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US buys up global stock of key COVID-19 drug

The US government has bought up almost the entire global supply of the antiviral medication remdesivir until October, prompting concerns that other countries will miss out on accessing one of the two drugs proven to work against COVID-19. Remdesivir, developed and patented by Gilead Sciences, has been shown to help COVID-19 patients recover faster. It is the only drug licensed by the US and the European Union as a treatment for those with severe coronavirus illnesses, but studies are yet to find conclusive evidence that it improves survival rates. The US health department announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump had agreed to purchase 500,000 doses of the drug for American hospitals, representing 100 per cent of Gilead’s July production capacity and 90 per cent of its capacity in August and September. The cost is about US$3,200 for a six-day treatment. The estimated production cost of remdesivir is US$6 for the same course, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/01/gilead-donates-covid-19-drug-remdesivir-to-australias-medical-stockpile-after-us-buys-up-supply">The Guardian</a> reported. Health experts said the US move to ‘hoard’ the drug stock undermines international cooperation against the new coronavirus, given that other countries have also taken part in trials of remdesivir for the Ebola pandemic. “The trial that gave the result that allowed remdesivir to sell their drug wasn’t just done in the US. There were patients participating through other European countries, in the UK as well, and internationally, Mexico and other places,” epidemiologist Peter Horby told <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000kfpw">BBC Radio 4</a>. Horby said the buyout pointed out the need for “a much stronger framework” to ensure fair prices and access to key medicines for people around the world. Ohid Yaqub, senior science policy lecturer at the University of Sussex, said the US arrangement “so clearly signals an unwillingness to cooperate with other countries and the chilling effect this has on international agreements about intellectual property rights”. Sydney University’s Associate Professor Alice Motion said measures should be taken to ensure that the same situation does not happen to vaccines. “A vaccine should be available to people all over the world rather than one country, or a group of countries having preferred access to a medicine,” she told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/01/gilead-donates-covid-19-drug-remdesivir-to-australias-medical-stockpile-after-us-buys-up-supply">The Guardian</a>. “Remdesivir is a medicine that helps people to recover faster, but imagine if the same thing happened with a vaccine that emerges. That would be terrible.”

News

This will blow your mind: You've been unwrapping stock cubes wrong

It's one of the easiest ways to add flavour to your dishes – and it's about to get even easier. A handy hack on how to open stock cubes is causing a stir online, as it seems many of us have been doing it all wrong. Forget crumbling up the cube after opening the silver foil packaging – it seems that the packaging was actually designed to be flattened. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AKI40q38LUw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Simply open up the flaps on the side, flatten them out and then crumble the cube inside the package, turning it into a powder that's a heck of a lot easier to add to your dish. The tip first made the rounds online in 2016, but it seems a whole new group of stock cube fans have recently stumbled across it, and they've had plenty to say about it on social media. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> OMG in all my cooking years I’ve only just discovered how to open an oxo cube! Anyone else know that it squashed into a sachet which you tear open?? Doh! <a href="https://t.co/2opyqBb9rg">pic.twitter.com/2opyqBb9rg</a> — w7emporium (@w7emporium) <a href="https://twitter.com/w7emporium/status/1041967627525140481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 September 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> I’m 54 yrs on this planet and never knew until today that you should squish an Oxo cube into a sachet type shape and simply tear off a corner and pour away - no bits of foil and no messy fingers. One gets wise with age one does. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oxosecrets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oxosecrets</a> <a href="https://t.co/YynlQ7KLYy">pic.twitter.com/YynlQ7KLYy</a> — Ex Fed Paul Herdman (@DyfedPowysFed) <a href="https://twitter.com/DyfedPowysFed/status/1037455045934149632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">5 September 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> I have spent years unwrapping Oxo cubes gettin beefy fingers and it’s been a goddamn packet all along. Mind.blown. 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/ehkBoqR6GQ">pic.twitter.com/ehkBoqR6GQ</a> — 💃🏼Glen Scott💃🏼 (@glenrules) <a href="https://twitter.com/glenrules/status/1042390871159844865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">19 September 2018</a></blockquote> Will you be trying this genius hack? Let us know in the comments below. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/107230047/have-you-been-opening-oxo-cubes-the-wrong-way" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

