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How the Queen will 'initiate' Meghan into the royal family

Meghan Markle has eased into her role as the Duchess of Sussex, being welcomed into the royal family with open arms by her new in-laws and the public. Now, Meghan will soon experience an ‘initiation’ into the family as she visits the Queen’s summer getaway, Balmoral. It will be her first trip to the Scottish residence since she married Prince Harry in May. It is believed that Harry and Meghan visited Balmoral when they were engaged last year, to introduce the Queen to the former actress over tea. Speaking to the <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/">Express</a> in London, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the trip was part of her royal initiation. “An invitation to Balmoral, where the Queen is expected to remain until September, is traditionally part of the initiation into the Royal family,” he said. The royal commentator explained that staying at Balmoral upon the request of the Queen was an initiation to introduce non-royal partners into the family, as seen when Princess Diana was introduced there in the early 1980s. Diana passed the test but later complained she was bored while staying there. Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Andrew and his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, will also make an appearance at the estate. Reportedly, the Queen takes an active role in hosting her family and hides small gifts for them. Balmoral, which is said to be the Queen’s favourite place to stay, is a nice retreat for the royal family as it is off-limits to media and the public. The 92-year-old started her summer holiday on Monday, arriving at the residence alone as Prince Philip is still recovering from hip surgery. Prince William and Kate are also expected to pay a visit to Balmoral, with the couple rarely being seen in public since the christening of Prince Louis last month. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children have recently been holidaying in the private Caribbean island of Mustique with the Middleton family.

News

Inside Meghan’s close relationships with the Queen and Kate

She officially became a royal after her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, and from the outside it seems the Duchess of Sussex has quickly adjusted to her new role. There’s no doubt her husband Prince Harry has been helping her along the way, but Meghan can also rely on the assistance of two very senior royals: The Queen and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2018%2F06%2Fmarkle-queen-19-2000.jpg&w=1100&q=85" alt="Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth" title="Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth" /> Meghan has already had high-profile outings with both Her Majesty and Kate – and their relationships has been strengthening behind-the-scenes, too. “What’s characterised these months are the two great relationships that she has struck up with the Queen and with Catherine,” Robert Lacey, historical consultant for The Crown, tells PEOPLE. “They seem to be her closest friends and partners in the official set-up.” In fact, Meghan became a fast favourite with the Queen due to her connection with the Queen’s beloved corgis. “Harry gave the clue to it when in the [engagement] interview he talked about how well the corgis had taken to her instantly. That seems to be a metaphor for the Queen and everybody else has taken their cue from that,” Lacey adds. The support Meghan receives from her sister-in-law and the monarch looks to be more important than ever as Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, and her half-sister, Samantha Markle, continue to speak out against the royal family. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2018%2F07%2Fmeghan-markle1.jpg&w=1100&q=85" alt="Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry" title="Queen Elizabeth, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry" /> In a recent interview with <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6002773/Thomas-Markle-says-Meghan-cut-life.html">The Mail on Sunday</a>, Thomas called his daughter “cold” and said he has “no way of contacting my daughter” because “she’s cut me off completely.” “She’d be nothing without me. I made her the Duchess she is today,” he said, adding that “it would be easier for Meghan if I died” because “everybody would be filled with sympathy with her.” Meghan had not publicly responded, taking a page out of the royal rulebook to act with grace and rise above the gossip.

Relationships

Oprah's sleep doctor shares his best sleep hacks

Oprah Winfrey's sleep doctor Dr Michael Breus has revealed the sleep hacks that really work and busted the myths that don’t. Universally lauded as the world’s leading sleep doctor, Dr Breus has a PhD in clinical psychology, certified in clinical sleep disorders, and is a practicing doctor who treat sleep patients with apnoea, narcolepsy and insomnia. So, he knows what he’s talking about. If you find yourself constantly tired during the day and need a quick pick-me-up, Dr Breus recommends a “nap-a-latte”. It involves “taking a cup of black coffee, cooled down with three ice cubes and drinking it quickly”. “Immediately take a 25-minute nap after drinking the coffee,” he told <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6030053/Oprahs-sleep-doctor-bust-biggest-shut-eye-myths-hacks-really-work.html">Daily Mail Australia.</a> “The caffeine then blocks the sleep-inducing factors and the little 25-minute nap will give you enough sleep to feel better.” Dr Breus also advises you to get out into the sun for 15 minutes each morning “which helps to discontinue the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone”. He explains: “You might not think that light first thing is what your sleepy body needs, but the internal body clock - the circadian rhythm - runs on a 24-hour schedule and functions best when you are exposed to a regular pattern of light and dark.” If you struggle to fall asleep at night, Dr Breus recommends this simple trick: “Count backwards from 300 in increments of threes.” “It's so complicated that you can't think of anything else, while it's so boring that you're out like a light,” he said. The sleep expert also swears by a “banana tea” recipe for good sleep: “Take a chunk of organic banana, peel on, cut it in half and with the stem and trip removed, brew it in boiling water for four minutes.” He explained that the water is “loaded with magnesium, which is very calming and is a great replacement for camomile tea”. As for sleep myths, Dr Breus said that it is completely false that you can make up for “sleep debt” on the weekends. “Many people build a sleep debt during the week – a growing deficit between the sleep you need and the actual amount of sleep you get,” he said. “Research shows that after sleep deprivation, weekend makeup sleep doesn't completely restore attention, focus and other measurements of cognitive performance.” The other sleep myth the expert is keen to debunk is that you can get by on fewer than six hours sleep. “Sleep needs do vary person to person, but nearly everyone suffers deficits to health, well-being and performance when they regularly get less than six hours of sleep a night,” Dr Breus said. “Only a very small fraction of the population can function well and maintain good health on a sleep routine of fewer than six hours per night.” Oprah's sleep doctor said that you should ideally aim for around seven and a half hours, which is the “sweet spot” for slumber. “The average sleep cycle is 90 minutes long and a typical night of sleep includes five full sleep cycles,' he said. “So, if we apply some simple maths, 90 x 5 is 450 minutes - or 7.5 hours.”

Mind

How the internet is changing the way we grieve

Jo Bell is a senior lecturer for the faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull. People don’t die in the same way that they used to. In the past, a relative, friend, partner would pass away, and in time, all that would be left would be memories and a collection of photographs. These days the dead are now <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/923bbd88-0225-11e6-ac98-3c15a1aa2e62">forever present online</a> and digital encounters with someone who has passed away are becoming a common experience. Each one of us has a digital footprint – the accumulation of our online activity that chronicles a life lived online through blogs, pictures, games, web sites, networks, shared stories and experiences. When a person dies, their “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12124-012-9215-x">virtual selves</a>” remain out there for people to see and interact with. These virtual selves exist in the same online spaces that many people use every day. And this is a new and unfamiliar phenomenon that some people might find troubling – previously dead people were not present in this way. Yet for some, these spaces have become a valuable tool – especially so for the bereaved. An <a href="http://www.psychology.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Falconer1.pdf">emerging body of research</a> is now looking at the ways the internet, including social media and memorial websites, are enabling new ways of grieving – that transcend traditional notions of “letting go” and “moving on”. <h2>Forever online</h2> A colleague and I first got interested in how deceased loved ones were being remembered online a few years ago. My particular interest at the time was in how suicides were being <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lpcuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT75&lpg=PT75&dq=Bell,+Bailey+and+Kennedy,+2015&source=bl&ots=aEQC1YFw-L&sig=Lzxrm_VURsoMBAk2qNn6YsKh4DU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwifxaSZjb_cAhVCPsAKHSPOCPEQ6AEwDHoECAQQAQ#v=onepage&q=Bell%2C%20Bailey%20and%20Kennedy%2C%202015&f=false">memorialised online</a> and what motivated people to do this. I also wanted to know how these online memorials impacted people’s grief and the trauma of being bereaved by suicide – as well as how these online spaces changed over time. Turning to social media for support when dealing with bereavement and the loss of a loved one helps mourners and others make sense of a death by talking about it. This helps to make it a much less isolating experience. It provides the bereaved with a “community of mourners”, or as <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614568.2014.983554">one of our participants put it</a>: I’ve got 67 people in my life who I can share my grief with … and they all understand where I’m coming from. For many mourners, the most important motivating factor seems to be the need to stay connected to the deceased and to “keep them alive”. And keeping a Facebook page going by actively maintaining the “in life” profile of the deceased, or creating a new “in memorial” profile, allows users to send private or public messages to the deceased and to publicly express their grief. In <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2015.1083693">our research</a> accounts of talking to the deceased on Facebook were common: People go up [to his Facebook site] and put mementos on and they’ll say on Facebook, been to see you today Mark … yesterday I went up and I just chatted to him … Now more than three-and-a-half years on … they write and say really miss you Mark or I’m doing this and it reminded me of you … he’s still being included in what his friends are doing. The use of social media in this way goes some way towards answering the question of <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-bereavement/">where to put one’s feelings</a> – such as love, grief, guilt – after a death. And many people turn to the same sites to promote awareness raising and fund raising for various charities in memory of their loved ones. <h2>Virtual living</h2> In this sense then, keeping the deceased alive on Facebook is a way of working against loss. It illustrates how social networking sites are replacing traditional mourning objects – such as items of jewellery, clothing or gravestones – that are imbued with particular emotional resonance and which subsequently take on additional significance after the death. Unlike sentimental objects, social media pages and online spaces allow people to explore grief with others from the comfort of their own home. Talking to people online can also help to free up some of the inhibitions that are otherwise felt when talking about loss – it enables forms of uncensored self-expression that are not comparable with face-to-face conversations. So although the physical bond to a loved one may be gone, a virtual presence remains and evolves after death. And in this way, online memorial sites and social networking spaces help the bereaved to see how events in the past can continue to have value and meaning in the present and the future. Written by Jo Bell. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. <img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100134/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />

