for a smaller tax return for millions of Australians.

The "shortcut method" for claiming work-from-home deductions has also ended.

You can read about the full 2023 tax return changes here.

READ MORE: These are the tax return changes you need to know about

Minimum wage

The minimum wage is increasing thanks to a decision by the Fair Work Commission.

It will rise from $21.38 per hour to $23.23, or from $812.60 to $882.80 a week (pre-tax).

Award workers will get a raise of 5.75 per cent.

Childcare

This one doesn't kick in until July 10, but the federal Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is increasing.

Families earning less than $530,000 will get an increased subsidy, the maximum CSS amount is rising from 85 per cent to 90 per cent, and the income limit to get the maximum subsidy is increasing.

The Child Care Subsidy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is also changing, meaning eligible families can get at least 36 hours of subsidy per fortnight, regardless of the amount of recognised activity.

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Paid parental leave

Similarly, paid parental leave is undergoing a small overhaul, although this comes into effect for children born on or after July 1.

The federal Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay schemes are being combined into one payment, and will increase from 18 weeks to 20 weeks.

First home-buyers

Eligibility for the federal government's Home Guarantee Scheme is expanding to include friends, siblings, and other family members who make joint applications under the First Home Guarantee and the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee.

Previously, people had to be either married or in a de facto relationship to make a joint application.

READ MORE: Key end of financial year money-saving deadlines you need to know

Aged care

As part of the federal government's reforms to the aged care sector, at least one nurse will be required to be on-site at homes around the country 24/7 – although there are some exemptions permitted.

A 15 per cent pay rise for aged care workers will also start to kick in on July 1.

Cosmetic surgery

A huge overhaul of cosmetic surgery is coming into effect, focusing on two main areas: how the surgeries and procedures can be practised, and how they can be advertised.

The new guidelines include a requirement for psychological screening of all cosmetic surgery patients, as well as mandatory cooling off periods between consenting to surgery and booking it in or paying a deposit.

There are also significant changes to the way the procedures can be advertised. You can read about the new cosmetic surgery regulations in full here.

READ MORE: Cosmetic surgery and procedures will undergo a massive overhaul. This is what you need to know

Migration

The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold is increasing to $70,000 on July 1, and Kiwis who have been living in Australia for four years or more will be able to apply for Australian.

There are also some changes coming to both temporary skill shortage and temporary graduate visas, providing the former with an avenue to permanent residency and allowing the latter to stay in the country for longer.

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More than 51 million people in South Korea have woken to find themselves a year or two younger — at least, according to the law.

Under legislation that came into effect on Wednesday, "all judicial and administrative areas" across the East Asian country will adopt the "international age" system used by most of the world, ending years of debate about the problems caused by the formerly common use of "Korean age" and "calendar age".

Standardising ages will "reduce various social confusions and disputes", said Lee Wan-kyu, the Minister of Government Legislation, at a news briefing on Monday.

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The law, passed by South Korea's Parliament last December, is also expected to "greatly reduce social costs that have been unnecessary due to the mixed use of age standards," Lee said.

He said this had been a major pledge by President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office last May.

Three systems

In South Korea, "international age" refers to the number of years since a person was born, and starts at zero — the same system used in most other countries.

But when asked their age in informal settings, most South Koreans will answer with their "Korean age", which could be one or even two years older than their international age.

Under this system, which has its roots in China, babies are considered a year old on the day they're born, with a year added every January 1.

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In some circumstances, South Koreans also use their "calendar age" — a mash-up of international age and Korean age — which consider babies as zero years old on the day they're born and adds a year to their age every January 1.

Take Gangnam Style singer Psy, for example. Born on December 31, 1977, he is considered 45 by international age; 46 by calendar year age; and 47 by Korean age.

If this sounds confusing, it is, with daily life in the country often switching between the hodgepodge of different systems.

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New standard

Even with the new standardisation, the old systems will still be used in some circumstances, the government said on Wednesday.

For instance, children typically enter elementary school in March of the year after they turn six years old (in international age), regardless of which month their birthday falls — which will continue.

Laws on age-restricted products like alcohol or tobacco will also be based on the year someone is born, regardless of month. This means two people born in January and December 1990 are judged to be the same age.

Under this law, people are allowed to buy alcohol starting in the year they turn 19 (in international age).

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The same method will continue to be used for South Korea's mandatory military service — meaning people are eligible based on the year they were born, rather than their specific age or birth date.

"The government decided to contain such exceptions even after the revisions go into effect, as it is easier to manage such issues on a yearly basis," Lee said on Wednesday.

Many residents are likely to continue using the traditional Korean age system in day-to-day life and social scenarios, as is common.

But others may welcome the change; in a poll by the Ministry of Government Legislation, 86.2 per cent of respondents had said that they would use the international age system.

And it marks a victory for lawmakers who have spent years campaigning to standardise international age, fed up with the multiple systems.

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His frail figure gives no indication of the money and influence he holds over people.