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Christina Applegate details bout of Covid and Sapovirus amid MS battle

Christina Applegate has detailed her latest health battle amid her multiple sclerosis (MS). Speaking on her MesSy podcast with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the actress revealed her rough experience after contracting Covid for the first time, which then turned into long Covid, and to make matters worse, she then contracted Sapovirus from contaminated food. Sapoviruses can cause acute gastroenteritis, and the actress candidly shared that she had been wearing diapers in recent weeks because of how often she has had to go to the bathroom. "I finally got the Covies.. someone real close to me dropped the ball and came home with the stuff and it spread all over the house," she began. "I had one day when I had a headache and chills and I thought I was making it through this." "It turned into long covid and it turned into a chest infection and then my heart was doing weird stuff, where it just speeds up... so I was like mother f--ker!" She then continued, saying that after contracting the virus she was "p---ing out of her a** for a few days". "I was so dizzy. I was so sick. I couldn't eat... Someone else's poop went into my mouth and I ate it." The actress recently revealed that she has 30 lesions on her brain from her MS, a condition where the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks and damages the fatty material around the nerves, which can cause a range of symptoms. It is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease affecting young adults, according to MS Australia. Image: Getty

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Christina Applegate's devastating health update

Christina Applegate has shared a heart-wrenching health update, sharing that she is currently unable to walk or use her shower. The actress, who has been battling multiple sclerosis (MS) since 2021, spoke candidly on her MeSsy podcast that she is going through a difficult relapse of her chronic illness, which is getting in the way of being able to complete basic tasks. “I’m gonna be honest with you, I need to buy stock in Cottonelle because I haven’t taken a shower in three weeks,” Applegate told podcast co-host Jamie Lynn-Sigler, who also suffers from MS. She continued, “Because I can’t stand in my shower. There’s no f****** way I can use my shower.” “I have such a small bench and my a** is so huge these days that I can’t sit on it, it’s like I slip right off of it,” she added. “So, I’ve been Cottonelle-ing my body.” At the beginning of the episode, Applegate detailed the severity of her symptoms and how they were impacting different areas of her body. "Intense pain in my legs, not being able to walk to the bathroom without feeling like I'm going to fall, insane tingling, spurts of tingles," she said of the pain she's currently experiencing. "I haven't slept for 24 hours because my eye is doing something weird, where every time I close my eye to go to sleep, my right eye starts to shift like this." Applegate noted how unusual the symptoms in her legs were, saying, "My legs have never been this bad... so I don't know what's going on, like, no energy." "[My] Legs are just done. I can't get circulation, I can't get them to stop hurting." Christina first revealed her diagnosis in August 2021, sharing the news on Twitter and thanking everyone for their support. “Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it,” her tweet reads. According to MS Australia, MS is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease in young adults with diagnosis occurring between the ages of 20 to 40. Image credits: Getty Images

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Christina Applegate's Emmy’s appearance moves audience to tears

Christina Applegate has moved audiences to tears after making a courageous appearance at the Emmy Awards. Applegate announced at the beginning of 2023 that she would be taking a step back from acting after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), with the disease making a drastic impact on her life. Now, the 52-year-old took to the stage, supported by a cane, at the Peacock Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night, with the crowd rising to their feet in a round of applause. Applegate immediately began to tear up as she leaned on host Anthony Anderson for support, telling the audience, “I’m gonna cry more than I’ve been crying.” <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jOJNgHgKnFs?si=Y8K-e2H8gFq1Pr0u" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Keeping her sense of humour, she said to the sea of celebrity faces, “Thank you so much! Oh my God! You’re totally shaming me (and my) disability by standing up.” Applegate presented the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, with the award going to Ayo Edebiri for her role in The Bear. The heartfelt moment of the standing ovation was shared on X, with fans saying, “She deserves that ovation and more.” The iconic actress has been candid about her battle with MS since she was first diagnosed in 2021, keeping her fans updated as her illness progressed. In 2023, Applegate told Vanity Fair that her work on the hit Netflix TV show Dead To Me would be her last as an actor, saying “I can’t even imagine going to set right now.” “I’m probably not going to work on-camera again,” Applegate said at the time, adding that while she loved her cast and crew, working had been a “struggle.” Image credits: Getty Images

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“I don’t have that in me at this moment”: Christina Applegate's sad announcement