Technology

Even 'supermums' like Serena Williams suffer from the guilt of motherhood

At the beginning of last month, when Serena Williams stepped back on to Wimbledon's Centre Court less than a year after giving birth, she was hailed a "torchbearer" for her sex and a "wonder woman". However, after losing the final to Angelique Kerber, the seven-time Wimbledon winner was asked by an interviewer if she was, indeed, "supermum" – to which she shook her head and replied: "Just me. To all the mums out there, I was playing out there for you today and I tried." After pulling out of last weekend's Montreal tournament citing "personal reasons", Williams went on Instagram to explain to her 9 million followers that her inability to compete was down to feeling as though she was falling short – both professionally and personally. In a post that will resonate with working mothers everywhere, torn between baby-proofing their careers and being there for their children, Williams said: "Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom. <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/BmJ3KMzFRZw/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 37.4537037037037% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></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/BmJ3KMzFRZw/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom. I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal. It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there. I work a lot, I train, and I’m trying to be the best athlete I can be. However, that means although I have been with her every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be. Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art. You are the true heroes. I’m here to say: if you are having a rough day or week--it’s ok--I am, too!!! There’s always tomm!</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/serenawilliams/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> Serena Williams</a> (@serenawilliams) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:24pm PDT </div> </blockquote> "I read several articles that said post-partum emotions can last up to three years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends lets me know that my feelings are totally normal." She added: "It's totally normal to feel like I'm not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there." We certainly have. Like most of my friends, the latter part of my 30s has been spent occupied with childcare and working an office job – and the endless battle to balance the two dominates almost every conversation. Those friends who have continued their careers with scant pause – usually the lawyers and management consultants – face large childcare costs, and even larger amounts of guilt for never being at pick-up, sports day, cake sales or bedtimes. The ones who quit work after their first or second child (usually the second, which is very often the tipping point in terms of childcare costs and logistics) say they sometimes feel unfulfilled, worried the working mothers they know are sneering at them, and fearful of being left behind when their children are older and they're left to pick up the remains of their careers. The likelihood of finding an interesting, well-paid profession that allows for a 10-year break is not, naturally, something many can rely on. And then there are the ones like me, who have gone freelance or part-time since having children, and worry they're not doing a good enough job at either home or work. When I gave birth to my first daughter in 2010, I remember my own mother saying: "The minute you give birth, you start to feel guilty about every single decision you make." And I did: breast or bottle feeding, time working, time spent apart from them – something you crave, and then feel guilty about. Though the days of mothers not mentioning the struggles of parenthood are fading – it was less than a decade ago that a long-time fellow freelancer confided she hadn't told her editor she'd given birth because she didn't want to appear unprofessional – it has taken, as it so often does, a celebrity contingent to shine a light on the issue. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Today I say Olympia fall... but she got back up. She fell again almost immediately.... and almost immediately she got back up again. She always had a smile on her face. I learned a lot from Olympia today. Thank you my baby love. <a href="https://t.co/pn0iUCZG6Q">pic.twitter.com/pn0iUCZG6Q</a> — Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1020051496849719297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2018</a></blockquote> Now, thanks to the likes of Williams, Victoria Beckham, who admitted to taking just one proper week off following the birth of daughter Harper before spending the rest of the summer working "with my boobs out, breastfeeding", and Beyonce, who in next month's issue of Vogue in the US explains that a traumatic labour with her twins last year led her to spend six months giving "myself self-love and self-care" rather than rushing to return full-pelt, there seems to be less stigma around new parents asking for flexible working. Or admitting they've barely slept. This week, UK cyclist Laura Kenny picked up her second gold medal at the European Championships in Glasgow, less than a year after the birth of her first child, Albie. "I was up five times last night – and he didn't actually fall asleep until nine o'clock, the little sod," she joked after the race. "But you get used to it," the 26-year-old quadruple Olympic champion continued. "I don't even feel like I've had a lack of sleep any more – I just come in and get on with it. I was thinking I didn't want to leave Albie for nothing because he wasn't very happy this morning. [But] I'm glad I've got another medal to take home to him. "If you'd asked me [when I was younger] if I'd be a mum with four Olympic and 12 European gold medals I would have said no, that's not the way my life is going to pan out." But for every heartwarming story like Kenny's, there are plenty more like Williams who, in the middle of last month's Wimbledon championship, berated herself for missing her daughter's first steps. "I was training and missed it. I cried," she wrote on Twitter – an acute portrayal of the reality so many working parents experience. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> She took her first steps... I was training and missed it. I cried. — Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1015514300490960896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2018</a></blockquote> "Those early years are the hardest for guilt," agrees Neom founder and mother of two Nicola Elliott. "In those early days, especially after your first child, new mums are on that hamster wheel of trying to be all things to all people but feeling like they're failing at everything. We feel we should be having these amazing careers, but we also feel we should be at nursery pick-up every day, or with our children all the time. The guilt is exhausting." By the time my second daughter arrived in 2013, I was, like most second-time mothers, less anxious and more confident in my decisions. And as I watched my daughters grow into confident, bright little girls, I realised three days a week in childcare had done them no harm whatsoever – and enabled me to continue in a profession I truly enjoy. The guilt is still there at times, and I still have days where I look at a mother on Instagram, enjoying midweek sunshine with her little ones, and feel a pang of guilt that I'm sat in an office. However, like the pain of childbirth, this also fades as your children get older and more independent. "Like Serena, I did feel guilty when my children were younger and in childcare," says Elliott, "but now they're older and they need me less and love going to after-school clubs and seeing their friends, and I have a career that I love. So the pay-off does come." Or as Alexis Ohanian, Williams's husband, said after her Wimbledon defeat: "She'll be holding a trophy again soon – and she's got the greatest one waiting at home for her." Written by Maria Lally. Republished by permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/mums-life/106127146/even-supermums-like-serena-williams-suffer-from-the-guilt-of-motherhood">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Mind

The secret to Aldi’s success

Tom Osegowitsch is a senior lecturer in International Business and Strategic Management at the University of Melbourne and Angela McCabe is a lecturer in Management at La Trobe University. Dick Smith has laid <a href="https://www.dicksmithfairgo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25.7.18-DS-closure-of-Dick-Smith-Foods-both-letters.pdf">the blame</a> for closing his Australian-made processed food lines squarely at the feet of Aldi Australia. He <a href="https://www.dicksmithfairgo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25.7.18-DS-closure-of-Dick-Smith-Foods-both-letters.pdf">accused</a> the German retailer of “extreme capitalism” and warned the CEOs of Woolworths and Coles that “unless your companies move towards [Aldi’s limited range and high proportion of private brands], you will very likely become uncompetitive”. But this betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of Aldi’s strategy and the limits of its appeal in the Australian market. An important element of Aldi’s strategy is a severely limited range of “preselected” products, overwhelmingly private brands. The company’s smaller range (some 1,500 store-keeping units as opposed to 20,000 to 30,000 in a large Coles or Woolworths outlet) <a href="https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/products/view?id=106173">has several advantages</a> – in terms of store footprints, warehousing infrastructure and supplier discounts, to name a few. A proportion of these savings are <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/everyday-shopping/supermarkets/articles/cheapest-groceries-australia">passed on to consumers</a> to ensure their appeal with households wanting to stretch their shopping dollars further. This strategy and disciplined execution propelled the company’s growth. From its first two stores in the Sydney suburbs of Marrickville and Bankstown, Aldi gradually expanded across the eastern seaboard. It was not until 2016 that Aldi started opening stores in South Australia and Western Australia. These new territories promised significant growth opportunities while store openings in the established territories were largely restricted to gap-filling. <a href="http://www.roymorganonlinestore.com/Browse/Australia/Retail/Supermarket-Currency-Reports/Supermarket-Fresh-Food-Currency-Report.aspx">By 2018</a>, Aldi was operating more than 500 outlets around Australia and claiming roughly 13% of the Australian supermarket industry. Aldi’s gain in market share has overwhelmingly come at the expense of the smaller, independent supermarkets (IGA-affiliated as well as others). Coles and Woolworths have chiefly <a href="https://theconversation.com/woolies-private-label-strategy-will-play-directly-into-the-hands-of-aldi-56914">responded</a> to Aldi through price cuts and by boosting their share of private brands. While competition in the Australian supermarket sector has increased, it remains a lucrative oasis in comparison to international markets. Low-hanging fruit is gone As its stores now span the entire nation, Aldi’s growth can be expected to slow down. The company is unlikely to “turn on” and overwhelm Coles and Woolworths, <a href="https://www.dicksmithfairgo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/25.7.18-DS-closure-of-Dick-Smith-Foods-both-letters.pdf">as Smith predicts</a>, because of the inherent limitations of the Aldi formula. Aldi has successfully appealed to a particular segment of the market. It is a segment of shoppers prepared to trade low prices (coupled with sound product quality) for a variety of conveniences offered by traditional supermarkets. These shoppers readily accept Aldi’s highly restrictive range of product, the lack of manufacturers’ brands, and austere stores with minimal service at the cash register or in store. The company has also been successful in expanding this segment, by convincing a growing number of people to do at least part of their shopping with Aldi and accept the trade-off at the heart of its offering. But the majority of Australian shoppers prefer to do (the bulk of) their shopping with the two incumbents (Coles and Woolworths <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/retail-trade/food-retailing/supermarkets-grocery-stores.html">who still account for more than two-thirds of the market</a>) as well as a shrinking number of independent supermarkets and a growing set of alternative sources such as farmers’ markets or subscription-based retailers (Costco). Strategy has limits Aldi exemplifies strategy scholar Michael Porter’s <a href="https://hbr.org/1996/11/what-is-strategy">dictum</a> that the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. In embracing the “Aldi way”, the company has made hard strategic choices. Its strategy appeals to a sizeable segment of the Australian public. But it’s turning away shoppers who value things other than what’s on offer at Aldi – larger choice, established brands, more service, plusher stores, in-store bakeries and delis or expanded fresh food sections. As a result, Aldi’s growth in Australia is going to reach its limits. As far back as 2016, CEO Tom Daunt <a href="https://www.afr.com/business/retail/aldi-australia-gets-fresh-as-sales-exceed-7-billion-20161101-gsfels">acknowledged</a> that growth opportunities were slowing in existing territories. He also acknowledged the onset of cannibalisation between existing Aldi stores, a sure-fire indicator that their segment was becoming saturated: Increasingly those stores on the eastern seaboard are less often in virgin catchments and more often than not for the majority of those stores there is some impact on other existing Aldi stores. A <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/retail/aldi-stores-cannibalising-each-other-ubs/#.WoJgTNkpwa0.twitter">recent UBS report</a> also picked up the increase in cannibalisation among Aldi stores. UBS analysts suggested Aldi store cannibalisation in South Australia and Western Australia was reaching levels not far behind the more established territories. This indicates that saturation might be achieved sooner in new markets, and puts <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/aldis-onslaught-on-australian-retail-may-be-slowing/news-story/566a105ec757dc85895e1f3a7799ec23">growth objectives</a> in these states in doubt. Since its arrival in 2001, the company has benefited the Australian public by injecting much-needed competition into the local grocery retail scene, thereby boosting Australian consumers’ spending power. While its success is testimony to the appeal of the Aldi formula, growth will inevitably peter out and the company will not overrun Australia’s existing retail giants. Aldi’s experience in Australia exemplifies the benefits as well as the limitations of clear and focussed strategy. Written by Tom Osegowitsch and Angela McCabe. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/the-secret-to-aldis-success-is-choosing-what-not-to-do-100671" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Money & Banking

