115-year-old British woman, now the world's oldest, gives her recipe to long life
For Ethel Caterham, the trick to a long life — and in her case, it really has been — is not to argue.
Caterham, who is 115, became the world's oldest living person, according to the Gerontology Research Group, after Sister Inah Canabarro, a Brazilian nun and teacher, died on Wednesday at the tender age of 116.
"Never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like,' she said from her nursing home in Surrey, southwest of London, on the secret to her longevity.
She was born on Aug.21, 1909, in the village of Shipton Bellinger in the south of England, five years before the outbreak of World War I. She was the second youngest of eight siblings.
Travel has been in her blood, it's clear. In 1927, at the age of 18, Ethel embarked on a journey to India, working as a nanny for a British family, where she stayed for three years before returning to England, according to the GRG.
Ethel Caterham was born on Aug.21, 1909, in the village of Shipton Bellinger in the south of England. AP
She met her husband Norman, who was a major in the British army, at a dinner party in 1931, and they were stationed in Hong Kong and Gibraltar, the GRG said. They had two daughters whom they raised in the UK. Norman died in 1976.
Hallmark Lakeview Luxury Care Home in Camberley, where Ethel is a resident, posted pictures of her cutting a cake and wearing a "115' tiara in a Facebook post on Thursday.
"Huge congratulations to Lakeview resident, Ethel on becoming the oldest person in the world! What an incredible milestone and a true testament to a life well-lived," it said in an accompanying statement. "Your strength, spirit, and wisdom are an inspiration to us all. Here's to celebrating your remarkable journey!'
The title of the oldest person ever is held by French woman Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years 164 days, according to Guinness World Records.
Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
a day ago
- Middle East Eye
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused of using charity logo without consent
US-based charity Rahma Worldwide has accused the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) of using photos of aid deliveries in Gaza containing its logo as part of its press pack without consent. The charity told The Guardian it had allowed GHF to take "custody" of its aid; however, on its Facebook account, it said GHF "took custody", leading to confusion over whether Rahma had provided consent. Rahma Worldwide is a Michigan-based charity that, according to its website, provides 'aid and assistance to the most vulnerable communities around the world'. Rahma said in a Facebook statement that it had been waiting for four days to transport 4,000 boxes of food and 16 containers of wheat into Gaza, but the logistics organisation that was supposed to transport aid 'did not deliver.' It said that GHF took custody of the aid and asked Rahma to 'assist with distribution', but Rahma refused. Rahma told The Guardian that it had asked for its logo to be removed from aid parcels. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Photos of the logo in GHF's press materials include both Rahma and a partner organisation called Heroic Hearts, based in Illinois. The controversial privately-run GHF, which is backed by Tel Aviv and Washington, was formed to oversee aid distribution across Gaza, with the intention of sidelining all existing structures, including the United Nations. Most humanitarian organisations, including the UN, have distanced themselves from GHF, arguing that the group violates humanitarian principles by restricting aid to south and central Gaza, requiring Palestinians to walk long distances to collect aid, and only providing limited aid, among other critiques. A former spokesperson for Unrwa has condemned the initiative as 'aid washing', a strategy meant to obscure the reality that 'people are being starved into submission'. Rahma Worldwide's logo on GHF's press materials implies a formal partnership and lends credibility to GHF, which has no experience with aid distribution and is being shunned by aid agencies. In the Facebook statement released on Thursday, Rahma said that it 'had noticed images of our food boxes with logo being distributed without Rahma's direct involvement". 'Rahma did not authorize such distribution and none of our team was allowed to participate in this process." It also added that it did not 'support or permit the presence' of armed groups during the distribution of aid. Siraj Muhammad, president of Heroic Hearts, told Middle East Eye in a statement that 'we are not in partnership with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and are not involved in the aid distribution currently circulating in the media that features our branding'. 'These food parcels were part of a one-time shipment prepared in collaboration with Rahma Worldwide. Heroic Hearts and Rahma arranged the shipment to support vulnerable families in Gaza and coordinated the required approvals and logistics to ensure proper delivery,' Muhammad added. Muhammad said he regretted 'any confusion this may have caused'. Chaotic aid roll-out Chaos and violence erupted during GHF's first attempts to roll out aid at its distribution site in Rafah on Tuesday, as thousands of Palestinians, who have been denied food, water, and aid for 11 weeks, overwhelmed the distribution centre. What's inside the boxes of aid being distributed in Gaza? Read More » The Israeli military was accused of killing at least three civilians and injuring almost 50 others after it fired shots at people collecting aid, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. An Israeli military spokesperson said they were just firing 'warning shots'. Aid that has been distributed so far has been considered inadequate, with food boxes containing just a handful of ingredients. Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN aid coordination office, said in a UN press release that 'People are being starved and then drip-fed in the most undignified way possible.' In addition, the executive director of GHF resigned from his position earlier this week, saying that Israeli restrictions meant that GHF could not adhere to 'humanitarian principles'. Controversy GHF has been rocked with controversy since its inception. Under the group's proposals, more than two million of Gaza's residents will be forced to collect food from one of four 'secure distribution sites'. None of the proposed sites are located in northern Gaza, a region that Israel has attacked and occupied, meaning those still living there will be forced to flee south to access life-saving aid. The deprivation of aid as a means to forcibly transfer a population is recognised as a crime against humanity. GHF's official announcement about its plans made no mention of Israel's repeated attacks on pre-existing food distribution centres, bakeries and aid convoys, in which hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while trying to feed their families, or Israel's obstruction of the pre-existing humanitarian system. Israel banned Unrwa, the primary UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees, from the country in January. The UN's emergency relief coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has described the plans put forward by GHF as a 'fig leaf for further violence and displacement'. Despite the January 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which demanded immediate protection for civilians in Gaza and the widespread provision of humanitarian assistance, the situation has continued to deteriorate precipitously. A January 2025 survey of 35 humanitarian organisations working in Gaza revealed an overwhelming consensus: 100 percent reported that the approach taken by Israel was either ineffective, inadequate or had systematically impeded aid delivery. Rights groups say that warnings about mass malnutrition and the collapse of Gaza's health and social infrastructure have been ignored for years, and the imminent famine now afflicts a population that has been systematically deprived of food.