Christina Applegate continues to hint that she may be retiring from acting. The star has given a heartbreaking career update, following her announcement in August that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In a recent interview, the actress opened up about the difficulty of filming the final season with her condition, and how reluctant she is to return to another set. “Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5am and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set,” Applegate told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-14/christina-applegate-walk-of-fame-ceremony-ms-diagnosis">Los Angeles Times</a>. “I don’t have that in me at this moment.” Applegate has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award for her role as Jen Harding, and she revealed, “It’s my last awards show as an actor probably, so it’s kind of a big deal.” In August 2021, Applegate announced her diagnosis and took some time off work for her treatment and to “grieve”. “Shooting the show was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life because I was diagnosed during shooting, and I didn’t know it was happening to me,” she told The Kelly Clarkson Show in December 2022. She told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-14/christina-applegate-walk-of-fame-ceremony-ms-diagnosis">Los Angeles Times</a> that watching the final season of Dead to Me was not enjoyable for her to watch. “I don’t like seeing myself struggling. I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn’t look like myself, and I didn’t feel like myself,” she said. Earlier this year, Applegate slammed down an internet troll after she was accused of getting “bad” plastic surgery. “MS didn’t make you look that way,” the person wrote. Applegate took to twitter, positing a screenshot of the troll’s message, adding “What is wrong with people. By the way, I laughed,” “When people see me now as a disabled person, I want them to feel comfortable. That we can laugh about it,” Applegate explained on the The Kelly Clarkson Show. Applegate was also recently given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and during her acceptance speech she was seen with a manicure that read “FU MS.” She said she’s doing “her best” to get through it. Image credit: Getty

“There is no better”: Christina Applegate’s health struggle

Christina Applegate has spoken candidly about the effects multiple sclerosis (MS) has had on her body. The actress was spotted filming her latest series Dead To Me and is noticeably in pain as she struggles to push through the chronic auto-immune disease. In an interview with the New York Times, Christina explained that she has to walk with a cane and occasionally requires help from crew members to hold her legs up. “This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am. I put on 40 pounds (18kg); I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that,” she said. Despite all this, Christina is determined to finish filming the popular Netflix series because “I had an obligation”. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together [with previously recorded footage].’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms,’” she said. It was only after they continued filming that Christina realised the weight of her decision and that there was “no better”. Christina first revealed her diagnosis in August 2021, sharing the news on Twitter and thanking everyone for their support. “Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it,” her tweet reads. According to MS Australia, MS is the most common acquired chronic neurological disease in young adults with diagnosis occurring between the ages of 20 to 40. MS affects three times more women than men in Australia. Images: TheImageDirect.com

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Multiple people found dead or injured over worrying TikTok trend

A couple from Wisconsin USA have been electrocuted after attempting a popular but dangerous wood-burning technique. The “fractal burning” technique creates lightning-like etchings by using jumper cables and disassembled microwave oven parts to run high-voltage electricity through a piece of wood soaked in a chemical solution. Some may think this sounds like a lot of effort for a DIY project however, the technique is gaining popularity through viral videos on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, but woodworking experts have warned that it is extremely dangerous and can be deadly. Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were found dead in a house fire on April the 6th. Their bodies were discovered in the garage of their home in Marathon County, Wisconsin. The couple had died before the fire started, and the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office initially described the cause of their deaths and the fire as “suspicious”. The mysterious circumstances prompted weeks of arson and homicide investigation and the sheriff’s office, fire marshals and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory found that Rodriguez and Carolfi died by accidental electrocution when they attempted the dangerous wood-burning technique. The couple used a disassembled microwave oven for a power supply. Authorities believe the equipment that caused the electrocutions also caused the fire, which started in the garage before it spread. Some fractal burning art is crafted by professionals with experience as electricians and access to proper equipment. But many attempting the popular project take apart microwaves or car batteries to use as power sources. Even with professional equipment there is still a risk. At least 33 people have died from fractal burning attempts since 2016 and while the patterns created by fractal burning are “very pretty, quite frankly, the dangers of the craft cannot be ignored.” Image: Getty

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New Bob Hawke book drops multiple bombshells

Bob Hawke's widow has <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/sex-addict-bob-hawke-had-multiple-affairs-in-lodge/news-story/5ef8467f5fea97b75e66f9d30fc5b471" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> he was a sex addict who used a taxpayer-funded security team to see women in a new bombshell biography about the former PM. The autobiography, Demons and Destiny, is written by Troy Bramston and contains revelations about the former Prime Minister from his second wife, Blanche d’Alpuget, among many others. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> It’s thrilling to tear open a box and hold your book for the first time! Very proud of my biography of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BobHawke?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BobHawke</a>, packed with new interviews/archival discoveries, can’t wait for people to read it. In bookshops 1 March. Pre-order <a href="https://twitter.com/PenguinBooksAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PenguinBooksAus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/ai0oQUkgBf">https://t.co/ai0oQUkgBf</a> <a href="https://t.co/xELhOiqlqz">pic.twitter.com/xELhOiqlqz</a> — Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyBramston/status/1490203872077492225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2022</a></blockquote> Ms d’Alpuget has revealed that her late husband had at least four lovers during his stint as Prime Minister, and that he used extramarital sex as a form of stress relief while he was still married to his first wife, Hazel Hawke. “Sex will calm people down, and he was a very highly strung man,” she said. “At the end of a day of intense activity, he somehow had to let off steam, as it were, and there’s nothing like a roll in the hay or five to do that.” When asked if she believed her late husband was a sex addict, Ms d’Alpuget replied, “I think so.” The new biography contains several other surprising revelations, including that Mr Hawke’s longest-running affair was with Jean Sinclair, his personal assistant at the Australian Council of Trade Unions, who was also married. Their affair continued during his time in parliament, as she went on to join his parliamentary and prime ministerial staff. The biography also reveals that Mr Hawke visited Ms Sinclair several times as she battled cancer in a Melbourne hospital in 1991, and that he was too distressed to speak at her funeral. Ms d’Alpuget, whose affair with Mr Hawke was on-and-off from 1976, said he was even unfaithful to her during their marriage. “Getting in to see him at The Lodge was (often) the only palace that we could meet,” she said. She also recalled a particular rendezvous where she wore a red wig and stetson hat to meet Mr Hawke, and that they “rushed into each other’s arms, laughing” upon seeing each other. Roger Martindale, the former head of Mr Hawke’s VIP protection service, revealed that the Australian Federal Police sometimes drove him to see his paramours so he wouldn’t gain extra attention from driving his Commonwealth car with its Australian flag. “We were all adults,” Mr Martindale explained. “He never asked anything of us. He just expected discretion from everybody.” Wendy McCarthy, a friend of Hazel, said she was less concerned with her husband’s affairs and more with his drinking. “The alcohol mattered more than the affairs,” Ms McCarthy said. “She would not have been happy about it but there was nothing she could do about it. She was resigned to it.” The autobiography claims Mr Hawke nearly drank himself to death during the 1970s, despite claiming he gave up drinking when he became Prime Minister. Demons and Destiny will be published in March, 2022. Image: Getty Images