Early warning signs of cataracts that you shouldn’t ignore

Cataracts are one of the most common eye conditions in the world. Around 20 million people in the world are blind from cataracts, making it the leading cause of blindness across the globe, according to statistics from <a href="http://www.who.int/blindness/causes/priority/en/index1.html">WHO.</a> The disease involves the clouding of the lens of the eyes which prevents clear vision, with sufferers likening it to living life behind a foggy window. According to the US National Eye Institute (NEI), there are six warning signs of cataracts that people need to look out for. 1. Cloudy or blurry vision While the blur from cataracts may seem small initially, the effect usually increases over time. 2. Colours appear faded Cataracts can cause colours to appear faded or even cause a yellow tint as the disease progresses, this is because the clumps of protein clouding your lens may turn yellow or brown. 3. Glare Do you see a halo appear around lights? If you have issues with headlights, lamps or the sunlight being too bright, this could be a symptom of cataracts. 4. Poor night vision Cataracts can even impair your ability to do activities at night such as driving. A <a href="http://news.curtin.edu.au/media-releases/cataract-surgery-reduces-car-accidents-and-economic-costs/">study</a> from Curtin University in Australia found that treating cataracts reduced the risk of car accidents by 13 per cent. 5. Double vision or multiple images in one eye Although double vision can be caused by various things, the lens clouding in a cataract can cause diffraction. 6. Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses If your eyesight is changing rapidly, it is recommended that you visit your eye doctor to find out the cause. Luckily, cataracts are generally straightforward to treat and those who suffer from them can visit their doctor to receive information about surgery. However, those who live in the world’s poorest countries are unable to access affordable eye-care and surgery. While the risk of cataracts increases as you get older, certain diseases, personal behaviour and the environment are risk factors to the eye disease, which means that even young children can develop a cataract. Children get cataracts from genetic disorders, infections, malnutrition, trauma in the eyes and water-borne infections. Research from <a href="http://www.vision2020australia.org.au/our-work/eye-health-in-our-region">Vision 2020 Australia</a> also shows that those in poverty are the group of people in most dire need of eye surgery, with 90 per cent of vision-impaired people living in developing countries. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/24NBntmhzv4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Nhung, 6, lives with her family in a remote village in Vietnam. Nhung, like most little girls, loves to run around with her friends and dreams of being a writer one day. She is an enthusiastic student at school but struggles to read the blackboard due to complications from a cataract in her eye, which causes her pain. Because she lives in a remote village, the closest hospital is hours away. <a href="http://cbm.org.au/miraclesday">Miracles Day</a>, an annual initiative by international aid organisation CBM Australia, aims to give sight-saving surgery to children and adults like Nhung, and those suffering from cataracts in poverty-stricken areas. For just $33 Australians can donate to fund a life-transforming 12-minute cataract operation. “We are working extremely hard to ensure our supported eye health services are inclusive of and accessible to the poorest and most marginalised people,” CBM Australia wrote in a statement. “This includes people with disabilities, disadvantaged women and girls, minority groups, those who have missed out on education and those who live in isolated geographic regions.” The <a href="http://cbm.org.au/miraclesday">fundraising day</a>, held on August 16, has a goal to fund 35,000 people in the world’s poorest countries to receive the Miracle gift of sight, which will require Australians to band together to donate $1,155,000. Last year, $1,081,112 was donated and as a result 33,785 people in some of the world’s poorest countries had their eyesight restored and lives changed because of it. If a priority was placed on tackling the two major causes of vison impairment by providing refractive services and offering cataract surgery across the world, two thirds of vision-impaired people would recover their sight. Will you be part of the solution? Give the Miracle gift of sight by calling 131 226 or visiting <a href="https://www.cbm.org.au/miraclesday">cbm.org.au/miraclesday</a>. THIS IS SPONSORED CONTENT BROUGHT TO YOU IN CONJUNCTION WITH CBM.

Caring

These tech hacks will transform your life

The more time we spend on devices, the more important it is to learn how to use them well. Most of us can do the basics but learning a few tricks can make your digital life more efficient. The tips below will also hopefully help you enjoy your devices more, too. Voice assistant Siri (Apple), Cortana (Microsoft), Google Now and Bixby (Samsung) are fun to use but can be frustrating as they don't always get it right. But that doesn't mean they're not worth using. I mainly use my voice assistant to make calls when driving so I can be hands-free. To do this say "call Bob on speakerphone". That way you don't need to take your eyes off the road and it goes to speaker straight away. It's also handy if you're busy at home or work and want to make a quick call without stopping what you're doing. Get organised Putting all your smartphone apps on one screen will make it easier to find everything. First, put your three or four most-used apps in the dock at the bottom. Then put the next 12 most-important apps at the bottom of the home screen. Everything else will live in folders in the spaces you have left. So you can group all your news or photo apps in one folder. Do the same for games, music, work, etc. If you take the time to do this you'll find it a lot quicker to locate apps. Do not disturb This is one of the best features on your smartphone. It allows you to silence notifications, calls and messages during certain times. You can set it up so your phone is quiet between 10pm and 7am so you and your partner aren't disrupted by pings and buzzes while you sleep. Of course, you need to set it up on your partner's phone, too. You can still allow calls from certain people so you don't miss anything urgent or important. The feature is available on both iPhones and Android devices. Downloading from YouTube Sometimes you may see a video on YouTube that you'd like to download. You can do this by typing "ss" before the "youtube" part of a video's web address. You can then select different file types and resolution. The same can be done for music on YouTube videos. Do to this, just type "listento" before the "youtube" part of a video's web address. Remember downloading copyrighted content is illegal. Second email account Major sites are hacked all the time so an easy way to avoid being exposed is to have a second email account dedicated to social media and website logins. This ensures your main account is protected and your personal data won't be compromised if a certain site is hacked. The other bonus is that your main account won't be flooded with newsletters and spam. The downside is that you have to remember two passwords and monitor two accounts. Reading time This website is handy for voracious readers or anyone worried their book won't be long enough for the flight they're about to take. You can search for any book on <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__howlongtoreadthis.com&d=DwMFaQ&c=N9aEhCy8U0rJkO1xCZf7rgM9fohfR5qe_N93viZd7O8&r=ij_s0uePcCVv2WQwXK_RhjqihaBqIRA5o_4Yk3L1Cic&m=sZ8GG2bnfyOwlyIqyyo5ZiIsExy-H9zbtlpJIKFa5Bo&s=vjR3IjYep2RAzL5NquPhoxNsL4fjYlU0TncolZ78Yp8&e=" title="">howlongtoreadthis.com</a> and it'll estimate the time it takes. It's pretty accurate but it can be a bit depressing knowing that novel you've been wading through for the past few months should've only taken you eight hours to read! Closed tab shortcut There are dozens of shortcuts built into computers and software. It's tricky to remember more than a few but one worth committing to memory is the re-opening a tab in your web browser that you've accidentally closed. If you press command+shift+T on a Mac or control+shift+T on Windows PC the tab will reopen and save you a bit of tech pain. Email shortcut It can be a hassle typing out your email address on your smartphone several times a week when logging into accounts. The best way around this is to create a keyboard shortcut so you can, for example, type "xo" and your email address appears. To do this on an iPhone, go to Settings, General, Keyboards and then Text Replacements. For Android devices, go to Settings, Language and Input, Keyboard and then Text Shortcuts. Night lights With most people spending more time on devices, it is important to limit your exposure to blue light from screens. Most devices now have settings to cut it out which helps reduce eye strain and improves sleep patterns. You need to go into your device's display settings and enable the feature which is called "night light" in Windows and Android devices and "night shift" in Apple devices. Written by Blayne Slabbert. Republished by permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/106158720/these-tech-hacks-will-transform-your-life">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Technology

News

Barnaby Joyce: “I have to repair my relationship with my daughters”

Barnaby Joyce admits it will take “a long period of time” to repair his relationship with his four daughters, following his affair with staff member Vikki Campion that saw lose his role as Deputy Prime Minister. In February, it was revealed the then-National Party Leader was in a relationship with Campion, who has since given birth to their first child, son Sebastian. Speaking on the Today show on Wednesday to promote his new autobiography, Weatherboard and Iron, Joyce acknowledged he had “made mistakes” when it came to his family. “With hindsight you can look back and see the mistakes you made and how you could’ve been a better person,” Joyce told host Georgie Gardner. “I actually note that in the [book] … how I could be a better man for Caroline, for Odette, for Bridgette, for Julia, for Nat, for Vikki and for Seb. “I know the mistakes I’ve made, but I don’t just want to dwell on that because I think that’s really limiting and egotistical.” <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fiwakeupwithtoday%2Fvideos%2F2135706069797380%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> When Gardner asked why there were no photographs of his daughters in the book, Joyce said he wanted to shield his daughters from the public. “They are the love of my life - I dedicated the book to them. I know, also, I’m kind of protective,” he explained. “I know the public spotlight and, to be honest, the damage it created to me, and so I’m less inclined to throw other people out there. “In fact, one of the things I say [in the book] is, ‘I wished I had lived a different life that had kept you out of the glare of the public spotlight’. Maybe if I had my time again … I would have lived it entirely differently.” However, his new book contains a photo of his baby son Sebastian, who has also appeared on television during Joyce and Campion’s <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2018/05/barnaby-joyce-and-vikki-campion-paid-$150000-for-sunday-night-interview/">much touted interview on Sunday Night.</a> “Obviously, people have been discussing Sebastian. He’s been on television,” the father of five tells Gardner. “Basically, a lot of young children look the same. Adults look different, they have their own personality, and I just know what it’s like to be in the public spotlight. “I don’t particularly want my daughters to be any more in the public spotlight than what I’ve put them.” Joyce revealed he has been in contact with his daughters, but knows that he still has to do more to reconnect with them. “When you talk about repairing the relationship, that’s something I have to do, Georgie, and I have to do over a long period of time,” he told Gardner. “The book neither assists nor detracts, I hope, from that.” Joyce’s four daughters have not spoken publicly about their father, but his estranged wife Natalie took a swipe at her husband and Campion for accepting a large payment for a televised interview about their affair. Speaking to <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/natalie-joyce-breaks-her-silence-49318">The Australian Women’s Weekly</a> in July, the teacher said: “For the girls to see their dad for the first time with a child they have yet to meet ... it was all we could do to watch it without throwing a brick at the TV.” Natalie also stressed that her daughters were “the real victims” of Joyce’s actions, adding that her decision to speak publicly about the scandal was because of her daughters. "I'm doing this so the girls will feel empowered and know their mum stood up and defended our fine name," the Tamworth-based mum said. "I want to give them plenty of reasons to feel proud of at least one of their parents.”