Food & Wine

How an old pair of stockings can cut your cleaning time in half

Stockings are a wardrobe essential, but when they get a ladder, are either left at the bottom of a drawer or bin. Australian cleaning expert Shannon Lush has revealed that old pairs of stockings can be a helpful tool that will significantly cut down your cleaning time. Speaking to New Idea, Shannon shared some easy tricks that will give new purpose to your old pairs of stockings. The bathroom Shannon’s first tip for cleaning the bathroom is putting everything that isn’t easy to wash or shouldn’t get wet, into a bucket first. "Sprinkle your bathroom surfaces with bicarb soda and lightly spray with white vinegar," Shannon said. She suggests that while it is fizzing, you should sweep with a broom covered in stockings. “A rolled-up pair of pantyhose will allow you to get into any smaller areas, and use the broom and an old towel to dry the floor.” The loungeroom Shannon suggests also using stockings to clean the loungeroom. “Dust ceilings, light fittings and walls with a broom covered with pantyhose,” she said. “If you spray the head with some lavender spray, it inhibits insects.” The kitchen Shannon also has found a way to get super-sparkling taps. She recommends adding a teaspoon of lavender oil to a one-litre spray bottle of water and applying it to surfaces using a rolled-up pair of stockings to dry. “Rather than using a toothbrush to get into that nitty gritty bit down the bottom of the tap, wrap the pantyhose leg around the base of the tap and seesaw backwards and forwards just like you are polishing a shoe,” she said. “It takes seconds rather than minutes.” What are your unique cleaning tricks? Let us know in the comments below. To find your home essentials <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/?utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_medium=in-article-link-o60shop&utm_content=over60-shop%20" target="_blank">head to the Over60 Shop for high-quality offerings</a>. <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/living?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-banner-living&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/EditorialAddon/201706_Shopnow_EditorialAddon_468x60_Living.jpg" alt="Over60 Shop - Living Range"/></a>

Home & Garden

A major supermarket has refused to stock new Coke product

Just months after announcing its profits had <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/cocacola-profits-fall-55-per-cent-as-consumers-ditch-sugary-drinks/news-story/804f1efe051e2ff0a2513b080766f5bb" target="_blank">declined by a staggering 55 per cent</a>, it seems things are going from bad to worse for the Coca-Cola Company. Yesterday a Woolworths spokesman told <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/woolworths-refusing-to-stock-coca-cola-no-sugar-20170705-gx5kti.html" target="_blank">Fairfax Media</a> they would not be stocking the company’s new “Coca-Cola No Sugar” product, designed to be an eventual replacement for Coke Zero. “We have taken the decision to not range this product at this time,” they said. “Our customers looking for a no-sugar or low-sugar cola option have ample choice already in the category across a range of different pack sizes and formats.” Given that the supermarket will continue to stock Coke Zero until it is phased out, Woolies claims there simply isn’t enough shelf space to warrant such a similar product, especially given the growing market for more varieties of bottled water. On the other hand, rival supermarket Coles and chains such as 7-Eleven and Hungry Jack’s have already begun selling the product, which Coca-Cola describes as the “closest we have ever come to the classic taste,” without the sugar. “We're entirely confident that Coca-Cola No Sugar will be a huge success,” a spokeswoman for the company said. “Taste tests show Coca-Cola No Sugar is actually preferred by Coca-Cola Classic drinkers to Coke Zero, and equally liked by Coke Zero drinkers.” The beverage company will be conducting a 2 million can giveaway over the next eight weeks to encourage consumers to give the new product a try. It is not yet known when exactly Coke Zero will be discontinued, but Coca-Cola has revealed it will begin to phase out the beverage next year.

