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Humble handbag smashes world auction record with $15m sale

<p>It started life on an air sickness bag. It ended with someone in Japan spending €8.6 million ($15.29 million AUD) on it. No, not the bag you reach for mid-turbulence – <em>THE</em> bag. The original, one-of-a-kind, barf-bag-born Birkin.</p> <p>At a Paris auction that had more gasps than a Eurovision final, the iconic prototype Hermès Birkin handbag – sketched by Jane Birkin herself somewhere over the English Channel – sold for a frankly nauseating €7 million ($12.44 million AUD) before fees, setting a new bar for luxury handbags and spontaneous aircraft doodles.</p> <p>As the price soared past €2 million ($3.56 million AUD)... €3 million ($5.33 million AUD)... €5 million ($8.88 million AUD), the crowd broke into applause, whistles and likely a few whispered prayers that their plus-ones wouldn’t get ideas. When it leapt from €5.5 million ($9.78 million AUD) to €6 million ($10.78 million AUD) in one go, some probably checked their own bags for loose sketches, just in case.</p> <p>The lucky winner? A still-anonymous bidder from Japan, who triumphed after a ten-minute telephone bidding showdown that could've been scored like a tennis match. In the end, they took the prize for €7 million ($12.44 million AUD), bringing the final hammer price with Sotheby’s fees to €8.6 million ($15.29 million AUD) – a mere snip if you ignore every financial decision you’ve ever made.</p> <p>The price absolutely destroyed the previous record for a handbag, which was a dainty $513,040 ($770,490 AUD) shelled out in 2021 for another Hermès bag (the White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28 – a name with more syllables than most people’s resumes).</p> <p>This means the Birkin is now officially the second most valuable fashion item ever sold at auction. Only Dorothy’s ruby red slippers outrank it, having clicked their heels all the way to $32.5 million ($49.43 million AUD) last year. Somewhere over the rainbow, indeed.</p> <p>The original Birkin isn’t just expensive; it’s delightfully quirky. It’s the only one with a non-removable shoulder strap (because Birkin had things to do), and came with a nail clipper. Yes, a nail clipper. Practicality, thy name is Jane.</p> <p>As Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s head of handbags and fashion, put it with appropriate reverence: “It is incredible to think that a bag initially designed by Hermès as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin has become the most desirable bag in history.” Not bad for a design born out of spilled baby bottles and boarding pass chaos.</p> <p>Jane Birkin (actor, singer, fashion muse and mother) reportedly kept the prototype for nearly a decade before auctioning it in 1994 for AIDS research. Since then, it’s changed hands a few times, making its way back into the spotlight like a seasoned celebrity on a comeback tour.</p> <p>The previous owner, known only as Catherine B (because if you own this bag, you don’t need a last name), told journalists: “The price is the price of the Hermès story.” Which, translated, roughly means: "It's a nice bag. Also, it's basically priceless."</p> <p>To be fair, it is more than just a bag. It’s a symbol. A cultural artefact. A reminder that sometimes brilliance strikes mid-flight, and that fashion history can be born in the same seat pocket where you once stashed a sad sandwich and a crumpled boarding pass.</p> <p>As Birkin herself once joked before her passing in 2023: “They’ll say, ‘Like the bag,’ or something.” Honestly, Jane, we could do a lot worse.</p> <p><em>Images: Sotheby's</em></p>

Money & Banking

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"More magical than we could have dreamed": Delta Goodrem shares wedding snaps

<p>Delta Goodrem has finally shared the first official photos from her enchanting June wedding to fellow musician Matthew Copley, calling the day “more magical than we both could have dreamed”.</p> <p>The couple tied the knot under the sun-soaked skies of Mdina, Malta, surrounded by close family and friends in what can only be described as a real-life fairytale.</p> <p>“June 2025, Husband and Wife,” Goodrem captioned a stunning Instagram post, filled with images capturing the romance and joy of their big day. “We said I do under the Maltese skies in a family fairytale wedding brought to life by so many angels surrounding us.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL60L5guPoG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL60L5guPoG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Delta Goodrem AM (@deltagoodrem)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The photos offer a breathtaking glimpse inside their historic venue, the 12th-century St Paul's Cathedral – a dreamlike setting for a love story nearly a decade in the making. The couple first met while touring in 2016 and became engaged in September 2023, with Copley proposing in none other than Malta.</p> <p>Goodrem’s bridal gown, a masterpiece by Australian fashion house Paolo Sebastian, was inspired by the frescoes of the cathedral itself. The dreamy off-shoulder French tulle gown featured a two-and-a-half metre train, a cathedral-length veil, and embroidered personal details including the wedding date.</p> <p>“Couldn’t have imagined anything more,” she wrote, describing the custom creation as “the dress of my dreams” – and promising to share more of its journey soon.</p> <p>Of course, one look wasn't nearly enough for the celebration. Goodrem also dazzled in two reception looks by designer Con Ilio: one a hand-beaded drop-waist gown sparkling with crystal and pearls, the other a sleek, high-neck silk dress perfect for “endless dancing”.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL615tKxLjc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL615tKxLjc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Paolo Sebastian (@paolo_sebastian)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>And dance they did – with surprise performances by Vince Pizzinga and Conrad Sewell lighting up the night.</p> <p>Adding to the sparkle, Goodrem also shouted out her styling dream team, including her jeweller, glam squad, photographers and videographer, while paying tribute to the loved ones who flew across the world to be there.</p> <p>One of the photographers capturing the magic was Matt Porteous, known for his work with the Prince and Princess of Wales – a suitably regal touch for a celebration that felt positively royal.</p> <p>The happy couple is now looking forward to continuing the celebration back home. “We can’t wait to come back to Australia and celebrate as Mr & Mrs,” Delta wrote.</p> <p>From musical beginnings to a Maltese cathedral, Delta and Matthew's love story is now officially sealed, in the most joyful, glamorous and love-filled way imaginable.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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Julie Goodwin delivers a stern message to the body shamers

<p>Julie Goodwin has always known her way around a kitchen – and now, it turns out, she’s just as adept at roasting unsolicited opinions.</p> <p>The beloved <em>MasterChef Australia</em> winner has issued a spicy statement on Instagram after receiving a barrage of comments about her appearance, particularly her recent weight loss. And while she’s known for dishing out hearty meals, this time she served something else: a well-seasoned helping of boundaries.</p> <p>“Thanks to all who have expressed concern about my health. I am well and I am within the healthy weight range. My doctor concurs,” Goodwin wrote, putting the matter to rest with the kind of authority only a GP – and a fed-up woman with a public profile – can provide.</p> <p>But Julie didn’t stop at a health update. She made it clear that she’s not interested in being your weight-loss coach, thank you very much.</p> <p>“For those who have asked me for advice or tips, I am not qualified to provide this. It’s advice that should be sought from your trusted health professionals, not from me. I’m a TV cook,” she said. A gentle reminder that just because someone can whip up a soufflé doesn’t mean they should be your personal trainer.</p> <p>And as for the chorus of couch critics dissecting her figure?</p> <p>“For those who want to comment on the shape and condition of my body please, do it on your own page because I’m tired of reading it,” she wrote, announcing she’d be turning off comments. “For all of us can we please find something more interesting to talk about. Can we please model kindness to our kids and grandkids and can we please leave this obsession with people’s looks back in the 1980s. Peace and love.”</p> <p>It’s not the first time Goodwin’s appearance has prompted public chatter. In 2016, she told <em>Women’s Weekly</em> she’d “accidentally” lost 20kg amid the chaos of running a business, saying it was hardly a lifestyle to emulate.</p> <p>“It’s not that I’ve gone on some stupid, sad diet and dropped a whole heap of weight in a hurry... I’m running a business and running around like a mad thing, and sometimes I forget to eat, none of which is healthy,” she said at the time.</p> <p>Julie, who first won Australia’s heart in 2009 when she beat Poh Ling Yeow to take the <em>MasterChef</em> crown, has since built a rich career as a cookbook author, columnist and TV regular. But she’s also been candid about the toll fame has taken on her mental health.</p> <p>In a deeply personal episode of the Head Game podcast, she described spiralling into severe depression, at one point believing her family would be better off without her.</p> <p>“I just had nothing left. It’s a sickness, right, severe depression is a serious illness,” she said, adding that she turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism: “The only way I could shut off my brain late at night, was to drink wine... So I was self-medicating, and that’s a terrible, terrible way to sleep.”</p> <p>Thankfully, Goodwin says she’s now in a better place — but acknowledges that wellness is a work in progress.</p> <p>“I’m good, I really am. But it’s a concentrated effort to remain good, you know,” she recently told Nine Honey.</p> <p>So next time you’re tempted to weigh in on someone else’s body, maybe take Julie’s advice: leave it in the 1980s, pop on some Madonna, and focus on something kinder – like her lemon curd recipe. Peace, love, and perhaps a little less commentary.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

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Hollywood star sings to her mother in hospital during cancer battle

<p>Kate Beckinsale has shared an emotional video of herself singing to her mother, Judy Loe, as the 77-year-old remains in hospital while bravely battling stage four cancer.</p> <p>The tender moment, posted to Instagram, shows the <em>Underworld</em> actress gently serenading her mum with the Everly Brothers’ 1958 song Bye, Bye Love, revealing the choice had a deeply personal meaning. “When my mum was 14, she was in a harmony group with her best friends Mary, Sylvia (known as Fuzzy to this day because of an unfortunate perm decades ago), and Chris,” Beckinsale wrote. “I am a very poor substitute not being a very good singer but I want my mum’s dearest and oldest friends in her hospital room with her.”</p> <p>Beckinsale, 51, thanked her mother’s friends and signed off the post with love and humour, saying, “Love you all but most especially my mum. X and apologise to anybody in the hospital subject to my dreadful singing 🤍.”</p> <p>While the cause of Loe’s current hospital stay is unclear, the actress and her mother have been enduring wave after wave of heartbreak. Earlier this year, the family lost Roy Battersby, Loe’s husband and Beckinsale’s stepfather, who passed away at 87. He was a renowned British television director and a guiding presence in their lives.</p> <p>In a previous post, Beckinsale opened up about the compounding grief that’s taken a severe toll on her health. “I watched my stepfather die quite shockingly, my mother has stage 4 cancer, and I lost a lot of weight from stress and grief, quite quickly,” she wrote.</p> <p>She went on to reveal that the emotional strain had physical consequences. “I was in hospital for six weeks because the grief had burned a hole in my oesophagus which made me vomit copious amounts of blood, and I found eating very hard.”</p> <p>Support has poured in for Beckinsale online, with many followers sending kind messages. One wrote: “Bless you, darling Kate. I wish we could hold our mums’ hands and hearts forever and ever.”</p> <p>As she continues to care for her mother through unimaginable pain, Beckinsale’s heartfelt video stands as a raw and powerful reminder of the depth of love and the quiet ways we try to ease each other’s suffering.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Couple's heartfelt plea after both losing their right legs