News

Grant Denyer finally addresses those pregnancy rumours

Grant Denyer has increased speculation that another baby is on the cards for him and wife Cheryl during Wednesday’s 2DayFM breakfast show. During the ‘Truth Booth’ segment, a listener called in to Em, Grant and Ed to ask if Grant’s family would be growing anytime soon. After stalling to avoid the question, Grant finally confessed that he has a feeling twins will be in their future. "I don't know if we've completely closed the door. Exactly …" Grant said in response to the question, after prompting from his co-hosts. "We have about 17 sets of twins in our extended family tree and it's been a while since we've had some, so I have this deep down feeling it's gonna be twins." Rumours of a new baby for the couple exploded after the TV and radio host pointed at his wife’s belly on the Logies red carpet. Speculation increased even more after Cheryl gave a sly hint during an interview with Woman’s Day. She admitted they were heading off on a romantic holiday to Mauritius to spend some time together before the family grows bigger. "The girls would be great big sisters – they're very keen for us to have another child. They'd love a little boy!" she said. While the couple may be feeling clucky, Grant previously revealed how he gets annoyed when people ask if he wants another child just so he can have a boy. “What offends me is when people go, and I’ve had this quite a few times, ‘Ahh you’ve got two girls, clearly you want to go for a boy,’ like you wouldn’t be happy with two girls,” he explained. “I adore my two girls and I don’t need anymore in my life,” he continued. “They are the loves of my life and they’re daddy’s girls. We don’t feel like there’s anything missing.” Grant has revealed how the gender shaming of his two girls, Sailor, 6, and Scout, 2, has impacted him. “I had a guy come to me when Sailor was born and he goes, ‘So you had a girl first, are you a bit disappointed it wasn’t a boy, like you must want an heir?’ “But I’m not currently the head of a royal family,” Grant said. “I was so angry. We’d managed to bring a human into the world who we loved more than anything, like how can you be disappointed?”

News

Princess Beatrice turns 30! Her life in pictures

Princess Beatrice of York is celebrating her 30th birthday today on August 8. The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson confirmed last week she would be Maid of Honour at younger sister Eugenie's wedding on October 12. In celebration of Princess Beatrice’s milestone birthday, we look back on some of the highlights of her royal life. Scroll through the gallery above to take a look at the photos. <ol> <li>Princess Beatrice with Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Royal Ascot, June 2018</li> <li>Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, May 2018</li> <li>Princess Beatrice on the Met Gala red carpet, May 2018</li> <li>Princess Beatrice, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Eugenie visit patients in a London hospital, December 2016</li> <li>Princess Beatrice presents Queen Elizabeth II with her Royal Ascot trophy, June 2016</li> <li>Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips, July 2011</li> <li>Princess Beatrice at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, April 2011</li> <li>Princess Beatrice's first day at a new school, September 2000</li> <li>Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie meet the Spice Girls, December 1999</li> <li>Princess Beatrice with Sarah Ferguson at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, May 1990</li> <li>Princess Beatrice visits newborn sister Princess Eugenie in hospital, March 1990</li> </ol>

News

Here’s how many times you actually need to reuse your shopping bags

Trevor Thornton is a Lecturer at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. The plastic bag ban by the major supermarkets (and Coles’ pivot <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-coles-plastic-bag-backflip-leaves-us-worse-off-than-before-100891">away from its ban after backlash</a>, then pivot <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/coles-flips-again-on-plastic-bag-ban-puts-end-date-on-freebies-20180802-p4zv13.html">back to the ban after a backlash to the backlash</a>) has left plenty of people scratching their heads. What are the best replacements for single-use plastic bags? Given that reusable bags are much sturdier, how many times must we use them to compensate for their larger environmental impact? The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. However, a kind of research called “life cycle assessment” can help us work out the impact of common types of reusable bags. Life cycle assessments I am not aware of any Australian studies of plastic-bag substitutes. Research conducted overseas can offer a basic guide. Life cycle assessments consider a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267980535_LIFE_CYCLE_ASSESSMENT_OF_SUPERMARKET_CARRIER_BAGS_AND_OPPORTUNITY_OF_BIOPLASTICS">wide range</a> of factors, including raw materials, manufacturing, transport, and eventual disposal. Looking at all of these elements, researchers calculate greenhouse gas emissions, waste disposal, water and energy consumption and a variety of other impacts. To complicate the decision further, if you choose a plastic bag, is it made from virgin resin or from recycled plastic? Even if the bag is recycled, transport is an issue – where was it made? Printing on the bag also adds to the environmental burden. Finally, what happens to the bags when they can no longer meet their purpose? Are they recycled, reused as bin liners, or thrown away immediately? How many times must a bag be reused? Once all of this information has been distilled, scientists can usually offer a fairly straightforward guide: the number of times a given bag should be reused when compared to the standard supermarket plastic bag. A <a href="https://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-73-4.pdf">2018 Danish study</a>, looking at the number of times a bag should be reused before being used as a bin liner and then discarded, found that: <ul> <li>polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) should be used 37 times</li> <li>paper bags should be used 43 times</li> <li>cotton bags should be used 7,100 times.</li> </ul> Another <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291023/scho0711buan-e-e.pdf">UK study</a>, which only considered the climate change impact, found that to have lower global warming potential than single-use plastic bags: <ul> <li>paper bags should be used three times</li> <li>low-density polyethylene bags (the thicker plastic bags commonly used in supermarkets) should be used four times</li> <li>non-woven polypropylene bags should be used 11 times</li> <li>cotton bags should be used 131 times.</li> </ul> Note, however, that if a plastic bag is reused (even as a bin liner) the number of times an alternative needs to be used increases. It’s worth noting that, according to the 2018 Danish study, using organic cotton has a greater environmental impact than non-organic due to higher production costs. Our assumptions about what is environmentally friendly don’t always stand up to scrutiny. A <a href="https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=cudp_environment">2014 study in the United States</a> found that reusable LDPE and polypropylene bags do have a lower environmental impact than the usual plastic bags found in supermarkets – but only if they are reused enough times. This study found that about 40% of shoppers forgot to bring their reusable bags and therefore end up using the plastic bags. This then adds to the environmental burden of shopping. One final consideration is how many bags you need. The Danish researchers equalised the volume of the bags so that evaluations were made on the same volume of space (this meant that for some assessments it was necessary to consider the impact of two bags). As with all matters environmental, it’s essential that we have the right knowledge to make informed decisions. After looking at all this data, here are the things I’d like you to remember: <ol> <li>whatever bag type you use, use it as many times as possible</li> <li>choose bags made from recyclable materials</li> <li>avoid bags that have printing or decorations – these alone can add significantly to the environmental burden of the bag</li> <li>never allow a bag to become litter – recycle, reuse and repurpose your bags.</li> </ol> Written by Trevor Thornton. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-many-times-you-actually-need-to-reuse-your-shopping-bags-101097">The Conversation.</a>

News

Travel

Danish Royals’ holiday album: Inside Princess Mary and Prince Frederik’s summer getaway

While the Southern Hemisphere endures the final month of winter, the Danish Royal family are soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the ocean breeze on a family getaway in Denmark. This week, Princess Mary and her husband Prince Frederik took their four children – Prince Christian, 12, Princess Isabella, 11, and seven-year-old twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine – on a sailing trip around Denmark over the summer break. During the trip, the royals visited Knuthenborg Safari Park, which is the largest safari reserve in Northern Europe. Photos of the family during their trip were shared on their official Instagram account, including snaps of Princess Josephine feeding a lemur and Princess Mary feeding a giraffe. The family travelled around Denmark by sailing on boat, which is one of the 50-year-old future King of Denmark’s favourite activities. Last year, Frederik and Mary visited Sydney so the heir to the Danish throne could enjoy a day of sailing on the harbour as a guest of Wild Oats for the CYCA SOLAS Big Boat Challenge. Scroll through the gallery above to see the holiday album of the Danish royal family.

International Travel

“Unusually” severe weather warning for three Aussie states

Three Aussie states are being warned of an “unusually” long spell of severe weather, as a fierce cold front is forecasted to move across the country’s southeast. South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania are expected to be hit with dust, thunder, hail, fierce winds and cold temperatures from today. Forecasters have said the weather will be “terrible” for the weekend, with winds of up to 100km/h already being reported. The Bureau of Meteorology released a series of severe weather warnings early today for the three states, as they are all in the cold front’s path. Last night, South Australia was the first to be hit with the severe weather, with wind gusts of 89km/h recorded at Port Lincoln and Strathalbyn. “A cold front will enter the far west of the state (on Thursday) evening, reaching Nullarbor around midnight. The front will continue to move east over central and eastern districts on Friday,” the bureau said in a statement. “Well ahead of the front, north- to north-westerly winds averaging 50-65km/h with isolated damaging gusts of 90-100km/h are forecast to develop.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Northerly winds are expected to increase on Friday ahead of a front and there is some risk of low-end damaging winds occurring in parts of the warning area. Check details at: <a href="https://t.co/09ed7fDrM2">https://t.co/09ed7fDrM2</a> <a href="https://t.co/K3fqY1NIwR">pic.twitter.com/K3fqY1NIwR</a> — Bureau of Meteorology, South Australia (@BOM_SA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BOM_SA/status/1027394794639839232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2018</a></blockquote> Although Adelaide will not experience the worst of the cold front, the city will still be hit with strong gusts. This morning, Victoria also experienced ferocious winds, with gusts reaching 111km/h at Mount William at 2 am and 87km/h at Melbourne Airport at 4:24am. Yesterday, BOM Victoria senior meteorologist Stephen King said the winds would last the entire day. “A windy day coming up on Friday,” he said. “But by the time people wake up there will be winds across most of Victoria with destructive winds in Alpine regions up to 130km/h while elsewhere wind gusts of 90 to 100km/h from first thing and right through most of the day. “That’s what is unusual about this event. That it will be for a significant amount of time — a good 12 hours — and across a really widespread area.” The winds are also expected to carry dust through Victoria and possibly into Melbourne. “We had some raised dust in the Mallee a few weeks ago and there is again the possibility that dust could make its way through to Victoria or into Melbourne,” Mr King said. “There will be quite miserable weather across all of Victoria on Saturday with widespread shower activity and the possibility of hail and thunder,” he said. Tasmania is also expected to experience miserable weather this weekend, with the BOM revealing that a vigorous north-westerly wind will develop on Saturday. There is also a possibility of flooding in the southeast of Tasmania, due to abnormally high tides coinciding with a king tide in the evening.