Body

7 reasons not to throw away laddered stockings

If you’ve got a pair of stockings that are laddered or just not your colour, don’t throw them away. There are so many uses for stockings that you may not have known about. 1. Look after your pumpkins If you’re growing heavy vegetables like watermelon or pumpkin the weight of them can end up pulling the whole plant over. Once they start to grow, wrap them in a stocking and secure this to a stake next to the plant to give them some support. 2. Check your sanding If you are sanding down some wooden furniture, you can check the smoothness using a stocking placed over your hand. 3. Make a soap scrubber If you’ve got a few broken pieces of soap, or that last slither of the bar, pop it all inside the toe of a stocking. Keep it in the laundry and use it to scrub stained clothing before you wash it. 4. Locate an earring Lost the back of your earring or the tiny screw from your glasses? Just pop a stocking over your vacuum cleaner and keep it in place with an elastic band. Then you can just vacuum in the area where you think it might be and you’ll soon have your little object stuck to the outside of the stocking. 5. Keep your pet’s brush clean If your pet tends to shed their fur when you brush them, try this tip. Cut out a rectangle of stocking and push down firmly over the top of the pet brush until the bristles come through. Then after brushing you can simply remove the (fur covered) stocking and discard. 6. Keep onions fresher If you often find your onions have gone bad before you got to use them all, it could be to do with the way they are stored. Try storing them in the leg of a stocking, with a knot between each. This allows air to circulate which means less mould on your veggies. Just cut the bottom onion off when you want to use it. 7. Store your spare doona If you have a big pile of quilts and blankets to pack away, secure them with a pair of stockings. This will make the pile more manageable and you won’t end up in a mess with blankets falling out of the linen cupboard. Have you got any clever uses for stockings that you would like to share? Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2017/01/uses-for-used-tea-bags/">8 surprising uses for used tea bags</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/11/ways-to-use-hairspray-at-home/">10 surprising ways to use hairspray at home</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2014/11/make-christmas-">How to make a Christmas stocking in 10 minutes</a>

Beauty & Style

Tips on stocking your freezer full of easy dinners

You may have thought about stockpiling healthy dinners in your freezer for those busy nights. But if you’ve been putting this idea into the “too hard” basket, today we have some tips to help you get started. It is possible to get started without too much effort. It’s great having some meals stashed away in the freezer. When you know you’ve got a busy day ahead, you can take a casserole out to defrost the night before and come home to just heat and eat. Just got home from a week away and there’s no food in the house? Just defrost some bolognese while you make some pasta and dinner is served. Make double or triple batches This idea is quite simple. When you make a freezer friendly meal such as bolognese, curry, casserole or meatballs – double or triple your recipe. Then you can just pop the extra portions into the freezer, either in single serve containers or enough to feed the household. Buy meat on sale When you your favourite meats on sale, stock up and make a plan for how to use them. You can do a big cook up and freeze a few meals for a rainy day. Freeze handy ingredients When you have made something like pasta sauce or chicken stock, pop any leftovers in ice cube trays and freeze. Keep the blocks in a zip lock bag so that you can just defrost the perfect amount when cooking. Package up leftovers before you eat Rather than leaving a big pot of food on the stovetop while you eat, get into the habit of packaging up single serves of leftovers to put in the freezer. This will stop anyone from tucking into your freezer stash food on the night you made it. Use freezer friendly containers Ill-fitting lids or old margarine tubs don’t work well to keep your food in good shape. Invest in some good quality freezer friendly containers to freeze cooked food. You could also consider getting some oven-safe casserole dishes that can go in the freezer too. That way if you make a casserole you can spray the dish with olive oil spray before lining with a big strip of foil. Ladle the stew inside, covering the top with more foil. Freeze overnight then remove the foil wrapped meal from the dish and pop back in the freezer. Then when you want to use it you can just thaw and re-heat. Label everything You don’t want to end up with icy random blocks of food that will most likely end up in the bin. Keep some address labels and marker pens handy and write down exactly what is in there. You could even add some cooking instructions in case someone else is doing the cooking. Keep track Rather than ending up with eight packs of Bolognese, remember to keep track of what’s in the freezer. This way you will know what needs eating and what you have plenty of. A notepad on the fridge or a small whiteboard work well. Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/07/how-to-make-rubbish-smell-nice/">A clever trick to make your rubbish smell nice (and 11 other handy home hints)</a> <a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/08/coat-hanger-hacks/">Genius things you didn’t know you could do with coat hangers</a> <a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/07/bathroom-storage-solutions/">7 creative storage solutions for your bathroom</a>