<p>A Perth couple who both lost their right legs in a horrific motorbike crash have opened up about their long, painful road to recovery – and the staggering new challenges they now face.</p> <p>Dean and Sharon English, both seasoned motorcyclists, were enjoying a ride through WA’s Wheatbelt in September when tragedy struck. As they rounded a bend on Great Eastern Highway near Meckering, about 130km east of Perth, their bike collided with an oncoming vehicle towing a caravan. Dean had been riding, with Sharon on the back.</p> <p>The collision was so severe that both were airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital in critical condition. Placed in induced comas and undergoing multiple surgeries, the couple awoke to find they had both lost their right legs, Dean’s amputated at the hip, and Sharon’s below the knee.</p> <p>Their bodies broken and their lives changed forever, the couple spent nearly five months recovering side by side in hospital.</p> <p>“Some days it’s really, really difficult,” <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/perth-couple-who-lost-legs-in-bike-crash-reveal-costly-new-challenge-c-19303575" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dean told 7NEWS</a>. “We have our private moments where we sit there and have a cry. If I didn’t have Sharon with me, I’d be absolutely wrecked.”</p> <p>Their fight to rebuild their lives is now twofold: physical recovery and financial survival. While Sharon, as a passenger, qualifies for third-party compensation, Dean does not. Despite 33 years of service as a prison officer, he had no private health insurance and now faces the daunting task of proving he wasn’t at fault to receive any support from the Insurance Commission.</p> <p>To do that, he’ll need to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a private investigator – money the couple simply doesn’t have, especially now that Dean’s paid leave has run out and he’s on leave without pay.</p> <p>As Dean continues intense rehab at Fiona Stanley Hospital, trying to learn to walk again on a prosthetic while coping with a shattered hand and missing finger, Sharon has returned home in a wheelchair. She too hopes to one day walk again with a prosthetic, though doctors warn she may require further surgery first.</p> <p>Despite everything, their gratitude and determination remain remarkable. <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-fir-dean-english" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On their GoFundMe page</a> – which has raised nearly $45,000 – they shared a heartfelt message: “We would like to thank each and every one of you for your support and generosity. It is a very humbling experience and we truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”</p> <p>Dean also praised his long-time workplace, revealing the prison commissioner has promised him a job when he’s well enough to return.</p> <p>“I want to get back to normal,” he said. “This isn’t normal. It’s not what I was like.”</p> <p>The couple are using their experience to warn others about road safety. Dean urged all riders to wear proper protective equipment, which he believes saved their lives. “We wear the best of equipment all the time, and I would urge anyone who rides a motorbike to make sure they wear proper PPE,” he said.</p> <p>WA’s road toll is at a decade high, and for Dean and Sharon, the cost is deeply personal. But in the face of unimaginable loss, they are refusing to give up – leaning on each other, on the kindness of strangers and on hope for a future where “normal” may look different, but is still within reach.</p> <p><em>Images: GoFundMe</em></p>

Caring

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Dolly Parton shares career decision after sad loss

<p>Dolly Parton has revealed she is stepping away from music as she grieves the death of her beloved husband, Carl Dean.</p> <p>The country music icon shared the devastating update during an appearance on the Khloe in Wonderland podcast with Khloe Kardashian, saying she “just can’t do it right now” when it comes to finishing the songs she’s been working on.</p> <p>In March, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/dolly-parton-s-husband-dies-at-age-82" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parton announced </a>that Dean – her partner of nearly 60 years – had died aged 82.</p> <p>“I got so many other things that I can’t afford the luxury of, you know, of getting emotional right now,” she said, her voice full of sorrow.</p> <p>Despite saying she’s been “coming up with such wonderful and beautiful ideas”, Parton admitted she doesn't currently have the emotional capacity to follow through on them.</p> <p>Following Dean’s death, Parton released a tribute song in his honour titled If You Hadn’t Been There. She announced the release in a heartfelt Instagram post featuring a photo of her embracing Dean.</p> <p>“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” she wrote. “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end.</p> <p>“They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”</p> <p>While she admits her grief has “stalled” her creatively, Parton hasn’t ruled out writing again someday. “I would happily write something else though if it comes,” she added.</p> <p>News of Dean’s death was first shared in a statement from Parton’s team on Instagram, which included a touching quote from the singer:</p> <p>“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together,” she said. “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Music

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Why on earth does cafe coffee taste so much better than homemade?!

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>If you start reading the labels of the various milks at the supermarket, you’ll quickly find different fat levels, added nutrients like calcium, lactose-free options, milk from goats or sheep, and ones made from plants.</p> <p>Both at the supermarket and at your local café you’ve probably also seen cartons labelled “barista milk”. These can be dairy or plant milks marketed for making specialist coffee drinks such as flat whites, lattes and others.</p> <p>But what exactly makes a product a barista milk, and how does it differ from regular milk?</p> <h2>What is ‘milk’, anyway?</h2> <p>“Milk” is a regulated term. <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2015L00462/latest/text">Food Standards Australia New Zealand</a> sets requirements on fat and protein contents for dairy milk, and it has to come from “milking animals”. These standards also state what can be added or modified; only plant sterols (a supplement to reduce blood cholesterol) are allowed.</p> <p>Despite the name, plant-based milks aren’t bound by a specific “milk” standard. Instead, they fall under broader beverage regulations, which is why you’ll see a wide variety of ingredients, protein levels, sugars and fats from one brand to the next.</p> <p>Because of this regulation, manufacturers are careful to make it absolutely clear what is in the carton or bottle so there’s no confusion between cow’s milk and soy milk, for example.</p> <h2>What is barista milk, then?</h2> <p>Barista milks, whether dairy or plant-based, are specifically formulated to foam more reliably, with a finer texture and longer-lasting bubbles.</p> <p>For cow’s milk, this almost always means higher protein content: about 4–5% in barista milk compared to the 3.3–3.5% in regular milk. You’ll often see “milk solids” listed in the ingredients; this is another name for dried skim milk, added to boost the protein content.</p> <p>Plant-based barista milks (such as soy, oat or almond) will vary a lot more, depending on the manufacturer and the plant base.</p> <p>The most common additives in plant-based barista milks are:</p> <ul> <li>vegetable oils for creaminess and thickness</li> <li>gums (such as <a href="https://www.foodingredientfacts.org/facts-on-food-ingredients/sources-of-food-ingredients/gellan-gum/">gellan</a> or <a href="https://www.foodingredientfacts.org/facts-on-food-ingredients/sources-of-food-ingredients/locust-bean-gum/">locust bean gum</a>) to increase thickness</li> <li><a href="https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/m/maltodextrin.html">maltodextrin</a> (a processed starch), also for thickness, and</li> <li>emulsifiers such as <a href="https://www.foodingredientfacts.org/facts-on-food-ingredients/sources-of-food-ingredients/lecithin/">lecithin</a> – to help stop the fats and water from splitting apart.</li> </ul> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/673858/original/file-20250612-62-s01j00.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Close-up of a stainless steel pitcher with milk foam." /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The foam in frothed milk happens through a complex interaction of ingredients and temperature.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/steam-frothing-milk-under-pressure-coffee-1580168296">Dmytro Vietrov/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The science of a good foam</h2> <p>Foam is essentially <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-4471-3807-5_1?pdf=chapter%20toc">gas bubbles suspended in a liquid</a>. Its stability depends on a complex interaction of <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-41661-4_24">proteins, fats</a>, <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2024/sm/d4sm00518j">sugars and other components</a>, as well as the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958694608000873#sec3">temperature</a> at which the milk was foamed.</p> <p>In cow’s milk, proteins such as casein and whey form <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-41661-4_24#citeas">ball-like structures that easily rearrange to stabilise foam</a>. These proteins help the milk fat and water stay held together, which is why dairy-based barista milks foam easily and the foam lasts longer.</p> <p>Fat plays a more complex role depending on temperature – there’s a sweet spot for a good foam.</p> <p>In cold cow’s milk, the fats are semi-solid and will make the foam collapse by breaking the bubble walls. But when heated above 40°C, these fats melt, spread better throughout the milk and easily interact with proteins to help form and stabilise the bubbles.</p> <p>However, <em>overheating</em> the milk (above 70°C) <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5355583/">cooks and breaks</a> the whey protein balls, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958694608000873#sec3">making it harder to create foam</a>.</p> <h2>How barista plant milks work</h2> <p>Plants make vastly different proteins compared to cows. However, the physical shape of proteins found in <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2024/sm/d4sm00518j">soy and oat milks is also ball-like</a>, making them good for foaming just like cow’s milk.</p> <p>That’s generally why you see soy and oat milks used in cafes. Barista versions of plant milks often have added vegetable oils to help mimic the fat–protein interaction in dairy. It’s what makes the milk foam stable and the liquid feel creamy.</p> <p>Some – but not all – barista plant milks will also have thickeners because they <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2024/sm/d4sm00518j">help the foam last longer</a>.</p> <p>Compared to soy and oat, almond milk is naturally low in protein. So almond barista milks will almost always contain gums, starches and emulsifiers along with added vegetable oil.</p> <p>Many plant milks also contain added sugars for flavour, since they lack the natural lactose found in dairy.</p> <h2>Is barista milk worth it?</h2> <p>Many plant-based milk formulations, especially barista ones, contain added gums, manufactured starches and emulsifiers. This qualifies them as “ultra-processed foods”, according to the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/2A9776922A28F8F757BDA32C3266AC2A">United Nations’ classification system</a>.</p> <p>While the plant-based milk might not be inherently overly harmful, this classification invites reflection on how far these products have moved from their original, natural source.</p> <p>On the environmental side, plant-based milks typically have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-023-00400-z">lower impact than cow’s milk</a>. They use less land and water and produce fewer greenhouse gases.</p> <p>Barista milks usually <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-08/is-it-worth-spending-more-on-barista-alternative-milk/104692788">cost significantly more</a> than their regular counterpart. This premium reflects the added ingredients and research and development cost of optimising foaming and drinking characteristics.</p> <p>For cafés, the cost is often justified because barista milks produce a more predictable and consistent end product, leading to better customer satisfaction.</p> <p>For home use, it depends on your own level of foaming skill and how much you value a perfect flat white every time.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/258583/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-chua-759559">David Chua</a>, Senior Research Projects Officer, Centre for Community Health and Wellbeing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-barista-milk-and-regular-milk-its-what-gets-added-to-it-258583">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Pexels / </em><em>Chevanon Photography</em></p> </div>

Food & Wine

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Call for life ban after ugly post-Origin incident

<p>NSW utility Connor Watson was nearly <a href="https://www.codesports.com.au/nrl/can-thrown-at-nsw-star-reece-robson/video/80a0dcf962b88497d7ad6a708b743739" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hit by a full can of alcohol</a> in a shocking post-match incident at Accor Stadium, moments after Queensland’s State of Origin win on Wednesday night.</p> <p>The ugly episode unfolded as the Roosters player made his way through the stands to see loved ones after the final whistle, with disturbing footage showing a projectile narrowly missing him as he greeted fans.</p> <p><a href="https://www.codesports.com.au/nrl/can-thrown-at-nsw-star-reece-robson/video/80a0dcf962b88497d7ad6a708b743739" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Captured on video and shared by Code Sports</a>, Watson had been walking up the first tier of seating when the object – reportedly a full can of Canadian Club – was hurled from above.</p> <p>The video shows stadium-goers shouting Watson’s name before the can is thrown. The item lands alarmingly close to him just as he shakes hands with a spectator.</p> <p>Watson later described the moment as “shocking”.</p> <p>“I’ve had to go up there, my family and friends were up there,” Watson told Code Sports. “One of my mates is in a wheelchair, and he can’t come down the stairs, so I have walked up there to go see him.</p> <p>“As I’m walking, a can of Canadian Club lands right next to me and it’s like someone had thrown it at me.</p> <p>“If they did throw it... the words I want to use for it... I can’t say right now.</p> <p>“If it was thrown, it’s disappointing to think someone thinks it’s OK to do that.</p> <p>“If that got me in the head... it seemed like it came from the top level.</p> <p>“These younger guys, came up to me saying they have footage of the incident, of me walking and the can landing right next to me.</p> <p>“It’s disappointing to be honest.</p> <p>“I’m just going up to visit my family and friends, I shouldn’t have to worry about someone throwing a can at me.</p> <p>“If someone has done it, they should do something about it.”</p> <p>Security was later seen responding to the area. A stadium spokesperson confirmed the incident is under review.</p> <p>“Stadium security staff are reviewing CCTV footage and will work with police,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p>The person responsible could face a ban from future events at the venue, and police may launch a formal investigation.</p> <p><em>Images: Code Sports</em></p>

Legal

News

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Habemus Papam! – We have a pope!