Books

Multiple bombshells dropped in Ben Roberts-Smith case

Multiple bombshells have been <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ben-roberts-smith-trial-hears-of-affair-sas-member-meeting-with-journalists/65690ba6-80c6-4052-ac14-a77b22086ca1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> in Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation trial, with a slew of documents released, a soldier considering no longer giving evidence, and a serving SAS member admitting he met with two Nine Newspaper journalists also involved in the trial.New documents have been released by the court which give an insight into Mr Roberts-Smith’s relationships with his former wife, Emma Roberts, and a woman who has accused him of domestic violence.The documents contain marriage counselling notes between Mr Roberts-Smith and Ms Roberts, medical records for the decorated soldier, and numerous text exchanges between him and a married woman known as Person 17.Person 17 claimed she was assaulted by Mr Roberts-Smith at Hotel Realm in Canberra in 2018.Mr Roberts-Smith has denied the claims, insisting she had fallen down stairs at an event they attended at Parliament House.Some of the texts showed the intensity of their feelings and relationship prior to the incident.“Your amazing (sic), you make me feel like I never have before,” Mr Roberts-Smith wrote to her.“I know. As hard as I find being away from you - it’s the lying and pretending that’s doing my head in,” Person 17 replied.The court heard that a month later, Person 17 hired a car and drove to Mr Roberts-Smith’s marital home to expose their relationship and confront his wife.“What have you done, this is outright blackmail,” Mr Roberts-Smith wrote to Person 17.“No. It most certainly is not blackmail. I’m not asking for or expecting anything from you,” she replied.“Please don’t waste your time with intimidation or payback either. The benefit of seeing what you were capable of a few weeks back & knowing the threats you’ve made to me since is that I immediately put in place ‘insurance’ in the event that anything should happen to me or my family.“I know you will blame me but I hope you’ll remember that we’re in this position because of what we’ve BOTH done.”<img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/text-exchange1.png" alt="" width="657" height="716" />A text exchange between Person 17 (red) and Mr Roberts-Smith (blue) after she arrived at his marital home and confronted his wife about their affair. Image: Federal CourtMr Roberts-Smith has denied ever threatening Person 17, telling the court she had lied on multiple occasions while his lawyers <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/court-releases-chat-logs-photos-of-ben-robertssmiths-alleged-affair/news-story/b339aa26dc7035ac7cc42c2c5ad54c4b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describe</a> her as “fabulist”.The court also heard a confession from a serving SAS member, who was forced to admit he met with two Nine Newspaper journalists who are also being sued by Mr Roberts-Smith.The SAS member claimed one of those catchups was a complete blur, denying that he shared information about Mr Roberts-Smith.With a former soldier also considering pulling the pin on giving evidence, the high-stakes trial is set to continue over the coming days.Image: 9NEWS

Legal

One death and multiple injuries after freak Sydney mini tornado

A woman has died and many others have been left injured after a brief freak storm ripped through Sydney's Northern Beaches on Sunday afternoon. Police have confirmed that a woman in her 70s lost her life due to a fallen tree, while another woman in her late 70s and a woman in her teens have been critically injured from debris. “Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command along with NSW Ambulance paramedics, Fire & Rescue NSW, and the Westpac helicopter responded to a carpark on Ocean Street, Narrabeen, after reports a tree and powerlines had come down,” police said in a statement. “One person was declared deceased, while two others were critically injured and transported to Royal North Shore Hospital." “The area is still considered hazardous, and members of the public are advised to avoid the area." Fire and Rescue NSW said fallen trees have taken out powerlines across suburbs from Forestville to Mona Vale, leaving more than 25,000 people without electricity. In Dee Why, an air-conditioning unit was ripped out of a building and sent flying through the streets below. Meanwhile, metal sheeting was pulled off an apartment building roof and smashed into parked cars. Mackellar MP Jason Falinski described the damage from the storm as a “mini tornado”, as he shared pictures of the chaos on Twitter. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> There appears to have been a mini tornado, centred on the Northern Beaches. We are waiting to find out more but there seems to be some very serious injuries and damage. ⛈ <a href="https://t.co/MHkdlYUEyT">pic.twitter.com/MHkdlYUEyT</a> — Jason Falinski MP - For The Beaches (@JasonFalinskiMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonFalinskiMP/status/1472446572315045889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2021</a></blockquote> He said, “Emergency services and Ausgrid are rapidly responding across the LGA, with widespread power outages from Curl Curl to Palm Beach." “Our hearts go out to those negatively impacted, and we will do everything we can to ensure the recovery is swift and full.” Throughout the storm, over 400 calls were made to the SES for help, with that number expected to rise as the massive clean-up effort begins. Image credits: Twitter @JasonFalinksiMP