Domestic Travel

“Humiliated” couple kicked off cruise over false accusation

Americans Elaine Chan and her husband were on their dream cruise holiday when a few days in it all went horribly wrong. Five days in to a 24-day cruise on-board Holland America’s Zuiderdam, the couple were thrown off the ship in Helsinki. The captain accused Ms Chan’s 65-year-old husband, who does not want his name disclosed, of pushing a crew member two days earlier during a brawl in St Petersburg, Russia. The humiliated cruise-goers have launched a battle with Holland America to clear their names and obtain a refund. They deny being involved in the fight and claim the cruise company made a mistake. “I promise this story will make you angry,” said non-profit consumer rights group <a href="https://www.elliott.org/blog/kicked-off-your-cruise-refund-from-holland-america/">Elliott Advocacy</a>’s Michelle Couch-Friedman, who was approached by the couple. “It’s yet another troubling case of a company levelling a wild accusation at a customer and refusing to provide even a shred of evidence to support it. And it’s the consumer who pays the price – financially and emotionally.” Ms Chan told Elliott Advocacy that they were called into the captain’s office during day five of their cruise to discuss an incident two days prior where several passengers had been verbally abusive towards the crew. A passenger who pushed an employee had been identified as Mr Chan’s husband. The couple were told to pack their belonging and handed tickets back to San Francisco “We did not expect our highly anticipated vacation to end as a nightmare in complete humiliation,” Ms Chan said. “We were kicked off the cruise by the Holland America captain in Helsinki. He forced us to leave the cruise by 10am to catch our flight. If we did not leave on time, he said we would miss our flight.” Ms Chan asked Eliott.org if cruise companies can kick someone off a cruise without evidence or giving passengers a chance to respond. “My husband didn’t do this. Someone made a mistake and misidentified him. This false accusation has really taken a toll on him,” she said. Ms Chan said they wrote to Holland America asking to review video cameras on-board the ship as they hoped footage would prove there was an error. However, all they received was this response outlining the allegations again: “Your husband participated in a scene where staff members were verbally abused. This abuse became physical when he and another guest attempted to push their way off the ship in port at St. Petersburg. “As a result, a staff member required medical attention. As stated by the captain in your verbal interview and in our previous correspondence, this is a violation of <a href="https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/legal-privacy/cruise-contract.html">Section 4 of the Cruise Contract</a>, and so the decision was made to remove both parties from the ship at the next port of call (Helsinki).” The Chan family also offered to provide photos of themselves on the day of the incident, hoping the photos could be compared with photos of the perpetrator. They even said they would take a lie-detector test at their own expense to clear their name. But all to no avail. Holland America has allegedly still not provided any evidence to support its claim, stating simply: “While we regret that this final response could not be more favourable, we do hope you will continue to include Holland America Line in your travel plans. “Thank you again for your inquiry. I appreciate this opportunity to assist and hope you will sail with us again soon.”

Travel Trouble

"Two coffees and two waters? That'll be $67 please"

Cafes and restaurants in the Italian tourist hotspot of Venice are in the news again after another eye-watering bill to a customer. Chilean Juan Carlos Bustamente has posted his receipt online for two espresso coffees and a couple of small S.Pellegrino waters at Caffe Lavena in St Mark's Square – €43 (AUD$67). The espressos were €11.50 each (AUD$18) while the waters were €10 each (more than AUD$15). This isn't the first time that Venice eateries have hit the headlines for expensive bills. In January <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/100810282/1800-for-steak-and-fried-fish-meal-bill-outrage-in-venice">a restaurant allegedly charged four tourists $1800 </a>for four steaks, fried seafood, a bottle of wine and water. And in November last year <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/98700230/881-for-lunch-it-will-be-the-death-of-Venice">it was $881 for a seafood lunch in the Italian city.</a> The cafe at the centre of this latest bill told the <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6034449/Mamma-mia-Furious-customer-slams-Venice-cafe-38-coffee-bill.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a> that it was the customer's fault for sitting outside as that comes with a premium. Inside, coffee costs €1.25 (AUD$2) at the bar. Republished by permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/106094316/2-coffees-and-2-waters-thatll-be-74-please">Stuff.co.nz </a>

Travel Trouble

Health

We asked five experts: Is cheese bad for you?

Almost everyone loves a good Vegemite and cheese sandwich or some brie with a glass of wine. But the evidence seems to shift about whether or not cheese should be part of a healthy diet. Most types of cheese contain salt and saturated fat, but it’s also high in protein and calcium, so what’s the verdict? We asked five experts if cheese is bad for our health. And five out of five experts said NO. Clare Collins, Nutritionist – Answer: No "Unless you’re part of the <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/4364.0.55.007main+features12011-12" target="_blank">4.5% of Australians</a> with a cow’s milk protein or dairy product allergy, eating cheese can be consistent with good health, and a tasty way to boost your protein, calcium and vitamin B12 intake. "The Australian Guide To Healthy Eating recommends two to three serves of dairy foods per day (or four serves for women over 50 years), with a serve equivalent to about 40 grams (about the size of a matchbox) of full fat or reduced fat cheese. The reduced fat option helps reduce your <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/milk-yoghurt-cheese-andor-their-alternatives-mostly-reduced-fat" target="_blank">total kilojoule intake</a>. "When it comes to specific heart health risks, the question of whether to eat full fat or reduced fat has not been adequately addressed. A <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29564646" target="_blank">review published in 2018</a> identified four studies that looked at cheese intake and found a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/heart-conditions/what-is-coronary-heart-disease" target="_blank">lower risk of heart disease</a> as cheese intake increased. Having moderate amounts of cheese regularly is consistent with good health." Evangeline Mantzioris, Dietician - Answer: No "Cheese contains a variety of nutritious components which need to be considered. Most of the components – calcium, protein and saturated fats – are also in other dairy products. Calcium is important for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and protein is required for synthesis and repair of tissues. These two provide clear benefits to our health. The saturated fat in cheese is more controversial in terms of its role in the development of heart disease. But the consensus from <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/div-classtitledairy-consumption-and-cvd-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysisdiv/077820003592691D3E346A1C8EFE50DC" target="_blank">large studies</a> is that cheese is neutral – that is, it neither has a positive or negative effect. "Cheese is also a fermented food, containing bacteria or yeast, which contribute to healthy microbiomes. But remember a serve of cheese (40g) has about 500-650kj, so stick to the guidelines of consuming three serves of dairy per day and including some of these as cheese – if you like it. If you're trying to reduce weight or have existing heart disease, check with your doctor." Rebecca Reynolds, Nutritionist - Answer: No "Cheese is a good food. It's an important source of beneficial nutrients for omnivores and vegetarians, such as calcium. <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4364.0.55.007~2011-12~Main%20Features~Milk%20products%20and%20dishes~721" target="_blank">One third of Australians consume cheese</a> – mostly hard cheeses, such as cheddar. Dairy products and their alternatives (such as soy-based cheese) are a core recommended food group in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, although it's advised people aged two years and over consume reduced-fat alternatives (such as reduced-fat cheddar cheese - although only 15% of cheese consumed is reduced-fat). "This is because fat is an energy-dense nutrient and lots of us are overweight, and because a lot of the fat in cheese is the ‘bad’ saturated fat. But <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867544/" target="_blank">some evidence suggests </a>dairy is either neutral or beneficial to heart health – including full-fat products. "Cheese is also high in protein, which our bodies need. Some negative aspects of cheese include its higher salt content, the food poisoning risk of some varieties posed to pregnant women, and the ethical aspects involved in its production (cow and bobby calf welfare, greenhouse gas emissions and fair pay to dairy farmers)." <div class="responseButton no"> <div class="buttonItems">Regina Belski, Dietician – Answer: No </div> </div> <div class="responseText show"> "Cheese can be a healthy part of the diet, but not all cheeses are created equal and we don’t need to eat a whole wheel of brie in one sitting. According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, a serve is about 40g of hard cheese like cheddar and about half a cup of ricotta. Next time you’re at the supermarket look at the back of three different cheeses and see what you are actually eating, what are the ingredients? How much sodium, saturated fat and calcium does it contain? Then pick the best out of the three choices – more calcium, less sodium, less saturated fat and enjoy in moderation." <div class="responseButton no"> <div class="buttonItems">Yutang Wang, Biomedical Scientist – Answer: No</div> </div> <div class="responseText show"> "Cheese is one of the most ancient foods for humans and has been part of our diet for several thousands of years. Cheese is rich in proteins and fat which provide important building blocks (amino acids and fatty acids) for our body. It also contains many other important ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, all of which are needed to maintain good health. "So far, there are no studies showing cheese consumption is associated with heart disease. Although industrial trans-fat increases the risk of heart disease, the natural trans-fat contained in cheese does not. Although cheese contains saturated fat, we're not sure this is what clogs arteries. Even though cheese itself is not bad for us, we should avoid it if travelling to tuberculosis-endemic countries where pasteurisation is not enforced (such as Nigeria)." </div> Written by Alexandra Hansen. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-asked-five-experts-is-cheese-bad-for-you-98156">The Conversation</a>. </div> <div class="profileLink"></div>

Body

Why stroke, cancer and other chronic diseases are more likely for those with poor mental health

