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Dwayne Johnson's emotional moment with cancer-stricken fan

<p>A heartfelt moment between Hollywood actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and a fan battling stage 4 cancer has gone viral. </p> <p>While on a trip to Target in New Jersey, Johnson met a woman who shared candidly that she was facing stage 4 pancreatic cancer. </p> <p>Johnson greeted her warmly in the shop, “Good to see you, how are you feeling?”</p> <p>With a smile, the woman replied: “Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Can’t do anything about it.”</p> <p>Johnson then offered to take a photo with her, to which she responded, “I would love to.”</p> <p>As they posed together, the woman proudly declared, “I’m a warrior,” prompting Johnson to affirm, “You are a warrior,” before the woman joked that they looked alike since they both had no hair.</p> <p>Before he parted, she told Johnson: “We gotta keep fighting, fight fight fight.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCTEM7ixvm1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCTEM7ixvm1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dwayne Johnson (@therock)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Rock then posted a video of the sweet moment to his Instagram, reflecting on the moment with the caption, "As frenzied, and chaotic as all this was - it hit me here just how unpredictable, yet beautiful life truly is."</p> <p>The video quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, with many commenting words of support for the fan. </p> <p>"The Rock is the most humble guy ever," one person wrote, while another added, "You made that woman's day!"</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

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Fresh claims about Queen Elizabeth's health in her final days

<p>Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shared a sad claim about Queen Elizabeth and her secret health battle that she was going through before her death in 2022. </p> <p>Johnson reflected on his relationship with the former monarch in his upcoming memoir, <em>Unleashed</em>, detailing his final meeting with the Queen at Balmoral Castle just days before she died.</p> <p>In the book, he explained that the Queen had been battling bone cancer and was worried about the deterioration of her condition.</p> <p>“I had known for a year or more that she had a form of bone cancer, and her doctors were worried that at any time she could enter a sharp decline,” Johnson wrote in an excerpt obtained by the <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13901877/BORIS-JOHNSON-meeting-Queen-inspirational-words-wisdom.html">Daily Mail</a></em>.</p> <p>Before their meeting, Johnson claimed the Queen’s private secretary, Edward Young, warned him that her health had “gone down quite a bit over the summer.”</p> <p>“She seemed pale and more stooped, and she had dark ­bruising on her hands and wrists, probably from drips or injections,” Johnson wrote.</p> <p>He continued, “But her mind – as Edward had also said – was completely ­unimpaired by her illness, and from time to time in our ­conversation she still flashed that great white smile in its sudden mood-lifting beauty.”</p> <p>Queen Elizabeth died just two days after their final meeting. </p> <p>According to Johnson, the Queen “had known all ­summer that she was going, but was determined to hang on and do her last duty” by overseeing the “peaceful and orderly transition” of power from him to his successor Liz Truss.</p> <p>Johnson isn’t the first person to have claimed the late monarch was diagnosed with cancer during her final years, as royal author Gyles Brandreth wrote about rumours Her Majesty had a rare form of myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, in his book, <em>Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait</em>.</p> <p>He explained that the diagnosis “would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life.”</p> <p>However, the Queen’s official cause of death was listed as “old age” and the palace has never disclosed any other medical records.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/UPI/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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"Offer is on the table": New James Bond actor revealed

<p>In a world where the only constant is change, one thing remains certain: James Bond will always be suave, sophisticated, and British.</p> <p>The search for the next 007 has been a rollercoaster of speculation, rumours and hopes dashed faster than a villain's escape plan. But now the wait appears to be over. The man most likely in line to be the next James Bond has been revealed, and his name is Taylor-Johnson ... Aaron Taylor-Johnson. </p> <p>According to a report from <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/26774029/aaron-taylor-johnson-offered-role-james-bond/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Sun</em></a> on Tuesday, Eon Productions, the brilliant minds behind the iconic spy franchise, appear to have finally settled on their man. According to sources as reliable as Bond's impeccable taste in martinis, Taylor-Johnson is set to don the tuxedo and wield the Walther PPK in the next instalment of the series. Well, at least if he accepts the offer.</p> <p>“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it," <em>The Sun </em>reported. "The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back.</p> <p>“As far as Eon is concerned, Aaron is going to sign his contract in the coming days and they can start preparing for the big announcement.”</p> <p>Now, some of you might be scratching your heads, wondering, "Aaron who?"</p> <p>Aaron Taylor-Johnson is an English actor, which automatically makes him qualified for the role. Plus, he's been in action films like <em>Tenet</em>, <em>Bullet Train</em> and <em>Avengers: Age of Ultron</em>. So, he's no stranger to high-stakes thrills and spills. Also, did we mention he's British? Because that's kind of a prerequisite.</p> <p>At 33 years of age, Taylor-Johnson would be the youngest actor to step into Bond's impeccably polished shoes since George Lazenby back in 1969. Talk about big shoes to fill. But if anyone can handle the pressure, it's our man Aaron. </p> <p>Now, some purists might be clutching their martini glasses in horror, lamenting the departure of Daniel Craig, who graced our screens for five thrilling films. But fear not, for change is the spice of life, and if there's one thing Bond knows how to handle, it's change. Besides, who wouldn't want to see what Taylor-Johnson brings to the table? Maybe he'll introduce a new signature drink or a quirky catchphrase. The possibilities are as endless as Bond's list of conquests.</p> <p>The response to <em>The Sun</em>'s announcement has caused a few reactions across the globe, with 9News reporting that "A source with knowledge of the situation tells CNN that Johnson has not been cast as Bond. And, BBC News reports that a 'production insider' said there is no truth to the rumours about Taylor-Johnson's casting."</p> <p>So, as we eagerly await the official announcement from Eon Productions, let us raise our glasses to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the next suave superspy set to save the world, one shaken, not stirred, adventure at a time. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty / Twitter (X)</em></p>