News

Outrage after nurse punched multiple times in the face

Police are currently searching for a man in Canada they say punched a nurse in the face multiple times, knocking her to the ground after administering a COVID-19 vaccine to his wife without his permission. On Monday, around 9:15am, a man walked into a Brunet Pharmacy in Sherbrooke, a city in southern Qubec, accusing a nurse in her 40s of vaccinating his wife, police said. Right at the beginning, the suspect was very angry, very aggressive, he asked the nurse why she vaccinated his wife without approval, without his consent,” Carrier said. “He punched her right in the face multiple times so the nurse didn’t have the time to defend or explain herself….she fell to the ground and the suspect left running out of the drugstore.” No laws in Canada state that the individuals need their spouses’ permission to get vaccinated, and it is unclear if his wife had given consent. The nurse was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance where she was treated for “multiple injuries to the face” he said. As a result of the incident, the pharmacy suspended vaccinations. Brunet Pharmacy’s parent company, The Jean Coutu Group Inc., declined to comment by told CNN they “fully condemn this act which is unacceptable towards the pharmacy teams who have been providing essential services since the beginning of the pandemic. Canada has a vaccination rate of 69.8 per cent of its population, surpassing the US by 15.6%, according to data from Our World in Data. Although, most Canadians have welcomed public health measures and the country has one of the highest vaccination rates worldwide, case counts and hospitalisations are on the rise, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, especially among younger, unvaccinated Canadians. Police do not have the name or photo of the suspect or security footage of the incident, Carrier said.

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Christina Applegate shares multiple sclerosis diagnosis

American actor Christina Applegate has shared her multiple sclerosis diagnosis with her Twitter following of 1.4 million people. The 49-year-old said the last few months since her shock diagnosis have been a “strange journey”. "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it”, she said. She went on to state that she is being supported by those close to her, and other people she knows with the same condition. "As one of my friends that has MS said, 'We wake up and take the indicated action'. And that's what I do,” she said. She concluded her online statement by asking for peace and patience, as she navigates her new normal and gets her health under control. "So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you." Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system and consequently most functions of the mind and body, and there is no known cure. Applegate’s MS diagnosis comes after she had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and had a double mastectomy. She has been cancer-free ever since. Image credit: Getty Images

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RECALL on multiple IKEA items sold across the country

Several Ikea products have been taken off the shelves due to concerns they could cause serious injuries during use. The recall was issued for Ikea’s Heroisk and Talrika plastic plates, bowls, and mugs, amid fears the products could break when filled with hot liquids and increased risks of burns, scalding, or serious injuries. The Heroisk bowls, plates, and mugs were sold in two-packs while the Talrika range was sold in sets of four. The Talrika plates that have been recalled include the light green, red, and dark blue versions, and the light red mug is also included. <img style="width: 500px; height:214.6153846153846px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842247/ikea-plates.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/93c0d45eaaf74a14aa76dd14de60ce38" /> In the Heroisk range, the green and yellow bowls, the light red and yellow mugs, and the red, green, and blue plates have also been recalled. “Ikea received reports these products could break and potentially cause burns due to hot content,” the retail giant said. Customers have been urged to return the products to Ikea for a full refund or exchange, and a proof of receipt is not required. The products were sold across the country between August 2019 and May 2021. Full details and product IDs are available <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/ikea-pty-limited-heroisk-and-talrika-plates-bowls-and-mugs" target="_blank">here</a>. Images: Ikea Australia / Instagram, news.com.au

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COVID vaccine suspended in multiple countries after blood clots