Home & Garden

Beginner’s guide to the stock market

While your image of someone investing in the stock market may involve a sleek haircut or a suit from the 80s, normal people are using the ASX to make a lot of money. Investing in shares gives you the chance to earn better returns than if you left your money in a bank account, but while these rewards are great, so are the risks. We take a look at both in this beginner’s guide. What is a share? In basic terms, a share represents a single unit of ownership of a company. Anyone can buy or sell shares of companies that are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), and when you buy shares in one of these companies you effectively own a small part of the business. People who make money by investing in shares generally make it by selling shares when they are more expensive than the moment they bought it (known as capital growth or capital gain), or a dividend payment, which is a share of the company’s profits issued to investors. Where do I start? Well, if it were easy everybody would be doing it! First things first, you need to do your homework. Share prices are not just based on a company’s financial performance, but are often a reflection of investor opinion regarding the actual value of the company. The worst thing you can do as a first-time investor is jumping into the market without a thorough understanding of how it works and the external forces (anything from interest rates to weather) moving share prices up and down. How much do I need? There’s no definitive answer here, but it would probably best to start small if you’re a first time investor. People should set goals and save for their initial investment. The ASX suggests you should, “start your share investing with at least $2,000” as a general rule of thumb, but this is purely a guideline and you shouldn’t feel obliged this invest this much money if you can’t afford to lost it. Finding a broker Buying and selling shares isn’t as simple as going up to a counter at the front of the ASX with a wad of cash. You will need to find a broker to conduct the transaction and there are two main types – those that offer advice and those that don’t. Full service brokers offer financial advice and will help you decide what to buy and sell and provide investment advice for you and your money, whereas no advice brokers are simply there to execute your buy and sell orders in the market. What sort of shares am I looking for? One thing you should definitely ask yourself before you start investing is what you want to achieve out of your investment, and what success will look like to you. The more money you invest the more money you stand to gain, but it also means more of your money is exposed to risks and the stock market is by no means a static monster. It’s important to have a very real conversation with your partner/dependants and figure out how much you are willing to spend and what success looks like. Diversify A common mistake first time investors make when they’re trying to invest in the stock market is putting all their eggs in one basket, or investing all your money in companies that are similar to each other. Spreading your investment out over a range of different industries is the best way to ensure that your money is hedged against any market forces that may be out of your control. Related links: <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/09/how-to-make-money-after-retirement/">3 great ways to make money after you retire</a> <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/09/calculate-money-for-retirement/">How to calculate the bank balance you’ll need to retire</a> <a href="/finance/retirement-income/2015/10/what-is-life-cycle-super/">What is a life-cycle super product? And do you need one?</a>