<p>In a moment charged with history and hope, the Catholic Church has elected its first American pontiff: Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, who will now be known as Pope Leo XIV.</p> <p>The 69-year-old, who has spent much of his career in Peru, made his first appearance as pope from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica at 7:24pm local time, just over an hour after white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney, sending the world a long-awaited message: <em>Habemus Papam!</em> (We have a pope!)</p> <p>Cheers erupted from the tens of thousands gathered in the square, with flags waving, church bells ringing and emotion rippling through the international crowd as the new pontiff smiled, waved and offered a heartfelt greeting. His first words: <em>“La pace sia con tutti voi.”</em> (“Peace be with you.)”</p> <p>Delivering his inaugural speech in Italian and Spanish, Pope Leo XIV struck a tone of unity, humility, and dialogue. “We must build bridges,” he declared, echoing the spirit of his predecessor. “Build bridges with dialogue, coming together, uniting, becoming one single people – one single people in peace.”</p> <p>The election of an American pope is a stunning departure from centuries of Vatican tradition, with many believing the idea had long been off the table due to the global influence of the United States. But Leo XIV’s unique path – from Chicago to Chiclayo – positioned him as a bridge-builder between North and South, tradition and change.</p> <p>His deep ties to Latin America, including years as a missionary and later as Archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru, along with his recent role as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, gave him a global pastoral perspective. He also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.</p> <p>Leo’s election comes after a dramatic and closely watched conclave. On Thursday afternoon, the 133 cardinal-electors gathered for a fourth round of voting. Just after 6pm, the unmistakable white smoke billowed into the Roman sky – the signal that consensus had been reached.</p> <p>By the time the Swiss Guard and military band took their positions, the anticipation in the square was electric. Crowds, including school groups, pilgrims and reporters from around the world, packed the piazza. And when the ancient formula <em>“Habemus Papam!”</em> was pronounced from the loggia, followed by Leo XIV’s public appearance, the square exploded with joy.</p> <p>Leo’s election drew swift global attention. Even US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to extend congratulations, writing: “It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honour for our Country.”</p> <p>While the conclave was notably longer due to the large number of electors – 108 of whom were appointed by Pope Francis – it reflected the wide diversity of today’s global church. Cardinals came from places like Mongolia, Tonga and Sweden, a testament to Francis' efforts to make the Church more inclusive.</p> <p>Back in St Peter’s Square, the celebration continues, with some faithful expressing hope that Pope Leo XIV will carry forward Francis’ work of outreach and reform – and perhaps take it even further. As one young Argentine pilgrim, Pedro Deget, put it: “Francis opened the Church to the outside world. Let’s see what Leo can do now.”</p> <p><em>Images: Sunrise</em></p>

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Rory McIlroy conquers Augusta at last with agonising final hole victory

<p>Rory McIlroy has finally done it! In a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat finale at Augusta National, the Northern Irish superstar captured his long-awaited first Masters title, ending an 11-year major championship drought in unforgettable fashion.</p> <p>After years of close calls and crushing near misses, McIlroy delivered a performance packed with drama. His road to the iconic green jacket was anything but smooth – and that's what made this triumph so electrifying.</p> <p>Sunday at Augusta began with fireworks as McIlroy double-bogeyed the first hole, immediately falling into a share of the lead with Bryson DeChambeau. But true to form, the four-time major winner stormed back, building a commanding five-shot lead midway through the final round over DeChambeau and English veteran Justin Rose.</p> <p>Just when it seemed McIlroy might cruise to victory, the course bit back. Disaster struck at the treacherous 13th when McIlroy found water and carded another double bogey, watching his lead evaporate as Rose surged to 11-under, becoming the shock leader.</p> <p>But Augusta’s relentless drama wasn’t finished yet. Rose bogeyed shortly after, and McIlroy steadied himself to reclaim the lead. DeChambeau, too, stumbled out of contention with a costly trip to the water hazard.</p> <p>As the tension mounted, Rose delivered under pressure with a brilliant birdie at the 18th, pulling level with McIlroy at 11-under and setting the stage for a nail-biting conclusion. McIlroy birdied the 17th and had a golden chance to seal the victory with a simple par on the final hole. But golf, as ever, proved unpredictable – McIlroy’s putt went millimetres astray, forcing a playoff that had the gallery roaring with anticipation.</p> <p>In the playoff showdown, McIlroy's grit and class shone through. With unwavering focus, he outduelled Rose to capture the elusive green jacket, completing his career-defining triumph at Augusta on his 11th attempt.</p> <p>This moment was more than just a victory – it was the culmination of a decade-long pursuit of golfing glory. For McIlroy, it’s a Masters win for the ages, and for fans around the world, it’s a reminder of why we love this sport: the drama, the heartbreak, and the unforgettable joy of watching a champion finally reach the mountaintop.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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Captain Cook statue vandalised ahead of Australia Day

<p>A statue of Captain Cook has been vandalised in Sydney just days ahead of Australia Day. </p> <p>The statue, which sits on Belmore Road in Randwick, had its hand ripped off in the attack and parts of its face destroyed before it was covered in red paint. </p> <p>It's the second time in 12 months the statue has been vandalised, with the attack being condemned by Randwick councilor Andrew Hay. </p> <p>"The Captain Cook Statue has been vandalised again," he said in a statement. "They've broken the sandstone and cut off his hand and nose."</p> <p>"Low lives in Randwick know no bounds, or have any reverence for great people of history, and will vandalise him to make a political point that he's not directly related to."</p> <p>Randwick City councillor Dr Carolyn Martin told <em>2GB</em> radio that the vandals scaled the fence around the statue and left it in an "absolute mess".</p> <p>"It's absolutely disgraceful behaviour. We're all absolutely horrified," she said.</p> <p>Randwick mayor Dylan Parker also called out the vandalism, saying, "Vandalism has no place in public discussion."</p> <p>"Vandalism is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation."</p> <p>"Council will clean and restore the statue. The statue was cleaned and restored last year after a similar incident in February 2024."</p> <p>Australia Day, which is recognised each year on January 26th, marks the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 when the first governor of the British colony of New South Wales, Arthur Philip, hoisted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove. </p> <p>But for many First Nations people, it is regarded as 'Invasion Day' or the 'Day of Mourning' because it marks the beginning of Australia's colonisation. </p> <p><em>Image credits: 2GB </em></p>

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Man dies and several others injured after severe storms lash NSW

<p>A man has tragically died after severe thunderstorms pummelled New South Wales on Wednesday night. </p> <p>The extreme storm system swept through the eastern part of the state on Wednesday evening, leaving several people injured and thousands without power. </p> <p>In the central west town of Cowra, 300km west of Sydney, a man in his 80s was killed when a tree fell on his car as the region experienced wind gust speeds of 107km/h at the time, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.</p> <p>Police were in attendance at the scene and had launched an investigation into the incident, while the man has yet to be formally identified.</p> <p>Four campers have also been injured when their shelters were destroyed in high winds at Wagga Wagga in the Riverina region in the state’s southwest.</p> <p>The storm also triggered major power outages with Endeavour Energy reporting more than 47,000 impacted customers across the Blue Mountains, Western Sydney, Illawarra and the South Coast at 10pm, and Ausgrid reporting more than 62,000.</p> <p>On Thursday morning, the SES said they had received 2250 calls and responded to more than 1800 incidents in the last 24 hours, with the majority of the incidents were for fallen trees, powerlines and damaged properties.</p> <p>Scattered showers and severe storms are expected to continue on Thursday, particularly in the east and north east of the state. </p> <p><em>Image credits: 9News</em></p>

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Travel

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"Out cold": Hugh Grant naps through Wimbledon drama after chat with the Queen

<p>It was one of the hottest matches of the Wimbledon quarter-finals – on court and apparently off – but for Hugh Grant, it may have been just a little too warm and soothing.</p> <p>The ever-dashing <em>Love Actually</em> star, 64, became an unlikely viral sensation this week after he was caught on camera nodding off in the Royal Box during the men’s quarter-final clash between Novak Djokovic and Flavio Cobolli.</p> <p>Yes, while Djokovic and Cobolli were trading blistering shots, Grant was trading consciousness for a peaceful snooze, head tilted, sunglasses on and dreams possibly filled with tennis balls and polite applause.</p> <p>The moment, of course, did not go unnoticed. BBC cameras captured the actor mid-slouch, just moments after he’d been spotted chatting amiably with Queen Camilla – which, let’s be honest, is probably exhausting work for anyone before lunch.</p> <p>He had arrived at the All England Club with his wife, Anna Eberstein, both appearing in good spirits as they smiled, mingled and did all the necessary celebrity waving required in the Royal Box. But somewhere between “Hello Your Majesty” and “Advantage Djokovic”, the siren song of a padded seat and 26-degree heat proved too powerful.</p> <p><em>BBC Sport</em> couldn’t resist sharing the snoozy spectacle on social media, posting the clip with the caption: “It’s all got a bit too much for Hugh Grant,” along with the obligatory laughing and sleeping emojis. Predictably, the internet went berserk.</p> <p>Outrage quickly rallied among the very-online tennis purists. “COBOLLI I think HUGH GRANT owes you a massive apology,” one dramatic viewer huffed, as if the actor had personally insulted the sport with a stray snore. Another lamented, “T**ts like him… don’t deserve [Wimbledon tickets]!!!” – bold words from someone tweeting from a beanbag chair.</p> <p>But many others simply delighted in the absurdity. “Hugh Grant asleep in the Royal Box is the best thing I’ve seen at #WIMBLEDON this year!! I love this man!!” wrote one fan, while another quipped: “Now why Hugh Grant look like he's asleep at Wimbledon; Someone wake up Hugh Grant, dude is out cold.”</p> <p>To be fair, Wimbledon is as much about tradition and strawberries as it is about intense focus, and if anyone can pull off a mid-match nap in a suit and tie, it’s Hugh Grant.</p> <p>No word yet on whether he dreamed of Queen Camilla offering him a lukewarm Pimms, or if he simply mistook Centre Court for a very exclusive in-flight lounge.</p> <p>Either way, Wimbledon 2025 now has a new highlight: Hugh Grant, the man who slept through a tie-break and into our hearts.</p> <p><em>Images: BBC Sports / Nine's Wide World of Sports</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Dave Hughes almost gets into a scrap at Wimbledon