Filipino Times
2 days ago
- Filipino Times
Netizens moved by elderly couple's story seen through Google Maps
A Facebook post showing the life of an elderly couple captured through Google Maps images has gone viral, drawing widespread attention from Filipinos around the world. The post, first shared by Bulacan Trending Stories , featured a yearly series of satellite and street view photos showing the same couple outside a small house in Bulacan from 2015 to 2025. As of this writing, it has over 316,000 likes, 3,900 comments, and 124,000 shares. In the first image from 2015, the couple is seen seated beside their home, eating together from a single plate. In 2016, the same spot captured them again—this time on different chairs, still close to each other. But by 2017, only the grandmother appeared, quietly seated and staring ahead. Her partner was no longer in the frame. By 2018, she had moved closer to the door, looking frailer than before. In 2020, she was back in her usual spot but looked confused and tired, her hand supporting her chin, as if waiting for someone who would never return. In 2021, she could barely walk, and her figure was a shadow of her past self. The next year, 2022, the blue door of their home was tightly shut, and she was nowhere to be seen, gently suggesting that she might have followed her beloved. By 2023, the house had overgrown grass, faded paint, and unused chairs stacked to the side. In 2024, the yard was cleaned, but the silence remained. Then in 2025, only bare ground was left—no house, no signs of the lives that once lived there. The changes were documented by Google Street View, which updates its images over time as part of its mapping services. The post sparked emotional reactions from social media users. One commenter wrote, 'Life is short to live. Take care [of] your spouse because they are the last person in your life. Hope this will remind everyone that [it] is the cycle of our life.' Another said, 'This does actually make me sad,' while a third shared, 'Naiyak din ako… Parang ang lungkot pero ganito talaga ang realidad ng buhay.'
Arabian Post
5 days ago
- Arabian Post
Sebastião Salgado, Master of Monochrome, Dies at 81
Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian photographer whose haunting black-and-white images chronicled the human condition and environmental fragility, died on 23 May 2025 in Paris at the age of 81. His death was attributed to leukaemia, a condition linked to malaria he contracted during a 2010 assignment in Indonesia. Born on 8 February 1944 in Aimorés, Minas Gerais, Salgado initially pursued a career in economics, earning a master's degree from the University of São Paulo. His trajectory shifted in the early 1970s when, while working for the International Coffee Organization, he began photographing coffee plantations in Africa. This experience ignited a passion for photography that led him to abandon economics and dedicate himself fully to documenting global social issues. Salgado's work is distinguished by its profound empathy and meticulous composition. Over five decades, he travelled to more than 130 countries, capturing images that highlighted the dignity and resilience of people facing adversity. His seminal projects include 'Workers' , a tribute to manual labourers worldwide; 'Exodus' , documenting mass migrations and displacements; and 'Genesis' , a visual homage to the planet's pristine landscapes and indigenous cultures. ADVERTISEMENT His commitment to long-term projects allowed him to delve deeply into his subjects, often spending years on a single series. This approach garnered both acclaim and criticism; while many praised the aesthetic and emotional power of his images, some argued that his portrayal of suffering risked romanticising hardship. Salgado defended his methodology, asserting that his intent was to bear witness and provoke reflection. In the 1990s, after witnessing the horrors of the Rwandan genocide, Salgado experienced a period of profound personal crisis. He withdrew from photography and returned to Brazil, where he and his wife, Lélia Wanick Salgado, embarked on an ambitious reforestation project on his family's degraded farmland. This endeavour led to the founding of Instituto Terra in 1998, a non-profit organisation dedicated to environmental restoration and education. Over the years, the institute has planted millions of trees, revitalising the Atlantic Forest and serving as a model for sustainable development. Salgado's contributions to photography and environmentalism earned him numerous accolades, including the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant, the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal, and the Praemium Imperiale. He was also a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2014, his life and work were chronicled in the documentary 'The Salt of the Earth,' co-directed by his son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and filmmaker Wim Wenders. In his later years, Salgado turned his lens towards the natural world, producing images that celebrated the planet's biodiversity and underscored the urgency of conservation. His 'Amazônia' project, published in 2021, is a testament to this shift, featuring photographs of the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous inhabitants. This body of work reflects his belief that humanity's fate is inextricably linked to the health of the environment.