Retirement Income

Healthy Christmas stocking fillers

Looking for a Christmas gift for the health nut in your life? We have your shopping all wrapped up!Herbal teasThe Beaming with Health Herbal Tea range uses age-old herbal remedies blended together to create a synergy of natural health benefits and flavour. Created by naturopath Mim Bein, there are 18 different teas available..Available in loose tea or tea bags. Prices start from $9.95. www.beamingwithhealth.com.au iPhone armbandThe Belkin Slimfit Plus armband for iPhone 6 helps keep your hands free when you’re out walking or jogging and protects your phone from sweat and rain while keeping the screen easily accessible as you exercise. It also includes a handy key/cash pouch, so you don't have to keep your pockets weighed down by change and keys. It’s made of stretchy neoprene material that's hand-washable and perforated for added breathability. Reflective fabric accents help keep you safe and visible to others, so you can go and exercise when the sun’s gone down.Available in fuschia or black. RRP is $34.95. <a href="http://www.belkin.com.au">www.belkin.com.au</a> GAIA Skin and Body Overnight packsFree from soap, sulphates, parabens, petrochemicals, pthalates, mineral oil and artificial fragrance, these handy overnight packs from GAIA are cabin-friendly and perfect for weekends away.The His and Hers versions both feature refillable bottles in a re-usable wet pack, meaning you’ll get to use this gift over and over again, long after the original contents have gone!Available from selected pharmacies, health food stores, specialty retailers and online stores or via www.gaiaskinnaturals.com. RRP$22.95 Rescue RemedyRescue Remedy is the most famous of the Bach remedies and is a mix of five Bach flower remedies (Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Cherry Plum, Impatiens, Clematis and Grape Based Brandy or Sunflower based Glycerin as preservative).It’s designed to help deal with emergencies and crises and can be used to help us get through the difficult feelings that can arise from any stressful situations, from nerves to the aftermath of an accident or bad news.  Available <a href="http://www.ausnaturalcare.com.au/eco-friendly-cleaning-products/aromatherapy" target="_blank">here</a> at Australian NaturalCare. Jawbone UP MOVEThis is the latest fitness tracker to hit the market. The accelerometer built into UP MOVE counts your daily steps without missing a beat, no matter where you go or how you wear it. UP MOVE can also be worn in bed to accurately track sleep, including hours slept and sleep quality.It connects wirelessly with the free UP App via Bluetooth® Smart to provide daily insights into your movements and help you understand how your diet, sleep, activity and other choices affect your overall health and well-being.Available from electronics stores and Apple stores. RRP $69Bathroom Essentials Pack The Bathroom Essentials Pack is the quick way to rid your morning routine from chemicals. Use Sukin Deodorant to eliminate odour causing bacteria without harsh ingredients, and natural toothpaste and Breath Pearl breath fresheners for naturally sparkling teeth and fresher breath. Combine with Alchemy shampoo and conditioner and Melrose Castile soap and you will start your day the natural way!Available <a href="http://www.ausnaturalcare.com.au/bathroom-essentials-pack" target="_blank">here </a>at Australian NaturalCare for $52.40

Body

How to make a Christmas stocking in 10 minutes

Add a personal touch to your holiday décor, or create a family heirloom for the grandkids, with Christmas stockings you create yourself. In no time at all, we’ll help you hang a stocking that Santa can't wait to fill. What you’ll need: <ul><li>Sheet A3 paper</li><li>Scissors</li><li>Pencil</li><li>45cm durable fabric</li><li>Dressmaker’s pins</li><li>Sewing machine</li><li>Needle and thread </li></ul>Instructions:<ol><li>Create a stocking pattern on your A3 sheet of paper making sure you maximise the width and length of the paper. Cut out your stocking. If you don’t trust your own drawing, there are plenty of stocking patterns available for download on the internet for free. </li><li>Lay your pattern on the wrong side of fabric with toe facing left, then trace outline with pencil. </li><li>Flip template so toe faces right, place it on wrong side of fabric and trace again. Cut out stocking halves. </li><li>Pin halves together, right sides facing. Stitching just over 1cm from cut edge and sew stocking halves together. Taking care not to damage the seam, cut small notches in fabric edges bordering toe, heel and instep curves. Turn stocking right side out. Fold raw edge inward and hand-stitch. </li><li>You might also want to buy some different colour fabric to make detail on the toe or add a Christmas motif to your stocking like the Christmas tree in this picture.</li></ol>

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US buys up global stock of key COVID-19 drug

This will blow your mind: You've been unwrapping stock cubes wrong

How an old pair of stockings can cut your cleaning time in half

A major supermarket has refused to stock new Coke product

7 reasons not to throw away laddered stockings