<p>Aussie comedian and radio larrikin Dave “Hughesy” Hughes has revealed he nearly served up more than just sass at the Wimbledon Championships, almost landing himself in a centre court-style showdown with a particularly chatty Brit.</p> <p>Taking to Instagram with a video of himself and teenage son Rafferty enjoying the match on Court 15, Hughesy shared the moment they almost made it onto the evening news for all the wrong reasons.</p> <p>“Nearly got into a punch-on at Wimbledon,” he captioned the post, clearly relishing the drama like it was a fresh scone at high tea.</p> <p>The pair had been watching Aussie battler Jordan Thompson grind out a gutsy five-set win when a local lad behind them apparently decided it was the perfect time to run his own live podcast commentary – loudly.</p> <p>“It was a very small court,” Hughesy explained, “and this English bloke behind us just would not shut up through the match.”</p> <p>Eventually, the usually mild-mannered funny man had enough and politely asked the man to pipe down. The response? Not so polite.</p> <p>“Mate, can you just be quiet?” Hughesy said.</p> <p>According to son Rafferty, the bloke immediately escalated to Defcon Insult, calling his dad “a little Hitler”.</p> <p>“Bit of an overreaction,” Rafferty said, summing it up like the future diplomat he clearly is.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLniR6YzS85/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLniR6YzS85/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dave Hughes (@dhughesy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Hughesy admitted the jab was “hurtful”, although it seems the rest of the crowd didn’t exactly leap to defend Mr. Loudmouth. “Everyone around us was happy that I did it,” he said, adding for good measure: “What is it with entitled English wankers?!”</p> <p>The tension eventually fizzled out like warm Pimms, with the loud Brit reportedly going quiet after a tense verbal rally. “Three rows of seating, metres from the players, and this guy would not shut up,” Hughesy added in the caption. “After a long back and forth, he zipped it and everyone was happy – except him.”</p> <p>Support came flooding in from fans and celeb mates alike. Actress Regina Sorensen cheered, “Go you good thing”, while one commenter claimed they were in the row in front: “Love that you didn’t back down! Crowd totally had your back! He hardly said a word for the rest of the match!!”</p> <p>Comedian Rove McManus, never one to miss a punchline, chimed in with: “Good to know your fans are everywhere.”</p> <p>No word yet on whether Hughesy plans to return next year – but if he does, the All England Club might want to issue complimentary noise-cancelling headphones for all patrons. Or maybe just for that one guy.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Hero dad jumps overboard to save daughter who fell from Disney cruise ship

<p>A father and his daughter were rescued from the ocean after falling overboard from a Disney Cruise Line ship on Sunday afternoon, prompting praise for the ship’s crew and relief among passengers who witnessed the ordeal unfold in real time.</p> <p>The incident occurred aboard the <em>Disney Dream</em> as it sailed on a roundtrip voyage between Florida and the Bahamas. Passenger Gar Frantz said he was on the fourth-floor deck when he saw the child, who had been sitting on the ship’s railing while the father took a picture, fall into the water.</p> <p>“Then the child fell overboard,” Frantz recalled. “We watched it, you could see two little things ... it was crazy, it was horrific.”</p> <p>The father reportedly jumped in immediately after the child in an effort to save her.</p> <p>Fellow passenger Gail Merrick was playing bingo when she noticed a sudden commotion outside. “We came to find out that it was a child and then the father had gone in after the child, so we were watching with bated breath basically waiting for what would happen,” she told <em>NBC News</em>.</p> <p>Merrick said she saw a yellow rescue boat with crew members being deployed, and the <em>Disney Dream</em> itself made a sharp turn to return to the spot. According to Disney, the two guests were recovered within minutes.</p> <p>“We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship,” Disney said in a statement. “We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”</p> <p>Disney did not provide any identifying details about the guests or clarify how far into the journey the ship was when the fall occurred.</p> <p>Passenger James Tackett said he felt the ship lurch into a sharp turn before hearing what had happened. “When they did officially get the people, everyone cheered,” he said. “It was a good moment.”</p> <p>His mother, Brenda Tackett, who was also onboard, praised the crew’s swift and professional response.</p> <p>“You could tell they’ve practiced this – hopefully have never used it before – but they were great,” she said. “The whole thing was maybe 10, 15 minutes and they safely got back on board.”</p> <p>Disney After the rescue, the <em>Disney Dream</em> resumed its journey. “Thankfully it turned out positive,” Merrick said, “and we were able to enjoy the rest of the cruise.”</p> <p><em>Images: Disney Dream / NBC News</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Millions warned to prepare for "bomb cyclone"

<p>Eastern New South Wales is on high alert as a rapidly forming weather system threatens to bring dangerous conditions to a vast stretch of the state’s coast – including the heaviest rainfall Sydney has seen in years.</p> <p>The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of a potential east coast low – possibly a “bomb cyclone” – developing off the coastline. The intense system is already impacting the Mid North Coast today and is expected to deliver its most severe weather to Sydney on Tuesday.</p> <p>Hazardous wind and surf warnings have been issued for large sections of the NSW coast, and an initial flood watch is in place for the Hawkesbury-Nepean, Georges, Cooks, Sydney Coast and Illawarra Coast catchments.</p> <p>A “bomb cyclone” is a rapidly intensifying weather system that can form in just a matter of days and bring destructive conditions. If it continues to strengthen, this could be the first east coast low to directly strike Sydney since 2022.</p> <p>Rain and strong winds are forecast to escalate over the next 24 hours, with up to 90mm of rain predicted to fall over Sydney tomorrow. The Bureau is forecasting sustained winds of 45km/h, with gusts reaching a dangerous 125km/h.</p> <p>The NSW State Emergency Service has issued a broad warning to residents from Bega to Coffs Harbour, urging millions to prepare for cyclonic conditions.</p> <p>“We are urging the public to take this threat seriously,” an SES spokesperson said on Monday morning. “Now is the time to secure outdoor items, check on neighbours, and have a plan in case of flash flooding.”</p> <p>Authorities are closely monitoring the system, which is continuing to develop off the coast and could rapidly intensify overnight.</p> <p><em>Image: Weatherzone</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Health

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“It was an honour to have met her": Beloved TV star passes away at 96

<p>Australia is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved television personalities, Emmie Silbery, who has passed away at the age of 96 following a long battle with dementia.</p> <p>Emmie captured the hearts of viewers nationwide as a cherished member of the Silbery family trio on <em>Gogglebox Australia</em>, alongside her daughter Kerry and granddaughter Isabelle. On Monday, a heartbroken Isabelle confirmed the news of Emmie’s death with a deeply emotional tribute on Instagram.</p> <p>“Our Emmie, waited for me to come home for one last snuggle,” Isabelle wrote. “Her last words, ‘I’m ready to hang up now’.”</p> <p>Fans knew Emmie for her warmth, wit and wisdom, and for many, she felt like a member of their own family. Her presence on screen from 2015 brought generations together, and her absence in recent seasons was sorely felt.</p> <p>“She was 96, an orphan, a nurse, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, the oldest woman on TV, a great grandmother, an author and so much more,” Isabelle continued in her post. “Thank you for loving her as much as we did and will forever. Have a big rest now — you deserve it. Xxxxx.”</p> <p>Tributes have since poured in from across the country, with fellow <em>Gogglebox</em> cast members and Aussie celebrities expressing their grief and gratitude for having known her.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL1b0z8TCQ9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL1b0z8TCQ9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Isabelle Richards (Silbery) (@isabellesilbery)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Beautiful Emmie. Words can’t describe what you meant to so many of us,” wrote Angie Kent. “Thank you for the countless laughs, tears, goosebumps and memories! Rest now. Your girls are so loved and looked after.”</p> <p>“It was an honour to have met her. She was a truly special woman. May she rest in peace,” commented Matty Fahd.</p> <p>Longtime co-stars Lee and Keith Riley described their heartbreak in a poignant message: “Our hearts are so heavy with sadness. Emmie was our adopted grandmother to Keith and I as we lost our grandparents years ago. You told us so many stories about your life and now they are memories for us to keep. Rest in peace, sweetheart you’ll never be far from our hearts.”</p> <p>Australian media figures also offered their condolences. Lisa Wilkinson wrote: “I’m so sad to hear the news Isabelle. What a beautiful, talented, giving soul she was, and so loved by us all. I hope she knew that. Glad you got that last snuggle. Sending love to you and your wonderful mum.”</p> <p>Actress Pia Miranda added: “I’m so sorry for your loss. Sending you and your family all the love. She was an icon.”</p> <p>In February 2023, Emmie officially stepped back from the show following her dementia diagnosis. At the time, her family shared the sad news with fans in a heartfelt message, saying, “It’s been a very challenging time for our family and we’ve had to make some difficult decisions. Emmie has been diagnosed with dementia and we wanted to be transparent about this as many families experience it.”</p> <p>Despite her declining health, Emmie made a touching final appearance in January this year during a cast reunion, where she was embraced by her co-stars in an emotional and affectionate gathering.</p> <p>“It was great to see our darling Emmie again,” wrote Lee and Keith in a video post from the day, showing the joy and love she continued to inspire, even in her final chapter.</p> <p>A symbol of strength, humour and family, <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Emmie Silbery's</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> passing leaves a deep void in the hearts of those who knew her, both on and off screen.</span></p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Sole survivor of deadly mushroom meal breaks silence after verdict

<p>The lone survivor of the deadly beef Wellington lunch that shocked the nation has broken his silence, sharing a message of faith and strength as his community continues to grieve.</p> <p>Ian Wilkinson, a Baptist pastor and the only survivor of a meal that killed three members of his extended family, posted a heartfelt message outside Korumburra Baptist Church on Tuesday: “Life can be hard, but God is faithful”.</p> <p>The quiet but powerful statement came just one day after Erin Patterson, 50, was <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/guilty-erin-patterson-spends-first-night-behind-bars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found guilty</a> of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Prosecutors said she deliberately served her guests a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms at her home on July 29, 2023.</p> <p>The lunch claimed the lives of Don and Gail Patterson – parents of Erin’s estranged husband Simon – and Mr Wilkinson’s wife, Heather. All three died in hospital in the days following the meal.</p> <p>Throughout the high-profile 46-day trial in Morwell, Patterson maintained her innocence, pleading not guilty and claiming she had not intentionally poisoned her guests. But jurors <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/chilling-images-and-cctv-released-after-erin-patterson-guilty-verdict" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unanimously convicted her</a> after hearing harrowing details of the victims’ final days and the toxicology evidence linking the mushrooms to their deaths.</p> <p>In a message attributed to the leadership team at Korumburra Baptist Church, where Mr Wilkinson has been pastor for more than two decades, the congregation asked for privacy as they continue to support both the Wilkinson and Patterson families.</p> <p>“We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail, whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years. They were very special people who loved God and lived to bless others,” the statement read.</p> <p>“It’s been a long journey, and we continue to lovingly support Ian, Simon and all the Wilkinson and Patterson family members through this difficult time.”</p> <p>The church also thanked the community and wider Baptist network for their ongoing support and prayers, reaffirming Pastor Ian’s words: “Life can be hard, but God is faithful, and He is always with us.”</p> <p>Outside the homes of both Simon Patterson and Ian Wilkinson, signs were posted warning members of the media to stay away, with notices explicitly stating that entry by journalists was not permitted and that trespassers would be reported to police.</p> <p>Just a short drive away at Korumburra Cemetery, where Don, Gail and Heather are buried, a handful of mourners paid quiet respects. A modest bouquet of flowers marked Don and Gail’s grave, a poignant reminder of a tragedy that left two small towns in mourning.</p> <p>Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas, speaking shortly after the verdict, also urged media and the public to respect the families’ grief.</p> <p>“It’s very important that we remember we’ve had three people die and one person who nearly died and was seriously injured as a result. That has led to these charges,” he said.</p> <p>“I ask that we acknowledge those people and not forget them. I also ask that the Patterson and Wilkinson families be given privacy during this time.”</p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