Denmark, Iceland and Norway have all suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after reports that it may be linked to blood clots in patients. The European Union's medicines regulator is currently investigating the claims, but until then Denmark says they will have a two-week suspension while Iceland and Norway remain yet to clarify how long they will hold off on administering the vaccine. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has insisted the vaccine is safe for use in Australia and that they will continue to use it unless new evidence suggests it is not safe. "We have the best doctors in the world. They have gone through all the tests and trials. We've not rushed it. We will look at all the evidence," Mr Dutton told Today. "If there's a problem the government responds very quickly. At the moment the advice very clearly from the doctors is that this is a safe vaccine and we want the rollout to continue. Cool heads need to prevail." Infectious disease physician Professor Peter Collignon told Today that Australia has been given no reason to pause its rollout. "You have to remember about 200 people for every 100,000 have clots or going through their lungs or legs every year. Yes we need to look at this but so far the evidence isn't overwhelming that it's related to the AstraZeneca vaccine. "Think of the millions of doses that have gone out in Britain without this being recognised as a major issue." <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840262/daily-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e3f4bada358c4da7b403684256653807" /> Denmark’s Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in an announcement that the pause was simply a “precautionary measure," and that it was not possible yet to draw conclusions. "We act early, it needs to be thoroughly investigated," he said in a tweet. The Danish Health Authority also stressed that the decision was temporary. "We are in the middle of the largest and most important vaccination rollout in Danish history. And right now we need all the vaccines we can get. Therefore, putting one of the vaccines on pause is not an easy decision. “But precisely because we vaccinate so many, we also need to respond with timely care when there is knowledge of possible serious side effects. We need to clarify this before we can continue to use the vaccine from AstraZeneca," Søren Brostrøm, director of the National Board of Health, said in the statement. "It is important to emphasise that we have not opted out of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but that we are putting it on hold. There is good evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective. “But both we and the Danish Medicines Agency have to react to reports of possible serious side effects, both from Denmark and other European countries. It shows that the monitoring system works. " Speaking to CNN, Kjartan Njálsson, assistant to the director of health in Iceland, said that they are waiting on the advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) despite having no reports of patients developing blood clots in the country. "It's the lack of data right now that concerns us," he added. The EMA said later on Thursday (local time) that it did not recommend suspending use of the vaccine. The agency said there was "currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine." "The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing," the agency added. The EMA said on Wednesday there was "no indication" that COVID vaccinations had been behind the cases of clotting or death. In a statement on Thursday, AstraZeneca said that patient safety was its "highest priority." "Regulators have clear and stringent efficacy and safety standards for the approval of any new medicine, and that includes COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. “The safety of the vaccine has been extensively studied in Phase III clinical trials and peer-reviewed data confirms the vaccine is generally well tolerated," they said.

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City of Sydney declared COVID hotspot after multiple outbreaks

Sydney is now officially a coronavirus hotspot according to NSW Health. The Local Government Area encompassed by the City of Sydney stretches from Circular Quay to East Lakes. After a rise in COVID-19 cases, it was added to a list of hotspot LGAs by the health authority on Monday. The move may have been prompted due to multiple outbreaks in Potts Point. 37 cases have been linked to the Thai Rock Restaurant and at least 28 with the Apollo Restaurant, both in Potts Point. Sydney Girls High School in Surry Hills, near Moore Park, also had a student test positive over the weekend. On Monday, New South Wales confirmed seven new cases. The state is “on a knife-edge”, Berejiklian says, in the battle against community transmission. “That is a big concern because ... Melbourne didn’t get worse because of the number of cases they had,” she said on Monday. “They had undetected community transmission which then unknowingly got to a stage where it … formed a number of different clusters and we certainly don’t want that to happen here.”

News

Brisbane policeman slashed in the face, man shot multiple times

A man is in hospital after he was shot in the abdomen in result of allegedly stabbing a police officer in the face in Brisbane’s south on Wednesday night. Police say the Mount Gravett 25-year-old has undergone surgery after slashing a male senior constable across the face, This morning, police said the officer's injuries were non-life-threatening and he is recovering in hospital. Hillgrove Street, in Mount Gravatt, has been sectioned off from the public so a forensic team can examine the scene and gather evidence, which was haphazardly strewn over the road. Police said the male and female officers went to the home about 5:00 pm yesterday to deliver paperwork and was greeted by a man allegedly wielding a knife. They say that still standing outside, the male officer was allegedly slashed on the face, before his partner shot the suspect at least three times. A dozen police descended on the street moments later. Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming said he understood the man was shot at least three times. "It is very sad and unfortunate, two people have been wounded and in serious conditions," he said. "They [officers] did their best to retreat — we are lucky it was not worse than it is. "Two police from an inquiry office turning up at a house [to deliver documents] is an every-day event. "What followed is not an everyday event."

News

A long way to the top: Australian musicians balance multiple roles to make their careers work