<a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/health-welfare-services/mental-health-services/overview">Four million Australians</a>, including our friends, family members, co-workers and neighbours, are living with mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. A <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/australian-health-policy-collaboration/publications#chronic-diseases">new report</a> from the <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/australian-health-policy-collaboration">Australian Health Policy Collaboration</a> has found these four million Australians are at much greater risk of chronic physical disease and much greater risk of early death. Having a mental health condition increases the risk of every major chronic disease. Heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and cancer are all much more likely to occur among people with anxiety and depression. More than 2.4 million people have both a mental and at least one physical health condition. For the first time in Australia, this report quantifies the extent of this problem. For example, people with mental health conditions are more likely to have a circulatory system disease (that is, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke). The likelihood increases by 52% for men and 41% for women. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230716/original/file-20180806-119602-1aouvik.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230716/original/file-20180806-119602-1aouvik.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230716/original/file-20180806-119602-1aouvik.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"></a>Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Author provided More than a million people are affected by both a circulatory system disease and a mental health condition. These diseases are Australia’s biggest killers. For painful, debilitating conditions such as arthritis and back pain, the numbers are even higher. Arthritis is 66% more likely for men with mental health conditions, and 46% more likely for women, with 959,000 people affected. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230717/original/file-20180806-119615-1mpdy9d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230717/original/file-20180806-119615-1mpdy9d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230717/original/file-20180806-119615-1mpdy9d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"></a>Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Author provided Back pain is 74% more likely for men with mental health conditions, and 68% more likely for women, with more than a million affected. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230718/original/file-20180806-119602-zuqx7p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230718/original/file-20180806-119602-zuqx7p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230718/original/file-20180806-119602-zuqx7p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"></a>Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Author provided The gender differences are significant. Women with mental health conditions are much more likely to have asthma than women across Australia as a whole (70% more likely), while men are 49% more likely to have asthma with a mental health condition. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230719/original/file-20180806-119615-1sh4s9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230719/original/file-20180806-119615-1sh4s9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230719/original/file-20180806-119615-1sh4s9r.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"></a>Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Author provided The biggest gender difference is cancer. Men with mental health conditions are 84% more likely to have cancer than the general population, and for women the figure is 20%. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230720/original/file-20180806-119612-1v7b4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230720/original/file-20180806-119612-1v7b4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230720/original/file-20180806-119612-1v7b4l3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"></a>Australian Health Policy Collaboration, Author provided As more women live with mental health conditions than men, overall, women are 23% more likely to be living with both a mental and physical health condition than men. The report shows having a co-existing mental health condition and chronic physical disease generally results in worse quality of life, greater functional decline, needing to use more health care and higher healthcare costs. These people require more treatment, use more medications, and have to spend more time, energy and money managing their health. People with a mental health condition are also <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60240-2/abstract">more likely to be poorer</a>, less likely to work, less likely to receive health screening and, sadly, <a href="https://www.rethink.org/media/810988/Rethink%20Mental%20Illness%20-%20Lethal%20Discrimination.pdf">more likely to receive substandard care</a> for their physical diseases. On average, people with mental health conditions die younger than the general population, and mostly from preventable conditions. We know from <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2539">earlier research </a>that people with severe mental illnesses die much earlier than the rest of the population. Our report shows even common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression contribute to more chronic disease, leading to higher rates of early death. Why? We don’t know exactly why people with mental health conditions have poorer physical health. The <a href="https://acmedsci.ac.uk/policy/policy-projects/multimorbidity">Academy of Medical Sciences</a> has identified that poor mental health and psychosocial risk factors such as feeling dissatisfied with life, not feeling calm, having sleep problems that affect work, and financial concerns can predict physical disease. Other factors, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-income-earners-are-more-likely-to-die-early-from-preventable-diseases-87676">low socioeconomic status</a>, poor social networks, living in rural areas and smoking are associated with both poor mental health and poor physical health. We do know people with mental health conditions often don’t receive advice about healthy lifestyles, don’t get common tests for disease, and are less likely to receive treatment for disease. Some of this is due to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21379357">stigma and discrimination</a>, and sometimes it’s neglect. People with mental health conditions can <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/Publications/RANZCP-Serious-Mental-Illness.aspx">fall through the gaps between disjointed physical and mental health systems</a>. What can we do about it? There is <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/Publications/RANZCP-Keeping-body-and-mind-together.aspx">momentum for change</a> among the mental health sector, with dozens of organisations signing up to the <a href="https://equallywell.org.au/">Equally Well</a> consensus statement. This aims to improve the quality of life of people living with mental illness by providing equal access to quality health care. There’s some great work being done around the country, including in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/inm.12459">Hunter region</a>, where people with mental health conditions can access tailored help with physical health risk factors such as smoking and diet. People using mental health services should have their physical health regularly assessed, and any problems addressed as early as possible. Better coordination of care would preserve healthcare resources and improve quality of life. Written by Ben Harris. Republished by permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/stroke-cancer-and-other-chronic-diseases-more-likely-for-those-with-poor-mental-health-100955">The Conversation.</a>

Mind

Why all seniors should play computer games

As a woman who is almost 70 years old, I have not kept up with technology at the rate that I would have liked. I have, however, discovered a couple of games on my laptop or phone that I enjoy playing. One is called Words with Friends and follows the principles of Scrabble. And I love words! After watching my mother slowly decline cognitively with Alzheimer’s, I am conscious of maintaining my brain power, and what better way than a fun game? There is another bonus to playing Words with Friends (WwF), and that is staying in touch (in a superficial sort of way) with people on a daily basis. I find this comforting since retiring from a varied career in education which spanned 44 years. I have a close friend, Teresa, who lives in the country about a two hour drive from where I live in Melbourne. Teresa’s husband of 32 years died suddenly three years ago, only two months after my best friend died of cancer. I spent time with Teresa at her beautiful property, supporting her in her grief and helping conduct the memorial service to celebrate her husband’s life. I introduced Teresa to WwF at that time and we have played almost daily since then. WwF is fairly easy to keep to a moderate use of time, as I must wait for the other to make their moves before I can play again. I also love playing several games with three local friends and several of my relatives in California. Another computer game I play is Lumosity, a brain training game that addresses such skills as speed, attention, memory, flexibility and problem solving. Lumosity contains games with only one player versus the electronic game. So, there is no need to wait on another player to repeat the game. Over time, I found myself self-selecting games that I particularly enjoyed. I started playing the same two games over and over to try to increase my score. Lately, while playing Lumosity games, I have been reminded of a familiar compulsive behaviour to keep playing the same game. So, the conversation to myself goes something like this: “OK, you’ve played Train of Thought five times now, so this will be your last game today”. “Oops! I’ve started another game...can’t quit now, this one will be my last game”. At the end of this game, I hear my mind saying, “just one more...”! Why was this compulsive behaviour familiar to me? For most of my life I have battled serious overeating, favouring sweet foods. That began as a young child. This scourge, which I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, was rife with breaking my own promises to myself, mental obsession, and experiencing a compulsion where it seemed I had no choice. The effect, naturally, was weight gain, followed by a rigid regime of dieting... over and over again. I have lost up to 30 kilograms on several occasions (using an array of diets, 12 step programs such as Overeaters Anonymous, hypnotism, numerous counsellors and therapists). So, when I observe the conversation in my mind, “this is your last game now”, I remember the same struggle with, for example, chocolate biscuits. I would eat 3 chocolate biscuits and then put the packet away in the cupboard, saying to myself, “that’s all you need”. I’d return back to the task at hand, but my mind was obsessed with the biscuits. Such messages drifting from my own brain would be, “go ahead, have a couple more. You deserve it. They are so delicious”. Inevitably, I ate the entire packet. Arrgghh! Fortunately, I have controlled the weight gain in the last few years with the help of Bariatric surgery. I had a lap band fitted a few years ago, which limits the amount of food I can eat. I have learned to eat more slowly, take small bites, and chew thoroughly. I’ve been wearing the same size clothes for 3 years, which seems quite miraculous to me! One of the things these two compulsive behaviours have in common is that I only ever binged on food or Lumosity games when I was alone. It is a secret. Fortunately, I don’t believe there are too many downsides to spending 30-40 minutes a day on playing Lumosity games on my laptop and I am not too worried about it. I am pleased that I am aware of the compulsive behaviours when they creep in and I value my life experience at these times. So, after playing and replaying Lumosity games for 40 minutes, I take my dog for a walk to the local dog park where she loves socialising with the other dogs. And I make sure I socialise with the other dog owners. Laurie Darby was a guest on Insight SBS, which explores video gaming and the impact it can have on Australian’s lives. Watch 8.30pm, August 7, on SBS.

Mind

10,000 Aussie dental patients urged to get blood tests for HIV and hepatitis

Health experts have urged up to 10,000 dental patients in Sydney to get tested for serious blood-borne diseases, including HIV, after a dentist was found to be breaching hygiene standards. NSW Health has warned patients of dentist Dr James Pok-Yan Ng, who worked in Ramsay St, Haberfield, to visit a GP for blood tests. Any patients who have ever visited the Haberfield dentist in the past 35 years, even if they saw a different dentist, have also been encouraged to get screened. The Dental Council suspects up to 10,000 patients may be affected by the hygiene breach. In July, an investigation found evidence of filthy dental equipment and a poor practice environment. Acting director of Sydney Local Health District’s Public Health Unit, Dr Zaina Najjar, said so far, no patients had acquired a blood-borne virus because of the dental clinic. “Precautionary testing for hepatitis B, C, and HIV is recommended for anyone who attended the clinic over the past 35 years, especially those who had invasive procedures,” Dr Najjar said. “This would have involved a needle or other instrument piercing the skin, gums or tooth root, or where bleeding may have occurred, but we recommend any patient of this practice sees their GP.” “The council carries out inspections of dental practices when a complaint is made which raises a possible concern about compliance with our infection control guidelines,” said Dental Council of NSW president Dr Shane Fryer. “Overwhelmingly, the majority of dental practitioners comply with infection control guidelines, procedures and obligations but if anyone has concerns, we urge you to contact the HCCC or the Dental Council.” Dr Pok-Yan Ng has since had his registration suspended and has been barred from practicing as a dentist in Australia.