Caring

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Why women live longer than men

<p>It turns out the real survival champions of history weren’t the sword-wielding warriors or the swashbuckling adventurers – they were women. Yes, even during famines, plagues and periods of mass human awfulness (see: enslavement and measles), women have been quietly outliving men like it’s just another Tuesday.</p> <p>That’s the conclusion of researchers who dove deep into history’s most miserable moments, including the Irish Potato Famine, enslavement in Trinidad and Icelandic measles outbreaks, only to find that female bodies just won’t quit.</p> <p>According to a study led by demographer Virginia Zarulli, even newborn girls during these crises had better survival rates than their male counterparts. That’s right; baby girls basically stared down famine and disease and said, “Not today”.</p> <p>So, what gives? According to science – and a new CNN-backed book titled <em>The Stronger Sex</em> – the female body is a marvel of survival engineering. Despite monthly bleeding, pregnancy (aka growing a human from scratch) and the general rollercoaster of hormones, women consistently outlive men. It’s like Mother Nature looked at the assignment and went “build to last”.</p> <p>Part of the secret lies in the chromosomes. Women are rocking two X chromosomes (which are loaded with immune-boosting genes) while men are stuck with a lonely Y that brings little to the survival party. According to evolutionary biologist Dr Sharon Moalem, this gives women a sort of immunological superpower. As he put it, “Women have immunologically evolved to out-mutate men.” Translation: their immune systems are like Swiss Army knives. Men's? More like... rusty butter knives.</p> <p>And hormones help too – specifically oestrogen, which acts like a biological bodyguard, boosting immune responses, upping antibody production and improving long-term disease resistance. Meanwhile, testosterone (the male hormone known for encouraging risky behaviour and unnecessary purchases of motorcycles) appears to weaken the immune system. In fact, early animal experiments showed that removing testosterone improved immunity. (No word on whether the animals also started asking for directions.)</p> <p>It gets better. Recent research has found that women’s small intestines are longer – which may not sound sexy, but is biologically brilliant. More intestine means more nutrients absorbed, which means better odds of surviving when calories are scarce. Essentially, women can squeeze more nutritional value out of a potato than a man can out of a steak.</p> <p>Add all that to the fact that women typically engage in fewer risky behaviours (looking at you, lawnmower-beer-balancing stunts), and you’ve got a recipe for a longer life. Even when women adopt some of the same bad habits as men (like smoking) they still tend to outlive them. Because of course they do.</p> <p>To be fair, there is a catch: women’s superhero immune systems can sometimes turn on them, leading to more autoimmune diseases and chronic conditions. But even then, women often live with those conditions longer than men would.</p> <p>So, what’s the takeaway here? For one, the next time someone calls women the “weaker sex”, feel free to laugh out loud. And second, it’s about time medicine caught up. Researchers argue that understanding these biological differences can help create more personalised healthcare – for all genders.</p> <p>In short: female bodies aren’t just built different. They’re built better, tougher and, according to science, longer-lasting; kind of like the biological version of a Toyota Hilux.</p> <p>Move over, Superman. It’s Superwoman who’s still standing.</p> <p><em>Image: Pexels / Chelsi Peter</em></p>

Body

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New details after woman attacked by lion at Qld zoo

<p>A woman has lost her arm after a shocking lion attack at a Queensland zoo where she had worked with the animal for more than two decades.</p> <p>Emergency services rushed to Darling Downs Zoo, located near Toowoomba, around 8.30am on Sunday following reports that a lion had mauled a staff member.</p> <p>Paramedics stabilised the woman at the scene before she was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Authorities confirmed the woman suffered severe injuries to one arm, which was later amputated.</p> <p>The zoo issued a statement shortly after the incident, describing the woman as a “much-loved member of our family” who was observing keepers working with the lion when the attack occurred.</p> <p>“This is something that she has done many, many times over the past 20 years,” the statement read.</p> <p>“She is well-versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals. Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it.”</p> <p>The zoo confirmed the lion involved never left its enclosure and there was no risk to staff or the public at any time.</p> <p>In a follow-up message, zoo management clarified the woman was not a keeper nor an immediate family member of the owners, Steve and Stephanie Robinson. They also stressed the lion “will definitely not be put down or punished in any way”.</p> <p>“The animal did nothing wrong. It remains safely within its enclosure,” the zoo said.</p> <p>Police and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) inspectors have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack. WHSQ personnel have been on site since Sunday morning.</p> <p>A WHSQ spokesperson confirmed the agency had been notified and was assessing the incident.</p> <p>Nationals leader and local Maranoa MP David Littleproud offered his sympathies, describing the event as a “horrific incident”.</p> <p>“This is a tragedy and a shock to not just staff at the zoo, but the entire community,” he said. “I also wish the person involved in the attack all the very best with their recovery and offer support in any small way possible.”</p> <p>Darling Downs Zoo was closed to visitors on Sunday but is expected to reopen on Tuesday. The privately run zoo has been in operation for 20 years and is home to a number of exotic animals, including tawny and rare white lions.</p> <p>The zoo has recently promoted “supervised encounters” with its lionesses, describing the experiences as strictly monitored and designed for both visitor enjoyment and animal wellbeing.</p> <p>“Every cent of the money that they raise goes into a fund to build an expanded multi pride lion complex,” the zoo said in a recent social media post.</p> <p>The full details of the incident remain unclear and are unlikely to be known until the injured woman can be interviewed.</p> <p><em>Images: Nine News</em></p>

Caring

Lifestyle

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Julian McMahon’s family shares heartfelt message with fans after his death at 56

<p>The family of Julian McMahon has broken their silence following the beloved actor’s death at the age of 56, sharing a touching tribute to the man known for both his iconic roles and generous spirit.</p> <p>The Australian star <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/julian-mcmahon-s-cause-of-death-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died last week</a> after a private battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Kelly Paniagua, daughter Madison McMahon (with ex-wife Brooke Burns), and his siblings Melinda and Debbie.</p> <p>On Tuesday, a heartfelt message appeared on McMahon’s Instagram page, paired with a black and white photograph of the actor smiling warmly for the camera. Van Morrison’s poignant track Sometimes We Cry played in the background.</p> <p>“Julian loved @vanmorrisonofficial... For all of those who loved Julian, thank you,” the caption read.</p> <p>McMahon’s widow, Kelly, revealed details of his illness in a statement released last Friday.</p> <p>“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” she said.</p> <p>“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.</p> <p>“We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories,” she added in her statement obtained by <em>Deadline</em>.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2MuALxiTR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL2MuALxiTR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Julian Mcmahon (@julianmcmahonofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Best known for his role as the suave and troubled Dr Christian Troy in FX’s Nip/Tuck, McMahon starred alongside Dylan Walsh in the groundbreaking drama from 2003 to 2010, earning a Golden Globe nomination in 2004.</p> <p>His career also spanned hit shows including Charmed, where he played the mysterious Cole Turner, and FBI: Most Wanted, where he portrayed team leader Jess LaCroix until 2022.</p> <p>On the silver screen, McMahon made a memorable impression as Marvel villain Dr Doom in the Fantastic Four films, and starred alongside Sandra Bullock in Premonition.</p> <p>McMahon and Kelly Paniagua were together for 11 years before marrying in 2014 at Lake Tahoe. He was previously married to actress Brooke Burns and Australian singer Dannii Minogue.</p> <p>The son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon, Julian’s final role brought a poignant symmetry to his life and career – playing the Prime Minister in Netflix’s The Residence, and appearing alongside Nicolas Cage in The Surfer.</p> <p>He is remembered not only for the unforgettable characters he brought to life, but for the warmth, humour and joy he brought to those around him.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Sleep divorce: could sleeping separately from your partner lead to a better night’s rest?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Hundreds of years ago, it was common for married couples among the European upper classes to have separate bedrooms. Sleeping separately was a <a href="https://www.bedstar.co.uk/sleep-talk/queens-and-kings-separate-beds.html">symbol of luxury and status</a> historically reserved for royalty and the very wealthy.</p> <p>Nowadays, it’s common for married couples and other couples in relationships to sleep in the same bed. But sometimes – for reasons from conflicting schedules to snoring to sleep talking – couples might choose to sleep separately in pursuit of a better night’s sleep.</p> <p>This is known as “sleep divorce”. Though I prefer the term “sleep separation”, as this doesn’t have to be a permanent arrangement – but more on that later.</p> <p>So why might couples choose to sleep separately? And what does the evidence say about the effects on sleep quality if you sleep alone versus with a partner?</p> <h2>Why do couples opt for a sleep separation?</h2> <p>Couples may choose to sleep apart if one partner’s sleep is disturbing the other’s, or both are disrupting one another. This can happen for a variety of reasons.</p> <p>These include waking up frequently in the night, mismatched body clocks (for example, one person coming to bed later than the other), conflicting schedules (for example, shift workers), snoring, twitching legs or sleep talking.</p> <p>Parents with babies and young children may choose to sleep separately to avoid both partners’ sleep being disturbed.</p> <p>Those with conflicting preferences for sleeping environments, such as one partner liking a cool room with a fan and the other preferring warmth, may also decide to sleep apart.</p> <h2>What are the benefits of sleeping alone?</h2> <p>Many couples <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22609123/">say they prefer</a> to sleep – and sleep better – next to their partner.</p> <p>But when scientists measure sleep objectively, such as via an electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess brain waves, the data actually shows <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22609123/">poorer sleep quality</a> when co-sleeping. So sleeping alone may, in fact, mean better quality and longer sleep.</p> <p>Research also shows when one member of the couple has a sleep disorder, such as insomnia or <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/obstructive-sleep-apnoea">sleep apnoea</a> (where breathing is frequently interrupted during sleep), these people often inadvertently <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10818830/">wake up their partner</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31553049/">when they wake</a> in the night. So sleeping alone could be a good idea if your bed partner has a sleep disorder.</p> <p>What’s more, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/02654075231193449">studies have found</a> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2644899/">sleep disturbances</a> are linked to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15164910/">reduced relationship satisfaction</a>. So sleeping apart could actually mean happier couples.</p> <p>Finally, anyone who has struggled with their sleep will know anxiety around sleep is common. Many clients I have seen who experience insomnia report sleeping alone can alleviate some of their anxiety because at least they know they won’t disturb, or be disturbed by, their partner.</p> <h2>Are there any downsides to separate sleeping arrangements?</h2> <p>Some people dislike sleeping alone, reporting comfort, and feelings of safety and protection when sleeping alongside their partner – and loneliness when they don’t.</p> <p>Sleeping separately also requires two rooms, or at least two beds. Many couples may not have these options available to them in their home.</p> <p>Sleeping separately is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-22/couples-on-why-they-love-sleeping-separately/102448812">often stigmatised</a>, with some people seeing it as the death of a couple’s sex life. But while sleeping in separate beds may provide fewer opportunities for sex, this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of intimacy.</p> <p>Sleeping apart could mean some couples actually have more sex. We know better sleep is linked to more <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2644899/">positive feelings about relationships</a>, so it’s possible the desire to be intimate could increase after a good night’s sleep in separate beds. Sleeping apart may even mean some couples have more energy to be intimate.</p> <p>Nonetheless, if you choose to sleep separately from your partner, it’s important to have an open discussion and prioritise opportunities for connection and intimacy. One client I worked with referred to “visiting rights” where her partner came into her bed for a short period before sleep or in the morning.</p> <h2>Who should potentially consider a sleep separation?</h2> <p>You may wish to think about a “sleep separation” if you are disturbing each other’s sleep, have young children, or have different preferences in terms of temperature, light and noise, which are causing issues.</p> <p>Ultimately, if sleeping in the same bed is leading to poor sleep then sleeping apart, if it’s possible, could help.</p> <p>If you can’t sleep separately there may be other ways to reduce disturbance from a partner such as using an eye mask, white noise or earplugs.</p> <p>If you decide to try a sleep separation, remember this can be a flexible arrangement or “re-set” and doesn’t have to be permanent, or every night. Some couples find sleeping separately during the working week but sharing a bed on the weekend works well for them.</p> <p>Lastly, it’s important to talk to your GP about any persistent sleep problems, such as snoring, insomnia, or unusual behaviour during sleep (for example, shouting or walking around), as there may be an underlying sleep disorder which needs treating.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/258085/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alix-mellor-2406858">Alix Mellor</a>, Research Fellow, Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sleep-divorce-could-sleeping-separately-from-your-partner-lead-to-a-better-nights-rest-258085">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Pexels / </em><em>Kampus Production</em></p> </div>