Over the past three years, our <a href="https://makingmusicwork.com.au/">Making Music Work</a> project has mapped the creative, social, cultural, and economic realities of a music career in Australia. We surveyed nearly 600 musicians to understand their working lives, creative goals, career paths and economic circumstances. We also conducted interviews with 11 diverse musicians to explore their careers in more depth. Our study shows the vast majority of Australian musicians undertake a portfolio career which encompasses concurrent and often impermanent roles. This is not a new phenomenon but in recent decades there have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2019.1598348">major shifts</a> in how music is made, paid for and consumed. Now, the impact of COVID-19 on the funding and policy landscape has dramatically affected how musicians develop and sustain their careers – or not. Balancing acts Musicians told us they stay in the music industry because of their love and passion for music, which is central to their identity. Far from the “starving artist” myth, they combine music and non-music work in highly entrepreneurial ways. Surveyed before the current crisis, almost half (49%) the musicians in our study held two or more concurrent paid roles. We found 560 different job titles, the most common being instrumental musician (25%) and private music teacher (10%). Musicians worked in music-related jobs as disparate as composers, sound technicians and community arts workers, and non-music jobs including sales assistants, journalists and librarians. We spoke to musicians from 18 years old to 65 and above. Almost 70% had worked in music for more than 10 years, with nearly one in three of them practising as professional musicians for more than 20 years. This gives an indication of how committed Australian musicians are to the industry and sustaining their music careers and creative practice over time. Russell Morris on career longevity. While most musicians we studied are committed to the profession, 12% said that they were thinking about leaving. The most common reasons for leaving the music industry were financial stress, lack of income and caring responsibilities – all of which have since been exacerbated by the pandemic. A live industry Performance is the most common paid activity for musicians, with two-thirds of musicians deriving at least some of their income from performance fees. Live performances are also crucial for peer networking and career development. Peer networks are mostly built and maintained through events, and are key to musicians’ building and renewing skills, developing new creative collaborations and securing jobs. Given live music was <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-no-easy-path-out-of-coronavirus-for-live-classical-music-138207">immediately</a> impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions and will be slow to return, the capacity of musicians to maintain their careers has been severely limited. Rob Nassif on the importance of live performance. Federal, state and local governments have initiated a range of targeted grants and subsidies to help support the sector and its workforce. However, lobby groups and representative bodies have called for significantly more funding. On 10 June, music rights organisation APRA AMCOS published an <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AtT3Gdy8aHkhP_MZmDJcg3YW7sujyj5veF8qX8MYk2w/edit">open letter</a> with more than 1,000 industry signatories imploring the Australian government to consider <a href="https://liveperformance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LPA-MR-345-million-plan-to-restart-and-rebuild-live-performance-industry-4-June-2020-1.pdf">a suite of proposals</a>. In making their case, the signatories assert: [w]e contribute $16 billion to the economy and we are an asset that is a lynchpin for the tourism and hospitality sectors and a powerful driver of metropolitan and regional economies and export to the world. The employment puzzle Musicians are predominantly self-employed or are employed on temporary contracts, leaving them ineligible for the current JobKeeper scheme. Only half of musicians receive all of their income from music-related work, and the most common sources of music-related income are performance fees, music teaching and grants. The average income from all work was $41,257, with a median income of $30,576. While the Australian government has permitted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/23/early-release-super-coronavirus-when-access-superannuation-how-impact-your-money">early release</a> of superannuation in response to COVID-19, our study has shown that musicians have limited access to this and other employment-related benefits. Less than one-third of our survey participants reported employer-based superannuation contributions, and only 7% had access to a health plan or private health insurance scheme. In spite of the challenges, Australian musicians have shown tremendous creativity and resilience in adapting their work to online environments during the pandemic. Emily Smart on how the internet affords opportunities to collaborate. Musicians’ resilience is unsurprising given how creatively and financially nimble they have to be when negotiating music and non-music roles. To successfully engage across a variety of markets, genres and performance sites, musicians deploy diverse and agile skill sets. If they were to receive similar support as other sectors of the economy in this current crisis, they would be well placed to survive and thrive into the future. Throughout our research, Australian musicians generously shared their expertise. They recognise the crucial role of peer networks to develop creative practices, sustain livelihoods and nurture the sector. This creative generosity will be central to the industry’s recovery from COVID-19. Written by Brydie-Leigh Bartleet, Ben Green, Christina Ballico, Dawn Bennett and Ruth Bridgstock. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-long-way-to-the-top-australian-musicians-balance-multiple-roles-to-make-their-careers-work-140840">The Conversation.</a> Scott Harrison, Vanessa Tomlinson and Paul Draper also contributed to this research.

Art

Woman claiming to be infected spits on police officer multiple times

A woman has allegedly spat on a police officer while being arrested, after she claimed she could possibly have COVID-19. Just after 5 pm on Friday March 27, Traffic and Highway Patrol officers attempted to stop an Audi in Greenacre, NSW, which subsequently engaged them in a chase, exceeding speeds of 120km/h in a 50km/h zone. The 25-year-old female driver was arrested; however, she refused orders from the police when asked to step out of the vehicle. She then resisted arrest, and repeatedly spat and coughed on the officer. The officer then physically restrained her on the ground. Police revealed that the woman in question was not displaying any symptoms, but as a precaution the officer has undergone COVID-19 testing. She was granted bail by Parramatta Local Court on Saturday 28 March. Attorney General Mark Speakman has condemned the “despicable act” in a statement to 2GB's Ray Hadley on his national radio programme. “While a decision to appeal this bail decision is one for the NSW Police Force and the Officer of the Director of Public Prosecutions, I have ordered a transcript of the bail proceedings which I will review,” said Speakman. Hadley slammed the woman, and argued the decision to grant bail is inappropriate in such a disturbing case. “The only place for her based on her behaviour, until she appears before another court, is a small cell somewhere, hopefully with a spittle mask on so she can’t spit on anyone else!” Attorney General Mark Speakman’s full statement: “While I’m anxious not to pre-judge a particular case before the court, spitting at our hardworking and dedicated police and emergency services personnel at any time is a despicable act and a potentially very dangerous assault. “During the COVID-19 crisis, the risk and danger is particularly heightened. “While a decision to appeal this bail decision is one for the NSW Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, I have ordered a transcript of the bail proceedings which I will review. “Any further comment while this matter remains before the court would be inappropriate.”