Caring

Lifestyle

Princess Mary flashes endless legs in gorgeous frock at fashion show

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark put on a leggy display in a pastel pink dress during a fashion show in København. The Australian-born royal looked right at home in the front row as she watched students showcase their designs at the Kolding Design School and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts joint show Future of Fashion. <img id="i-61472699e619d857" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/08/08/18/4EF02C2D00000578-6040297-image-a-29_1533747910855.jpg" alt="Initially Mary looked every inch the royal in her dress, which featured a respectable high neck and had a floor-sweeping length (pictured arriving at the Academy)" width="634" height="950" /> The ever-stylish Mary wore a floor-sweeping flowy frock cinched at the waist with a chunky belt and finished off with pink stilettos, fitting right in with the chic crowd. The royal even showed off her tanned pins when she swept her dress to the side as she sat down to watch the fashion parade. <img id="i-11b93c6830b18a0a" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/08/08/17/4EF028D500000578-6040297-Sitting_in_the_front_row_Australian_born_Mary_had_pulled_her_lon-m-8_1533747196080.jpg" alt="Sitting in the front row, Australian born Mary had pulled her long dress up above her knees (pictured)" width="634" height="849" /> Later in the day, she attended the Fashion Fair in Copenhagen, of which she is patron. The annual event sees upcoming designers showcase their clothes in displays and fashion shows. What do you think of Princess Mary's dress? Let us know in the comments below.

Beauty & Style

Carrie Bickmore’s hilarious explanation to her daughter of how she got pregnant

Carrie Bickmore has revealed how she was forced to give her three-year-old daughter the “birds and the bees” chat when Evie asked her how “the baby got into my tummy?”. Speaking to co-host Tommy Little on their 2DAYFM show <a href="https://www.hit.com.au/shows/carrie-tommy">Carrie & Tommy</a>, the 37-year-old shared her hilarious response. “She’s obsessed,” said Carrie. “It’s all she asks me, over and over again and if I don’t give her the answer, I say to her ‘go ask daddy’, then she goes and asks daddy and he says ‘go ask mummy’ and so it goes on.” <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/BkRF7RGHHLQ/?utm_source=ig_embed" data-instgrm-version="9"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 62.5% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></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/BkRF7RGHHLQ/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Hey some exciting news to share with you. We are having a BABY 👶 🍼 How funny is Evie asking if it’s twins. No honey it’s not twins!!!!!!</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/bickmorecarrie/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank"> Carrie Bickmore</a> (@bickmorecarrie) on Jun 20, 2018 at 5:49pm PDT </div> </blockquote> So instead of explaining to her daughter how the baby “got into” her tummy, Carrie decided to explain how the baby “got out”. “I so didn’t want to explain how it got into my tummy the other day, that I explained quite graphically how it got out… but I wasn’t willing to explain how it got in,” she said. “I said ‘it comes out my hole,'” Carrie revealed. But that didn’t satisfy Evie’s curiosity. “And she said ‘do I have a hole?’ and I said ‘yes’ and she said ‘do I have a big one’ and I said ‘sure,'” she said. “I was just trying to move the conversation along, and then I explained how it stretches… because I was naked at the time and she was looking at me and she was trying to work out how it obviously comes out the size of the hole.” But again, little Evie wasn’t satisfied with the explanation and eventually dad Chris Walker gave in. “It involves using mummy’s … and daddy’s … and those two things together make a baby,” she recounted, clarifying that they use the “proper [words] for it because we do that in the house”. “She then said ‘Why don’t we use her bottom?’, and he informed her that in this scenario it wasn’t very helpful.” “Anyway issue’s resolved, I don’t have to deal with it, it’s been dealt with and now she knows all about everything.”

Family & Pets

Jamie Oliver abused after launch of The Naked Chef: "I got chased and punched a few times"

Jamie Oliver may be one of the world’s most famous chefs but his climb to fame wasn’t without difficulty. The healthy eating advocate, who now has a net worth of US$235 million, has revealed that he received a lot of hate after his first show aired. In an interview with <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/">The Sun</a>, Oliver said men were abusive toward him after The Naked Chef series aired because he was showing wives and girlfriends that men were able to cook. Oliver said: “When men stopped thinking of me as the competition — after about two-and-a-half years — men would stop wanting to punch me.” “I didn’t realise it was political at the time, but 20 years ago women, en masse, were going to work. “Women and men, husbands, boyfriends were coming home from work, they’d sit down at six o’clock and go ‘Ahh, f***ing tired’, and men across Britain would look at their wives and go ‘What’s for dinner?’ And they weren’t having it. And rightfully so. “They had both done a 12-hour day, their feet both hurt, they’re both contributing to the rent — so I didn’t know it because I was too young and stupid, and I was just enjoying life way too much — but women around Britain made me succeed.” Jamie Oliver explained that the backlash was not only verbal but also physical. “And then that’s why, if you look back in the papers and study it, men hated me for two years, and I got chased and punched a few times, I had loads of abuse. Men f***ing hated me.” Oliver said when the series aired he looked “about one-year-old – almost like a foetus”, which inspired women to tell their parents to cook more. Did you watch Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef series when it aired on local TV? Tell us in the comments below.

Food & Wine

Fergie and Prince Andrew still live together despite divorcing 22 years ago

Despite divorcing 22 years ago in 1996, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson still live with each other. The former royal couple, who share daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both live at Royal Lodge Windsor. Prince Andrew officially moved in to the residence in 2004 following the 2002 death of the Queen Mother, who lived there for 70 years. Reportedly, Fergie and her two daughters joined the Duke of York in 2008 and have remained there ever since. “Sarah Ferguson still rules the roost at the Duke’s home — even though they’re divorced,” a royal source previously told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/">The Sun</a>. The 58-year-old Duchess of York spoke of her living arrangement with her ex-husband in an interview on KIIS FM. “I’m in and out all the time and he’s in and out all the time,” she said. “He is the finest man in my life – he is a nugget of goodness. I threw myself into a love affair for life.” In an interview with Hello! she also revealed that they “support each other emotionally” and “health wide”. “At least every two weeks we sit down and communicate, the four of us,” she said. It is believed the duo first met at the Guards Polo Club when they were both kids. They were reintroduced by Princess Diana in 1985 as Fergie’s dad was Prince Charles’ polo manager. After a year of dating, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple, both 26 at the time, were engaged. Prince Andrew and Fergie married on July 23 in 1986, with guests including the royal family, US First Lady Nancy Regan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. However, in 1992 Buckingham Palace released a statement announcing that the couple were splitting. “In view of the media speculation which the Queen finds especially undesirable during the general election campaign, Her Majesty is issuing the following statement,” the statement read. “Last week, lawyers acting for the Duchess of York initiated discussions about a formal separation for the Duke and Duchess. “These discussions are not yet completed and nothing will be said until they are.” The scandal that broke the royal’s relationship was a paparazzi photo of Fergie with her toes in the mouth of Texan financial advisor John Bryan, while lounging in the sun in a bikini. After their separation, Fergie revealed that she was heavily in debt and without Andrew’s generosity, she would’ve been “homeless”. However, despite the scandals the pair have faced, they stayed on amicable terms and have been pictured together throughout the years for various family events. Andrew and Fergie have even been asked if they are thinking of remarrying, due to the close nature of their relationship and the fact they still live together. It is expected the pair will sit next to each other during the wedding of their daughter Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank on October 12.

Relationships

Finance

Can you spot the glaring differences on this $50 note?

Police have warned people to check any notes they receive after counterfeit $50 bills were found in circulation. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The ACT Police revealed that there were “quite distinctive” differences between the real notes and the fake ones. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Can you spot the three obvious differences? <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: center; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;"><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7e5f0bef2a654f9ab90b3a45db795229" /><img style="width: 500px; height:375px;" src="/media/7820185/1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7e5f0bef2a654f9ab90b3a45db795229" /> <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The most obvious difference is that the counterfeit note has blue Chinese characters printed where the clear window should be. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The fakes also don’t have serial numbers and other security features that normal $50 bills have. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">There are also two lines that run through the zero in the top right of the bank note, which should not be there. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The counterfeit notes appear to be training banknotes from overseas and are similar to those that were used across the country in 2017. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">ACT Policing Detective Acting Superintendent Jason Kennedy said it was important for people to get into the habit of checking their notes to make sure they are not fake. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“If you don’t think a banknote you’ve been presented with is genuine, then don’t accept it,” he said. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“These notes in particular are easily detected as being fake from the briefest inspection, if you take the time to look at them.” <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“If you do receive what you believe to be a counterfeit banknote, try to handle it as little as possible to preserve evidence. Note the description of the person who gave it to you and contact police on 131 444.” <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Have you ever received a counterfeit note? If so, tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Legal

The four-hour event at Coles set to divide shoppers this weekend

If you are planning on doing your grocery shopping at Coles this Saturday, you may need to factor in some extra time to complete the chore. This Saturday, select stores will be bustling with crowds as Coles shoppers who are collecting ‘The Little Shop’ figurines will have the option to go to swap sessions to trade their mini items. The supermarket launched ‘The Little Shop’ promotion last month, which allows customers to collect tiny versions of 30 store products. The promotion, which awards shoppers one collectable for every $30 spent, was widely popular, even prompting some to sell complete sets on eBay for $1000. <img style="width: 500px; height:269.140625px;" src="/media/7820183/1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1b4a9cf301fe44738f25a3b3e838c2a7" /> A Coles spokesman told <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/">Yahoo7</a> ‘The Little Shop’ promotion had proven successful with shoppers. “We know there are swap groups forming all over the country from Port Augusta in South Australia to Mackay in Queensland all the way to Ellenbrook in Western Australia. In addition, we are holding an official Swap Day in 37 supermarkets across the country on Saturday 11 August.” Despite its popularity, the promotion did receive some backlash as the miniature plastic collectables became available shortly after the national ban of single-use plastic bags. Stores participating in the swap day NEW SOUTH WALES • Burwood — Wilga St & Shaftbury Rd, Burwood • Westfield Eastgardens — Bunnerong Rd & Wentworth Ave, Pagewood • Warringah Mall — Pittwater Rd & Cross St, Brookvale • Charlestown — 1 Smart Street, Charlestown • Kellyville — Kellyville Plaza, 50 Wrights Rd, Kellyville • Marketown — Marketown King St & National Park St, Marketown • Penrith — Station St & Reserve St, Penrith • Westfield Bondi Junction — 500 Oxford St, Bondi Junction • Newcastle — 204 Union St, Newcastle • Bateau Bay — The Entrance Rd, Bateau Bay • Erina — Erina Fair S/C, Terrigal Dve, Erina VICTORIA • Chadstone — 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone • Southland — 1239 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham • Craigieburn — Craigieburn Rd & Windrock Av, Craigieburn • Waurn Ponds — Pioneer Rd & Princes Hwy, Waurn Ponds • Hoppers Crossing — 50 Old Geelong Rd, Hoppers Crossing • Roxburgh Park — Somerton Rd, Roxburgh Park • Brimbank — Neale Rd & Station Rd, Deer Park • Casey Centra — Cranbourne Rd, Narre Warren • Fountain Gate — Princes Hwy & Magid Dr, Narre Warren SOUTH AUSTRALIA • Churchill — 390 Churchill Rd, Kilburn • St Agnes — 1244 North East Rd, St Agnes • Gawler — Cnr Murray & Cowan Sts, Gawler • Marion — 297 Diagonal Rd, Oaklands Park QUEENSLAND • Robina — Robina Town Centre Dr, Robina • Indooroopilly — Moggill Rd, Indooroopilly • Pacific Fair — Hooker Blvd, Broadbeach Waters • Maroochydore — Horton Pde & Maroochydore Rd, Maroochydore • Earlville — 537 Mulgrave Rd, Earlville WESTERN AUSTRALIA • Ellenbrook — 11 Main St, Ellenbrook • Ocean Keys — Ocean Keys Bvd & Key Largo Dr, Clarkson • Eaton Fair — Cnr Eaton Dr & Recreation Dr, Eaton • Belmont Forum — 227 Belmont Ave, Cloverdale TASMANIA • Glenorchy — Main Rd & King George V Ave, Glenorchy • Meadow Mews — 102 Hobart Rd, Kings Meadows ACT • Amaroo — Horse Park Dr, Amaroo NORTHERN TERRITORY • Coolalinga — 405 Stuart Hwy, Coolalinga