Relationships

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"I felt terrible": Robert Irwin owns up to dine and dash

<p>In what might be Australia’s most wholesome crime story of the year, wildlife warrior and all-round national treasure Robert Irwin has admitted to accidentally pulling off a classic dine and dash – and then publicly atoning like he just robbed a bank.</p> <p>The 21-year-old TV star and son of the late Steve Irwin took to Instagram with a red-faced confession after realising he had legged it from The Jetty Pavilion in Coffs Harbour without paying for his takeaway salad. Yes, a salad. Value: $26. Crime: Priceless.</p> <p>“I went in there, and there was a lot of people who, you know, saw me and said g’day, and wanted to have a photo,” Irwin explained, recalling the moment the selfie storm struck. “But it turned into a bit of a frenzy.”</p> <p>Caught up in the chaos of admirers and admirers-of-koalas, Irwin left with his Harvest Bowl in hand – but no transaction complete. “I just did the old dine and dash and didn’t even realise. I felt terrible,” he said, as every Australian over the age of five forgave him instantly.</p> <p>Ever the gentleman, Irwin reached out to the venue the next morning offering to settle up. But instead of sending him an invoice or calling the salad police, the owners had a different idea: “Just leave us a good review.”</p> <p>“I said, ‘I’ll do you one better!’” Irwin beamed, urging his eight million Instagram followers to support the cafe – effectively turning his accidental felony into a full-blown marketing campaign.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLvztD7Bmrd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLvztD7Bmrd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Robert Irwin (@robertirwinphotography)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Jetty Pavilion owners Kyle Miller and Ben Hemsworth were quick to assure the public they weren’t mad, just mildly starstruck and wildly grateful.</p> <p>“I was expecting just to see ‘Jetty Pavilion has a great salad’ on a Google review,” Hemsworth told <em>Today</em> on Monday. “Then I got a message from my daughter saying, ‘Oh my god, I saw the video!’ And my phone just lit up.”</p> <p>Miller cheekily pointed the finger at the restaurant’s staff for the oversight: “Some of the girls got a little starstruck and forgot to accept a payment… It’s not very common for us to get a world celebrity in the door, so we can’t blame the girls for that one. I guess he’s a good-lookin’ fella.”</p> <p>As for the Harvest Bowl at the centre of the scandal? It now has more media coverage than most federal budgets.</p> <p>So rest easy, Australia; Robert Irwin isn’t starting a life of crime. He’s just out there, unintentionally boosting small businesses and reminding us all that even our most beloved public figures are capable of a very polite whoopsie.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Food & Wine

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"Carbon copy": Lleyton Hewitt's son wins Wimbledon debut

<p>In a heartwarming echo of history, 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt – son of 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt – made a dream debut at the All England Club on Sunday, storming into the second round of the boys' competition with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Russia’s Savva Rybkin.</p> <p>With his famous father watching from the stands, Cruz channeled classic Hewitt energy, complete with the iconic backwards cap, as he dismantled his opponent in just 51 minutes. Lleyton, now a veteran of the game and ever-supportive parent, beamed with pride and pumped his fist from the sidelines as his son put on a dazzling display.</p> <p>The victory marked a strong return for the young Aussie, who crashed out in the first round of the juniors at the French Open in May but clearly found his rhythm on the famed grass courts of Wimbledon. Breaking Rybkin twice in the opening set and racking up 26 winners overall, Cruz delivered a performance that would have made any tennis parent proud, especially one with a Wimbledon title to his name.</p> <p>Earlier this year, Cruz showed promise with a solid second-round appearance in the Australian Open juniors and even took a swing at qualifying for the men’s main draw, facing off against seasoned pro Nikoloz Basilashvili. Off-court, he found himself briefly caught in a lighthearted social media stir after a training session with Jannik Sinner, drawing playful jabs from family friend Nick Kyrgios – quickly clarified as just banter between mates.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLxC_7qtSZR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLxC_7qtSZR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tennis Australia (@tennisaustralia)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Currently ranked 827th on the ATP Tour and gaining momentum on the ITF circuit, Cruz recently made a run to the final of the M25 ITF event in Launceston, falling just short against fellow Aussie Jason Kubler. But with Sunday’s Wimbledon debut, he’s taken another confident step toward building a name of his own.</p> <p>As the Hewitt legacy continues on Centre Court’s doorstep, one thing’s clear – Cruz is not just following in his father’s footsteps; he’s carving a promising path of his own.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / Tennis Australia</em></p>

Family & Pets

Finance

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Radio host at the centre of fatal royal prank sues network

<p>More than a decade after a prank call to a London hospital triggered international outrage and tragedy, Australian radio presenter Michael Christian is suing Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), claiming the broadcaster failed to protect and support him in the aftermath.</p> <p>Christian was co-hosting 2Day FM’s breakfast show alongside Mel Greig in December 2012 when the pair placed an on-air prank call to King Edward VII Hospital, where the then-Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was being treated for severe morning sickness.</p> <p>Christian, who had only been on the job for two days, claims in a newly filed federal court lawsuit that he and Greig were instructed by the show's production team to impersonate King Charles and Queen Elizabeth II to extract medical information.</p> <p>The call was answered by nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who transferred the hoax call through to the Duchess’ attending nurse. Days later, Saldanha was found dead, having taken her own life. In a note left behind, she blamed the radio stunt and the hospital’s handling of the situation for her death.</p> <p>The incident sparked a global media storm, intense public criticism and death threats directed at the hosts. Christian’s lawsuit alleges that SCA did little to shield them from the backlash.</p> <p>According to the court documents, Christian was assured by the company that if any broadcast content crossed a line, SCA would “step in”.</p> <p>His legal team claims that promise was broken: “The radio presenters were left by SCA as the convenient fall guys and scapegoats for SCA management decisions and non-compliance”.</p> <p>Christian also alleges the prank violated the Australian Communication and Media Authority code of practice. The documents state that the reason for the long delay in taking legal action was SCA’s promise to restore Christian’s reputation and help rebuild his career – a promise he claims was never fulfilled.</p> <p>His lawyers argue that the broadcaster failed to provide “meaningful health support”, initiate a public relations campaign to repair his public image, or offer career advancement or financial recognition for his continued loyalty.</p> <p>The situation escalated earlier this year when Christian was made redundant by the company in February. He contends the redundancy was not genuine, stating, “SCA still requires (his) former role to be performed”.</p> <p>Now, Christian is seeking financial compensation, damages, and penalties for what he describes as SCA’s negligence and breach of duty.</p> <p>Southern Cross Austereo has not yet filed a defence but issued a brief public statement: “As the matter is currently before the courts, and out of respect for the legal process and the privacy of those involved, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”</p> <p>A court date is yet to be set.</p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

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"I know what you've done": Doctor who first treated Erin Patterson speaks out

<p>The doctor who first treated triple-murderer Erin Patterson after she arrived at hospital suffering symptoms from her own poisonous mushroom meal says he knew she was guilty from the beginning.</p> <p>Dr Chris Webster was the first medical professional to speak with Patterson when she presented to Leongatha Hospital around 8am on July 31, 2023 – the day after the fatal beef Wellington lunch that killed three members of her extended family and left a fourth critically ill.</p> <p>Patterson stayed just five minutes before self-discharging against medical advice, prompting Dr Webster to call emergency services. That triple zero call – along with dozens of other exhibits – has now been publicly released.</p> <p>“This is Dr Chris Webster calling from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern regarding a patient that presented here earlier but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning,” Webster told the operator. “I've tried several times to get hold of her on her mobile phone.”</p> <p>Dr Webster explained that Patterson left the hospital before a nurse could begin observations. “I had a brief chat with her about where the mushrooms were obtained and after that, while I was attending to the other patients, the nurse informed me she had discharged herself against medical advice,” he told the operator.</p> <p>Speaking out for the first time, Dr Webster said something about Patterson's arrival set off alarm bells. “My heart skipped a beat,” he said. “I bypassed all of the usual triage protocols and just brought her straight in and sat her down and just looked her straight in the eye directly and said ‘the people at Dandenong suspect death cap mushroom poisoning, where did you get the mushrooms?’</p> <p>“That’s when she said ‘Woolworths’. She was fairly impassive, wasn’t loud or hysterical, wasn’t crying. She just answered the question in a pretty matter-of-fact way.</p> <p>“After that I was like: 'OK, I don’t want to talk to you anymore, I know what you’ve done'.”</p> <p>At the time, Ian and Heather Wilkinson were also in hospital, gravely ill. But Patterson, he said, showed no sign of concern.</p> <p>“She wasn’t shaking, Erin was sat in a chair, I don’t even remember her looking at Ian and Heather,” he said. “She’s evil. She wanted people out of her life and rather than using normal channels she snuffed out their lives and attempted to snuff out another.”</p> <p>Dr Webster’s call to emergency services was the first step in a chain of events that would ultimately lead to Patterson’s arrest, trial, and conviction for three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.</p> <p>“When she didn’t respond in a way that would instantly explain it was a tragic accident, from that moment in my mind she was guilty. She was evil, and she was very smart to carry it all out but she didn’t cross the Ts and dot the Is,” he said.</p> <p>Recalling the moment he saw Patterson again, this time in the courtroom, Webster said the atmosphere was unmistakable.</p> <p>“When I looked at her, when I found the opportunity to sneak a peek, it was visceral, I felt the intensity, the hostility, the negativity, it was an intense gaze,” he said.</p> <p>“She’s evil and she had a problem, she had a dilemma, and the solution that she chose is sociopathic.</p> <p>“If you don’t like your in-laws there are other things you can do besides snuffing out a family.”</p> <p><em>Images: Victoria Supreme Court / Nine News</em></p>

Legal

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Chilling images and CCTV released after Erin Patterson guilty verdict