Travel Trouble

"I had recovery": Selma Blair proudly reveals incredible new look after MS treatment

After going public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis last year, Selma Blair has been keeping her fans up to date with her health journey. Through her platform, the actress has spread awareness about MS – a degenerative disease which affects the central nervous system and interferes with the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves – and advocated for those living with the chronic illness. On Thursday, the 47-year-old shared that she shaved her head and is currently in the process of recovering from a medical treatment. “I am being discharged from the care of an incredible team of nurses and techs and a visionary doctor who believes in my healing as much as I do,” she wrote on an Instagram post. <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WCYC6HOyp/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WCYC6HOyp/" target="_blank">Today is a banner day. I am being discharged from the care of an incredible team of nurses and techs and a visionary Dr. who believes in my healing as much as I do. This has been a process. And will continue to be one. I am immunocompromised for next three months at least. So no kisses please. I wanted to make sure any complications that might arise here were my private space. And we got through brilliantly. I thank you all for your love and support and that extra dose of great with a @people cover. I see things so much more clearly now. And I am excited to share this journey when I am ready. For now, I have recovery. And a great @the_alinker_world so I gotta split. Bye!!!!!! This is the best gift I could give to Arthur. #newimmunesystem #whodis? 🎂</a> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/selmablair/" target="_blank"> Selma Blair</a> (@selmablair) on Jul 25, 2019 at 8:12am PDT </div> </blockquote> Blair also wrote that she is immunocompromised for the next three months. “I am excited to share this journey when I am ready. For now, I have recovery.” In an interview with<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/selma-blair-opens-tears-relief-ms-diagnosis-61310469" target="_blank"> Good Morning America</a> which aired in February, the Cruel Intentions star said she felt “relieved” upon receiving the diagnosis in August after her symptoms were “not taken seriously by doctors”. She said, “I had tears. They weren’t tears of panic. They were tears of knowing I now had to give in to a body that had loss of control, and there was some relief in that.” <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKjP_7FnWQ/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKjP_7FnWQ/" target="_blank">I was in this wardrobe fitting two days ago. And I am in the deepest gratitude. So profound, it is, I have decided to share. The brilliant costumer #Allisaswanson not only designs the pieces #harperglass will wear on this new #Netflix show , but she carefully gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my coats and offers her shoulder to steady myself. I have #multiplesclerosis . I am in an exacerbation. By the grace of the lord, and will power and the understanding producers at Netflix , I have a job. A wonderful job. I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it . And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best. Since my diagnosis at ten thirty pm on The night of August 16, I have had love and support from my friends , especially @jaime_king @sarahmgellar @realfreddieprinze @tarasubkoff . My producers #noreenhalpern who assured me that everyone has something. #chrisregina #aaronmartin and every crew member... thank you. I am in the thick of it but I hope to give some hope to others. And even to myself. You can’t get help unless you ask. It can be overwhelming in the beginning. You want to sleep. You always want to sleep. So I don’t have answers. You see, I want to sleep. But I am a forthcoming person and I want my life to be full somehow. I want to play with my son again. I want to walk down the street and ride my horse. I have MS and I am ok. But if you see me , dropping crap all over the street, feel free to help me pick it up. It takes a whole day for me alone. Thank you and may we all know good days amongst the challenges. And the biggest thanks to @elizberkley who forced me to see her brother #drjasonberkley who gave me this diagnosis after finding lesions on that mri. I have had symptoms for years but was never taken seriously until I fell down in front of him trying to sort out what I thought was a pinched nerve. I have probably had this incurable disease for 15 years at least. And I am relieved to at least know. And share. 🖤 my instagram family... you know who you are.</a> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/selmablair/" target="_blank"> Selma Blair</a> (@selmablair) on Oct 20, 2018 at 11:23am PDT </div> </blockquote> She revealed her diagnosis in an Instagram post in October. “I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy,” she wrote. “But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.”