Money & Banking

Why Prince Harry inherited more of the Queen Mother’s $24m fortune than Prince William

When the Queen Mother passed away on March 30 in 2002, aged 101, she left behind an AUD$24 million fortune. Great-grandson Prince Harry inherited a large “bulk” of her inheritance, substantially more than his older brother Prince William, but there’s a good reason why. It turns out the Queen Mother, knowing Prince William was second in line to the throne, wanted to ensure Prince Harry’s financial future was secure. When Prince Charles becomes King, Prince William will in turn takeover the title of Prince of Wales – which means inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall and its private estate. However, Prince Harry – who is currently sixth in line to the throne after Prince William’s children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – will not receive anything. A BBC report the same year the Queen Mother died stated the “bulk” of her $24 million estate will go to Prince Harry “since William will benefit financially becoming King”. While it is unknown the exact amount the Duke of Sussex inherited, his great-grandmother certainly rewarded the royal in financial terms, to compensate for his line of succession to the throne. The rest of the Queen Mother’s estate (the items in her homes) was left to her eldest daughter Queen Elizabeth II. Her youngest daughter Princess Margaret passed away one month earlier on February 9, 2002, aged 71. When Prince William and Prince Harry’s mother Princess Diana passed away in 1997, her sons received an equal split of her fortune.

Money & Banking

The Aussie discount mall that is beating the big-name retailers

It has long been known as the shopping outlet full of old stock and factory seconds, but DFO is now attracting more Australian and overseas tourists than ever before. In the past eight years, DFO has increased its traffic by 40 per cent, welcoming 17 million customers across the country every year. Its sales have also grown at twice the rate of the national retail sector. Australian Bureau of Statistic figures show total retail spending grew 2.5 per cent in May year-on-year, whereas DFO’s tenants’ sales grew 5 per cent last year across its centres in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Apparel sales were leading the growth at DFO, up 12 per cent in the past two years. Industry wide spending on apparel grew at 3.2 per cent. But it has taken up to a decade for the factory outlet to change its reputation. Queensland University of Technology retail expert Dr Gary Mortimer said DFO was initially seen as a dumping ground for old stock. “It had odd sizes, end of range season clothing, outdated styles and colours,” he told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/dfo-is-growing-at-twice-the-rate-of-the-national-retail-sector/news-story/0cd6c97b0742c130b6a456ec46313ee5">news.com.au</a>. But Vicinity Centres, which owns the DFO brand licence in Australia, has overhauled the factory outlet. “When you come to DFOs you’re having a better experience in getting the sizes that you like, and the quality of brands that you like,” Vicinity Centres DFO regional general manager Justin Blumfield said. DFO has recently expanded its portfolio to include better quality local and international designer brands. Some retailers are even stocking items specifically for their DFO outlets. “Now, more than a third of retailers have stock specifically for DFO including Coach, Michael Kors and Portmans,” Mr Blumfield said. “We are seeing premium quality outlets delivering high levels of occupancy and income growth,” Mr Blumfield said. The general manager said outlet shopping was the fastest growing sector of the industry and wants to position DFO as a “destination” for discount sales. “We’ve got a clear strategy at the DFO which differentiates ourself from traditional retail — so we feel that it can complement the traditional shop rather than cannibalise it,” he said. Do you shop at DFO? Do you prefer it over traditional retailers? Let us know in the comments below.

Money & Banking

Entertainment

The royal freebie every Aussie is entitled to receive

If you are an Australian citizen and consider yourself a royalist, there is one interesting royal freebie that you are legally entitled to receive. Australian citizens can email their local MPs and receive a free portrait of the Queen to hang in their home. The freebie comes under the “constituents’ request program”, which allows voters to receive “nationhood material” – such as Aussie flags, recordings of the National anthem etc – but also a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhastieandrew%2Fposts%2F1701505639872527%3A0&width=500" width="500" height="491" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> According to <a href="https://www.vice.com">Vice</a>, the portrait was taken specifically for Australians. In the portrait, Her Royal Majesty is wearing her “wattle spray” brooch, which was gifted to her by then-PM Robert Menzies during the Queen’s first royal visit to Australia in 1954. Under the program, Aussies can also request a Prince Philip portrait, however, photos of Prince William, Duchess Kate, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are not available. Surprisingly, it is only Australians who can receive free portraits as UK citizens have to buy them and Canadians can only download them. The constituents’ request program was introduced in the Parliamentary Entitles Act 1990, reported Vice. The program has received criticism, with some saying taxpayer money should be better spent. In 2012, then Greens leader Bob Brown said in parliament: “If there is extra money available, I suggest that it go to ensuring that indigenous people in Australia, who are being deprived of their first languages, be given an education in their first languages and that we stop some first languages going to extinction in this country.” Brown added, “I think that might have priority. However, if there are members opposite who cannot find a picture of Her Majesty, I would be happy to provide them with one.” What are your thoughts on this freebie? Let us know in the comments below.

Art

WhatsApp scam that sends fake messages from you

A new bug discovered within popular messaging app WhatsApp allows hackers to infiltrate and message your contacts. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Experts have warned that when the bug is combined with existing glitches, it allows hackers to send messages to your friends and family. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The bug, first identified by Check Point Research cybersecurity analysts, was created by vulnerabilities between WhatsApp for mobile and for web, where users must sync in order to send messages via desktop. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">On their website, Check Point said the bug could “allow threat actors to intercept and manipulate messages sent in both private and group conversations, giving attackers immense power to create and spread misinformation from what appear to be trusted sources.” <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">According to Check Point, hackers can manipulate users' messages and change the identity of a sender in the group conversation, even if that person is not a member of the group. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">Hackers can also send a private message to a group chat member, but when the targeted individual responds, everyone in the conversation can see it. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The bug will enable hackers to impersonate users and spread fake news. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">The researchers who discovered the bug, believe it is of the “utmost importance” that WhatsApp fixes the problem immediately, however, the Facebook-owned company has “acknowledged” the flaws but said it was a part of the app’s “design framework”. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">In a recent blog post, WhatsApp wrote: “WhatsApp cares deeply about your safety. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“We encourage you to think before sharing messages that were forwarded. <p style="margin-top: 0cm; background: white; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; word-spacing: 0px;">“As a reminder, you can report spam or block a contact in one tap and can always reach out to WhatsApp directly for help.”

Technology

Sunrise vs Today: Breakfast TV ratings are in

Channel Seven’s Sunrise has once against won the breakfast show ratings war, with its Channel Nine rival Today show suffering its worst ratings in four years. After a year of drama that saw popular host Lisa Wilkinson depart, and the Ubergate scandal where Karl and Peter Stefanovic slammed their colleagues, Today’s Karl and Georgie Gardner have struggled to compete against Sunrise’s David Koch and Samantha Armytage. Sunrise can already claim to be the No. 1 Aussie breakfast show for 2018, <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/today-show-suffers-its-worst-ratings-in-four-years-as-rivals-sunrise-continues-its-success/news-story/b5f8f8e7cfec7dc29b7c60f2575a199d">The Daily Telegraph</a> report. Sunrise has won 22 of 23 weeks across the five metro city audiences. Today has failed to pull a bigger audience in any week. A media insider told the publication that Nine bosses would not be impressed with the numbers, but they had expected as much. “Bosses would be well aware that this was a hard sell. It was widely known that Karl and Georgie were not close and then when the Uber story came out it went worse,” the media insider said. “It would be disappointing to be beaten so consistently but probably not totally surprising.” A spokesman for Channel 7 said they were pleased with the numbers. “This is the strongest performance for Sunrise in four years,” the spokesman said. “But no crowing from us just yet. We remain focused on the next half of the year.”

Anthony Callea asked to sing at Bert Newton’s funeral

Anthony Callea has revealed that his good friend Bert Newton has asked him to sing at his funeral. Speaking to hit105’s Stav, Abby and Matt this week, the Australian Idol star said he’s developed a great friendship with the 80-year-old TV veteran since the pair worked together on a stage production in 2013 “I think I’m in his will actually, he told me that I’m in his will to sing at his funeral,” Anthony said on radio. “We haven’t discussed rates yet,” he then joked. When the Brisbane-based radio hosts asked him what Anthony would be singing, he had a cheeky response. “They don’t tell me what to sing unless they’re paying,” he laughed. Anthony then opened up about the great dynamic the pair shared when they previously worked together 2013 production of Grease: The Musical. “We shared a dressing room together and we had so much bloody fun,” revealed Anthony. “He’s so naughty. “I used to play so many jokes on him. He used to have his dressing gown in the dressing room just waiting there in between scenes and so I used to go and put that in the freezer.”

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