<p>The haunting final images of the deadly mushroom lunch that shocked Australia – and much of the world – have now been made public, hours after Erin Patterson was convicted of murdering three of her in-laws and attempting to kill a fourth.</p> <p>Patterson, 50, was found guilty by a unanimous jury in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday afternoon, following a 10-week trial and a week of deliberations. She now faces a possible life sentence for the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, as well as the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson.</p> <p>Shortly after the verdicts were read – each one met with silence from the packed courtroom – the court released a trove of exhibits previously seen only by jurors. Among them: photographs of the individual beef Wellingtons served at the now-infamous lunch in Leongatha, each laced with deadly death cap mushrooms; hospital-bed images of Patterson after she presented with diarrhoea; and damning CCTV footage of her dumping a food dehydrator at a waste station just hours after being discharged.</p> <p>The dehydrator, prosecutors argued, had been used to dry the toxic mushrooms, key evidence Patterson sought to dispose of before investigators could find it.</p> <p>Jurors were also shown a series of photographs Patterson had taken herself, showing mushrooms drying inside the appliance. While Patterson claimed the fatal lunch was a tragic accident, and that she had eaten the same meal but vomited afterward, the prosecution said the disposal of the dehydrator – and her lies to police, doctors and health authorities – pointed to premeditation.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/07/PattersonPics1-Supreme-Court-of-Victoria.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="822" /></p> <p><em>Leftovers of the fatal Beef Wellington were found in Patterson's bin and sent to scientists for testing.</em></p> <p>The sole survivor of the July 29, 2023, lunch, Ian Wilkinson, testified that Patterson had served her guests the beef Wellington parcels on different plates to her own. Prosecutors used this, along with inconsistencies in Patterson’s stories, to argue the poisonings were deliberate.</p> <p>One of the most striking pieces of footage shown to the jury – and now released publicly – was grainy CCTV from the Koonwarra Transfer Station. In it, Patterson is seen driving in alone and unloading a bag that investigators say contained the dehydrator. The footage captured a crucial moment in the Crown’s case: a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence just hours after she had been released from Monash Hospital.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/07/PattersonPics2-Supreme-Court-of-Victoria.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="947" /></p> <p><em>Erin Patterson inside Leongatha Hospital being treated for what she said was diarrhoea, caused by eating the Beef Wellingtons.</em></p> <p>Patterson, who wore a paisley blouse and sat expressionless as the jury’s foreperson read out four guilty verdicts, had pleaded not guilty to all charges. During her eight days on the witness stand, she admitted she may have included foraged mushrooms in the meal, despite initially lying to police and saying they were store-bought.</p> <p>“They tasted good and I didn’t get sick,” she told the jury, describing her past experiences preparing wild mushrooms.</p> <p>The case captivated the nation and drew international headlines, with true crime podcasts and media outlets following every twist. Yet the most confronting details remained sealed, until now.</p> <p>The newly released visuals offer a chilling glimpse into the deadly domestic meal that would end three lives and forever alter another. They also reveal the quiet, methodical actions Patterson took in the hours and days that followed—images that played a pivotal role in the jury’s decision.</p> <p>The families of the victims, who had attended every day of the trial, were not in court for the verdict. A close friend of Patterson’s, Ali Rose Prior, told reporters outside the court she was “saddened” by the outcome.</p> <p>"I didn’t have any expectations. It’s the justice system and it has to be what it is," she said, confirming she planned to visit Patterson in prison.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2025/07/PattersonPics3-Supreme-Court-of-Victoria.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Mushrooms dehydrating on scales in Patterson's home, and the dehydrator Patterson dumped at the tip.</em></p> <p>Justice Christopher Beale praised the jury for their conduct and excused them from future jury duty for 15 years. A pre-sentence hearing is expected later this year.</p> <p>In a statement, Victoria Police extended their support to the families of the victims and acknowledged the exhaustive work of homicide detectives throughout what they described as a “complex investigation”.</p> <p>The images now released will likely remain etched in the public consciousness as symbols of one of Australia’s most shocking domestic crimes – a seemingly ordinary lunch, documented in photos and CCTV, that turned fatal.</p> <p><em>Images: Supreme Court of Victoria</em></p>

Legal

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"Guilty": Erin Patterson spends first night behind bars

<p>After spending her first night in prison as a convicted triple murderer, Victorian woman Erin Patterson is now likely to spend the rest of her life behind bars.</p> <p>The 50-year-old mother of two was found guilty on Monday of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, following the now-infamous mushroom lunch that shocked Australia and made international headlines.</p> <p>In July 2023, Patterson hosted a family lunch at her Leongatha home, serving beef Wellington parcels later found to be laced with deadly death cap mushrooms. Days later, her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and their sister-in-law Heather Wilkinson, 66, died in hospital. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived but spent weeks critically ill in intensive care.</p> <p>As Patterson was transported from the Morwell court precinct to a Melbourne prison on Monday evening, someone in the crowd shouted “murderer” – a public outburst reflecting the emotional weight of a case that has gripped the country.</p> <p>The verdict came after an 11-week trial and a full week of jury deliberations. It was based largely on circumstantial evidence, including Patterson’s own testimony over eight days, forensic findings, and suspicious online activity uncovered by investigators.</p> <p>Dr Brianna Chesser, a forensic psychologist and criminal law expert from RMIT University, said the conviction was not surprising.</p> <p>“Whenever you have any lies in a trial it is quite a difficult thing to overcome from a defence perspective,” she said. “What came out regarding the mushrooms was almost insurmountable.”</p> <p>Among the most damning evidence was a police search of Patterson’s home, which uncovered beef Wellington scraps in a bin later confirmed to contain toxic death cap mushrooms. Prosecutors also pointed to online searches on a phone linked to Patterson, allegedly showing she had researched the lethal fungi. That device, described as her primary phone in 2023, was never recovered.</p> <p>The Supreme Court has since released several pieces of evidence presented during the trial, including toxicology photos, images of Patterson’s hospital visit, and a video showing her discharging herself from Leongatha Hospital within minutes of arrival, a visit that followed her own brief illness after the meal.</p> <p>Dr Chesser noted the highly unusual nature of the case, not only because of the method used, but because the accused was a woman. “The story captivated the world,” she said. “The vast majority of homicides are committed by men.”</p> <p>Patterson will return to court for a pre-sentence hearing later in 2025. She faces a mandatory life sentence for the three murders, though her mental health and lack of prior offences could be considered in sentencing.</p> <p>“It’s going to be quite a large sentence,” Dr Chesser said. “We’ve heard during cross-examination that there are some mental health concerns. That may well act as a mitigating factor.”</p> <p>As for a possible appeal, options would be limited to major legal errors or the emergence of new evidence, scenarios considered unlikely at this stage.</p> <p>For now, Patterson remains behind bars, the centre of one of Australia’s most chilling and tragic domestic crime cases in recent memory.</p> <p><em>Images: Sunrise</em></p>

Legal

Entertainment

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The Project has been axed – but someone forgot to change the passwords

<p>Move over, NSW Police social media team – there’s a new sheriff in town, and they’re armed with memes, mischief and exactly zero supervision.</p> <p>Despite <em>The Project</em> being officially axed by Network Ten last Friday, the show’s Instagram account has come alive with the kind of unhinged humour usually reserved for group chats and late-night impulse tweets. And the results? Glorious chaos.</p> <p>“The bosses really should have changed the password from Password1,” read the first sign that something was afoot – or at least, afootloose.</p> <p>What followed was a gleeful digital coup. “Well, well, well, look who is in charge now… It’s me! The social media hero (that’s what I call myself),” the mystery admin announced. “So, one question: what should I do with these accounts?”</p> <p>So far, the self-appointed “social media hero” has shared six rogue posts that are funnier than half the comedy on TV right now – and that’s not just our opinion. Former co-host Lisa Wilkinson chimed in with, “I am SO HERE FOR THIS!!” while Rove McManus, part-owner of the show’s production company, added, “I just assumed the news stopped when we did.” Mood.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLhO6vEzFDv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLhO6vEzFDv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Project (@theprojecttv)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Other ex-<em>Project</em> personalities Gorgi Coghlan and Georgia Love offered moral support in the form of popcorn and laughing emojis, which in 2025 might as well be legal tender.</p> <p>But the rogue admin isn’t just here for the nostalgia. They’ve been keeping up with current events – kind of. One post featured a video of a woman being taken out by wild winds during this week’s “bomb cyclone” in NSW.</p> <p>“We have been off air for less than a week, and a woman has been knocked over by a fridge box?” read the caption. “You just can’t make this stuff up.”</p> <p>Honestly? This person deserves their own spin-off show. Or at the very least, a raise – assuming they’re still employed.</p> <p>No word yet from Ten HQ, but we suspect someone in middle management is frantically Googling “how to revoke Instagram access”.</p> <p>Until then, we live, laugh and like.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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Kyle Sandilands mocked after huge on-air meltdown

<p>Kyle Sandilands has come under fire after delivering an explosive and expletive-laden rant live on air, storming off The Kyle & Jackie O Show in protest over censorship – only to return to the mic a day later.</p> <p>The outburst was sparked when segments of the popular radio program, broadcast in Sydney and Melbourne, were censored during a discussion about former <em>Beauty and the Geek</em> star Tamika Chesser, who is alleged to have murdered and decapitated her boyfriend.</p> <p>Returning to air the following day, Sandilands launched into a tirade over what he described as overly strict rules for broadcasters discussing criminal matters.</p> <p>“OK, so the show got dumped in the middle of a planned discussion that I had already discussed with the legal team,” he said. “Why was that dumped, when I was using all the correct lingo?”</p> <p>Sandilands was told that the call to censor the broadcast came from show director Bruno Bouchet. His response escalated quickly: “Some laws are just so dumb and stupid, and I’m not playing ball.”</p> <p>“Until this show runs the way I intend it to be run, I will not be back on the air at all, in any way, shape or form,” he continued. “I do what I want to do and if you don’t like it, tough s***.”</p> <p>The veteran shock jock even went so far as to suggest he would “go on a hunt” for the show’s director “with dogs and a baseball bat”.</p> <p>Bouchet’s intervention was later backed up by Sandilands’ manager, who admitted to pulling the show to avoid contempt of court. “Yeah for the contempt of court stuff. I just don’t want you guys going to jail,” he explained.</p> <p>Sandilands responded with more profanities: “I’d rather be r***d in jail than be puppeteered by losers. That’s the show ripped up. Judges can shove it in their a***, ACMA can shove it in their a***, and so can the management of the radio station.”</p> <p>He then signed off with a dramatic farewell: “Enjoy the rest of the week, guys. Arrivederci from me.”</p> <p>However, despite declaring he’d be off the air until at least Monday, Sandilands was back on the show Thursday morning.</p> <p>Listeners wasted no time criticising the presenter’s dramatic walkout, calling it a textbook tantrum.</p> <p>“Ooop we’ve had a proper white entitled man public tantrum. Imagine being his wife!” one social media user wrote.</p> <p>“Big man throwing a tantrum, how embarrassing!” said another, while a third added: “Wow, men are so emotional.”</p> <p>As of now, neither the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) nor the radio network has commented publicly on the matter.</p> <p><em>Images: KIIS FM</em></p>

Music

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Deborah Knight leaving 2GB for major role with Nine