Movies

My Kitchen Rules star reveals her devastating health battle

Roula and Rachael were billed as My Kitchen Rules’ “friends with attitude”, and so far, they’ve lived up to that description. But while she’s feisty and opinionated at the dinner table, off-camera, Roula is battling a devastating disease that’s affected her for 11 years. Talking to <a href="https://www.newidea.com.au/mkr-roula-multiple-sclerosis" target="_blank">New Idea</a>, the 34-year-old revealed she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when she was just 23. The disease, which attacks the body’s central nervous system, has taken a huge toll on Roula, leaving her with kidney failure, blindness in one eye, hair loss, depression and anxiety. She currently has over 90 lesions on her brain, causing episodes of complete loss of feeling in her arm and one side of her face. She was also forced to learn how to walk again after losing the use of her right leg twice. So far, she’s battled through during her run on MKR, but Roula says it almost ended after a terrifying incident following the first Instant restaurant. She required urgent medical attention after suffering a serious bout of hypothermia and a flare up of her hiatal hernia. “I didn’t want to talk about it on the show. I didn’t go on the show to talk about MS... but it did affect me on the show,” she told New Idea. “I got sick a few times, I had a doctor come visit me at the hotel. With MS you get very fatigued and I got hypothermia after the very first instant restaurant. My hiatal hernia was also the reason I couldn’t eat fried food in episode one – which I could never explain to the table. It was full-on.” Roula, who is currently competing in the Channel Seven show with her best friend Rachael, said she doesn’t want MS to define her. “I went on MKR to prove to myself that I can be me – I can be fun, I can be loud, I can be Roula. My parents were very worried about me, worried about my health – but I told them, ‘No, I want to do this... I want to go be me for a little bit.’ “But all these people judging me by what they see on TV, they don’t really know what I’m going through deep down. I might be on a reality TV show at the moment – but dealing with my MS is my real-life reality.” Image credit: Channel 7.

Body

William Tyrrell’s biological mother charged with multiple offences

Yesterday, the biological mother of missing boy William Tyrrell appeared in court after she was charged with multiple offences including spitting on a police officer. On December 22 last year, Kylie Tyrrell was arrested in a Ryde shopping centre after security asked for police assistance with a woman who was “acting aggressively towards customers”. A NSW Police spokesperson told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/william-tyrrells-mother-charged-for-spitting-on-police-officer/news-story/cadf3f99e00570b0539f9648d2d8629f" target="_blank">news.com.au</a> that the 29-year-old “allegedly repeatedly swore at the officers in the presence of two children” when the police arrived on the scene. “Police attempted to speak with the woman when she allegedly spat on the face of one of the officers,” a statement issued to news.com.au by NSW Police read. She was then taken to Ryde Police station where she was issued with a court attendance notice for assaulting an officer and using offensive language in a public setting. <img width="499" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7267234/2_499x280.jpg" alt="2 (53)"/> Yesterday, at Burwood Local Court Ms Tyrrell pleaded guilty to the charges and she will receive her sentence on Monday. These charges follow reports that William’s birth father, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2018/01/william-tyrrells-biological-father-is-wanted-for-arrest/" target="_blank">Brendan Collins</a>, is awaiting sentencing on minor charges. Their son William, who disappeared on September 12, 2014, remains at the centre of one of Australia’s most perplexing missing child cases. The identities of William’s birth parents were kept secret until legal bans were lifted late last year. Child Protection laws previously prevented revealing that William had been fostered out at the time of his disappearance.

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Christina Applegate details bout of Covid and Sapovirus amid MS battle

Christina Applegate's devastating health update

Christina Applegate's Emmy’s appearance moves audience to tears

“I don’t have that in me at this moment”: Christina Applegate's sad announcement

“There is no better”: Christina Applegate’s health struggle

Multiple people found dead or injured over worrying TikTok trend

New Bob Hawke book drops multiple bombshells

Multiple bombshells dropped in Ben Roberts-Smith case

One death and multiple injuries after freak Sydney mini tornado

Outrage after nurse punched multiple times in the face

Christina Applegate shares multiple sclerosis diagnosis

RECALL on multiple IKEA items sold across the country

COVID vaccine suspended in multiple countries after blood clots

City of Sydney declared COVID hotspot after multiple outbreaks

Brisbane policeman slashed in the face, man shot multiple times

A long way to the top: Australian musicians balance multiple roles to make their careers work

Woman claiming to be infected spits on police officer multiple times

"I had recovery": Selma Blair proudly reveals incredible new look after MS treatment

My Kitchen Rules star reveals her devastating health battle

William Tyrrell’s biological mother charged with multiple offences

Our Partners

News

Shop

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Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

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Compare

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Information

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Christina Applegate details bout of Covid and Sapovirus amid MS battle

Christina Applegate's devastating health update

Christina Applegate's Emmy’s appearance moves audience to tears

“I don’t have that in me at this moment”: Christina Applegate's sad announcement

“There is no better”: Christina Applegate’s health struggle

Multiple people found dead or injured over worrying TikTok trend﻿﻿

New Bob Hawke book drops multiple bombshells

Multiple bombshells dropped in Ben Roberts-Smith case

One death and multiple injuries after freak Sydney mini tornado

Outrage after nurse punched multiple times in the face

Christina Applegate shares multiple sclerosis diagnosis

RECALL on multiple IKEA items sold across the country

COVID vaccine suspended in multiple countries after blood clots

City of Sydney declared COVID hotspot after multiple outbreaks

Brisbane policeman slashed in the face, man shot multiple times

A long way to the top: Australian musicians balance multiple roles to make their careers work

Woman claiming to be infected spits on police officer multiple times

"I had recovery": Selma Blair proudly reveals incredible new look after MS treatment

My Kitchen Rules star reveals her devastating health battle

William Tyrrell’s biological mother charged with multiple offences

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Multiple people found dead or injured over worrying TikTok trend