<p>Veteran journalist Deborah Knight is making a full-time return to television, stepping down from her top-rating radio show Money News on 2GB to take on a major role at the Nine Network.</p> <p>Knight, 52, will anchor the national 9News Morning bulletin at 11.30am on weekdays and will also front the Sydney edition of 9News Afternoon, cementing her as a key face in Nine’s daytime news coverage.</p> <p>Currently hosting <em>A Current Affair</em> on Saturday nights, Knight will continue that role alongside her expanded responsibilities.</p> <p>“I’m incredibly excited to be stepping back into a full-time television role with 9News and Current Affairs,” she said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to be part of the daily news cycle and connect with viewers during these important bulletins.”</p> <p>Knight also expressed gratitude to her Money News listeners, saying, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in radio… and I’m grateful for the wonderful listeners who tuned in.”</p> <p>Her final Money News broadcast will be on July 3, with her successor yet to be announced.</p> <p>Knight’s appointment brings stability to the morning and afternoon bulletins, which have recently featured a rotating roster of presenters including Kate Creedon, Sophie Walsh, Mark Burrows and Lizzie Pearl.</p> <p>Her broadcast career began at the ABC before moving to Network Ten, where she served as US correspondent. Knight joined the Nine Network in 2011 and has since held several prominent roles, including a controversial 2019 stint as <em>Today</em> co-host alongside Georgie Gardner, following Karl Stefanovic’s temporary departure.</p> <p>She replaced Steve Price on 2GB Afternoons in 2020 and went on to host Money News in early 2023, taking over from Brooke Corte.</p> <p>Knight’s full-time return to TV marks a new chapter in her versatile and enduring media career.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

TV

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"Bring back The Project!": Viewers divided over new Channel 10 show

<p>Just weeks after Channel 10 confirmed the shock axing of <em>The Project</em>, its replacement show <em>10 News+</em> made its prime-time debut – and reactions have been anything but quiet.</p> <p>The new current affairs program, hosted by seasoned journalists Amelia Brace and Denham Hitchcock, launched Monday night with bold promises and a serious tone, setting itself apart from its long-running predecessor.</p> <p>“Firstly, we’re not here to tell you what to think. We’re not here to scare or depress you,” Hitchcock told viewers in the show’s opening minutes. “We will give you facts, information you can trust, the truth,” Brace added, outlining the show’s mission for “digging deeper with investigations and original reporting you won’t see anywhere else”.</p> <p>Despite landing a world-exclusive with convicted drug smuggler Debbie Voulgaris – speaking from a prison cell in Taiwan – and featuring an interview with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the show failed to win over many of <em>The Project</em>’s former fans.</p> <p>“Seriously Channel 10!” one viewer wrote on social media. “There’s enough depressing news already out there and now you’ve brought it to us at 6pm! Bring back The Project.”</p> <p>Another slammed the show as “A Current Affair, yawn!” while one frustrated viewer branded it “a SNOOZE FEST of a show with NO SOUL”, accusing the network of underestimating its audience.</p> <p>“Cut and paste of Channel 9’s A Current Affair. Not interested. Already changed channel,” another viewer declared.</p> <p>The comparisons to <em>A Current Affair</em> – and the shift in tone from <em>The Project</em>’s lighter, panel-style format – were a recurring theme in the online backlash.</p> <p>“Genuine feedback and not at all a criticism of the hosts,” one person commented, “but this show is so vastly different from The Project and more like A Current Affair. It’s not unique... Was it just a cost-cutting measure all along?”</p> <p>Others went even further, suggesting the show might not last the year. “Give it a month,” one viewer said. Another quipped, “Are the hosts AI-generated?”</p> <p>Still, <em>10 News+</em> wasn’t without its defenders. Some viewers praised the show’s content and approach.</p> <p>“Loving @10NewsPlus – strong launch story. Is this the new Schapelle Corby story we all need to know about?” one user posted on X (formerly Twitter). “10 News should be very proud.”</p> <p>“I liked 10 News+. It was very interesting and I liked the interview with the astronaut,” another added.</p> <p>For now, Channel 10 is betting on its revamped format to reinvigorate its 6pm slot. Whether audiences warm to the serious tone – or keep demanding the return of <em>The Project</em> – remains to be seen.</p> <p><em>Images: Network 10</em></p>

TV

Property

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A decade in the making: Jamie Durie finally unveils dream home

<p>After a decade of meticulous planning, popular TV host Jamie Durie has finally revealed his dream home, a breathtaking sustainable property on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.</p> <p>The Seven Network presenter took to Instagram to share an album of images showcasing the eco-friendly sanctuary he built for his family. "Grateful. 10 years of planning, 2 years of construction and we’re finally back home," Durie, 54, captioned the post.</p> <p>The luxurious and environmentally conscious home is now the residence of Durie, his fiancée Ameka Jane, and their two children: three-year-old daughter Beau and one-year-old son Nash.</p> <p>The entire process of planning and construction has been chronicled on Durie’s latest TV venture, <em>Growing Home With Jamie Durie</em>, airing on Seven.</p> <p>"It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to build an off-the-grid house," Durie told <em>Woman’s Day</em> in November. "Ten years ago, I sketched the house. We lodged the plans five years ago, and then the last two years have been dedicated to construction."</p> <p>Durie said that the journey to completion was anything but smooth. "I don’t think poor Ameka had any idea what she was signing up for when we met. But she came up with a number of ideas that added a lot of value to it."</p> <p>He also admitted that building the house tested the family in a variety of ways. "Any family out there who’s building their own house will go through the same as what we’ve gone through," he said. "Huge budget blowouts, rising interest rates, massive construction costs that are constantly going up. We’ve had to go back to the bank four times." </p> <p>Despite the hurdles, Durie and Jane remained committed to using innovative eco-friendly features wherever they could. "We challenged ourselves with new eco-initiatives that not many people would ever dream of trying, or may not even know about," he said, before describing the experience as "the toughest project I have ever taken on in my whole life".</p> <p>Following Durie’s Instagram reveal, a wave of celebrity friends flooded the comments section with praise for the spectacular home. <em>The Morning Show</em>’s Larry Emdur wrote, "Mate!!! Just wow";fFormer Bachelor star Anna Heinrich called it "incredible"; while TV personality Sally Obermeder simply stated, "WOW". </p> <p>Comedian Dave Hughes was equally impressed, writing, "That’s proper wow. My god." <em>Getaway</em> host Catriona Rowntree described the home as "bloomin’ gorgeous".</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Real Estate

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Dr Chris Brown recalls "dramatic" personal renovation disaster

<p><em>Dream Home</em> host Dr Chris Brown has revealed his own renovation fail on the latest episode of the show. </p> <p>The vet turned TV star has taken on a new role where he guides six teams of aspiring renovators through the joys — and pitfalls — of house remodelling in the new Channel 7 reality show. </p> <p>Speaking to 7NEWS, the star recalled the terrifying moment his home nearly fell in on itself when he was trying to build a garage. </p> <p>“On my first renovation, I decided I needed a garage underneath my house,” he said, adding that he had council approval for the renovation. </p> <p>“With a couple of tradies, we went about digging out the garage underneath the house, in the sand.</p> <p>“We just kept on digging, digging, digging, until a rather large sound indicated the house was about to fall into the hole!</p> <p>“So that’s about as dramatic as it as it gets.</p> <p>“To have your house sort of falling in on itself, that was a pretty big learning curve.”</p> <p>He said that the problem was solved "very quickly" with a lot of underpinning and structural support. </p> <p>“A lot of those steel support posts that you can sort of wind up and down, they went in, and thankfully the house didn’t fold in half,” he said, laughing at the situation. </p> <p>He added that unexpected situations like this are what make renovation shows so appealing as "there’s so much natural drama, you don’t have to fake anything." </p> <p>“Choices have to be made, and it’s either the right way or the wrong way, and you only really discover that as you go along," he added. </p> <p>“Sometimes it’s too late to turn back once you realise you’ve made a terrible mistake.”</p> <p>Chris added that his role on the show is almost as a"coach" to the pairs, supporting them through the renovation challenges, and helping them get to the finish line. </p> <p>“What these couples are going through, and just how much they put on the line to get these renovations done, is quite inspiring and quite uplifting and but also thoroughly entertaining,” he said. </p> <p><em>Image: Seven</em></p>

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Yoko Ono selling John Lennon's New York home for first time in 50 years

<p>For the first time in 50 years, the house where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived in New York City has hit the market.</p> <p>The brick, bluestone and terra cotta structure at 496 Broome St. was the first home the pair bought together in New York City before they moved to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. </p> <p>Yoko Ono has held onto the property since she first bought it with the late Beatles member, and has now listed it with her son with JLL Real Estate, for an asking price of $US5.5 million ($8.23m AUD).</p> <p>“The building on Broome St. was sort of like a base for their artistic ventures,” Philip Norman, author of “John Lennon: The Life,” told the <em><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/05/21/real-estate/yoko-ono-lists-former-nyc-home-for-5-5m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a></em>. “Bank Street was their salon, where people could just walk in.”</p> <p>First built in 1885, the two-storey building has an open-plan format, with a gallery-like ground floor space with 14.4-foot-high ceilings, an open kitchen and a lofted bedroom.</p> <p>On the second floor, there’s a live-work space and a recording studio.</p> <p>“496 Broome St. is both a unique piece of New York history and popular culture and a prime investment opportunity for the right buyer,” said Paul Smadbeck, who holds the listing.</p> <p>“Versatile zoning and its location in one of the city’s most desirable and trendsetting neighbourhoods offers an exciting opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind property.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Mediapunch / JLL Real Estate </em></p>

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Airbnb launches real-life "Up" house - and it actually floats!

<p>Airbnb is taking its latest listing to the sky - literally. </p> <p>The accommodation provider has announced a partnership that will see the iconic house from Pixar's hit film <em>Up</em> being lifted into the air, balloons and all. </p> <p>In their ongoing quest to redefine hospitality, Airbnb has launched a permanent category called “Icons,” which features partnerships with brands and celebrities that promise unforgettable experiences.</p> <p>Suspended over the New Mexico desert with the aid of a crane, the property looks like an exact replica of the home and contains adorable easter eggs from the film - including the Adventure Book. </p> <p>“Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination — until now,”  Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said in a statement.</p> <p>“As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world … we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth." </p> <p>The house offers a stunning view of the desert, which you can enjoy while sitting on replica's of Ellie and Carl's chairs or have breakfast with a view in the kitchen. </p> <p>Alternatively, you could look at the stars while sitting on the front porch - but don't look down because the adventure is out there. </p> <p>Of course there are questions about the logistics of the stay, including plumbing and electricity, but the accommodation giant has assured that the house is “fully functional,” connected to generators and utilities that will be seamlessly managed before and after its flight.</p> <p>Other fantastical listings include a replica of the mansion from the “X-Men ’97” cartoon, a stay at the Ferrari Museum in Italy, and Prince's house that was featured in the legendary film <em>Purple Rain</em>. </p> <p>Check out the <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/1126185893236246260?_set_bev_on_new_domain=1715826165_M2NkZDdkODdhMjcy&amp;source_impression_id=p3_1715826166_A20M4770EGAtl8AV&amp;modal=PHOTO_TOUR_SCROLLABLE" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Up</em></a> listing here, be warned the sweet listing may make you shed a tear or two. </p> <p><em>Images: Airbnb</em></p> <p> </p>

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