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“His music lives on”: Legendary UK rocker dies aged 75

<p dir="ltr"><em>Game of Thrones</em> actor and guitarist Wilko Johnson has died aged 75.</p> <p dir="ltr">The beloved actor played Ser Ilyn Payne in the popular series but had found fame earlier as guitarist in the band Dr Feelgood.</p> <p dir="ltr">His devastated band mates released a statement announcing the heartbreaking news.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is the announcement we never wanted to make, &amp; we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” the statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Before his rise to fame, Johnson worked as an English teacher before forming a band with some of his friends.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is the announcement we never wanted to make, &amp; we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died. He passed away at home on Monday 21st November. Thank you for respecting the family's privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.<br />(Image: Leif Laaksonen) <a href="https://t.co/1cRqyi9b9X">pic.twitter.com/1cRqyi9b9X</a></p> <p>— Wilko Johnson (@wilkojohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/wilkojohnson/status/1595358840400248832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The group rose to fame and eventually Johnson was cast as Ser Ilyn Payne in <em>Game of Thrones</em> in 2011.</p> <p dir="ltr">He was initially meant to be a guest star in the first season but reappeared in the second season.</p> <p dir="ltr">Unfortunately he was phased out of the show following a terminal pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2013 and was given only 10 months to live.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I suddenly found myself in a position where nothing matters anymore," Johnson told the Associated Press in 2013.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm a miserable so-and-so normally. ... I'd be worrying about the taxman or all the things that we worry about that get in the way of the real things.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And suddenly it doesn't matter. All of that doesn't matter.</p> <p dir="ltr">"You walk down the street and you feel intensely alive. You're, 'Oh, look at that leaf!′ You're looking around and you think, 'I'm alive. Ain't it amazing?'"</p> <p dir="ltr">Johnson is survived by his sons Simon and Matthew and grandson Dylan.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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“Absolute lie": Furious Charlie Teo hits back at 60 Minutes piece

<p dir="ltr">Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has slammed <em>60 Minutes </em>for claims that he charged hefty prices for futile operations that left patients severely injured and families with false hope.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a one-on-one interview with <em>A Current Affair</em>’s Tracy Grimshaw, Dr Teo responded to a “comprehensive” story aired by the program last weekend, in which multiple families shared their upset about the large financial burdens placed on them and feeling that they had been given false hope by the acclaimed surgeon.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Teo dubbed the report as “abhorrent and disgusting”, and while he admitted he had made mistakes in his career, he said the idea that he was simply in it for the money was false.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For some outsiders not sitting in the room with you having a discussion with the patient, it‘s so wrong for them to judge you on what’s going on in the room,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If someone is trying to portray me as some money-hungry bastard that was operating and hurting children based on money, that’s what I want to correct. It’s not that case.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The surgeon, who is currently under investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission, told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Wednesday that he does have regrets about mistakes he’s made.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But I deny the accusation that it means nothing to me,” Dr Teo said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I treat all my patients like a member of my own family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked if he was sorry about the mistakes he’s made, Dr Teo said he was and that “you would have to be a sociopath” not to be sorry.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You’d have to be a sociopath not to be sorry because every mistake means some sort of bad outcome for the patient which means quality of life issues, sometimes even death, or paralysis, inability to speak,” he added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I mean, if that didn’t affect you, you’d be like Dr Death, you’d be some sort of a psychopath.”</p> <p dir="ltr">During his 60 Minutes interview, Dr Teo responded to the case of one patient who lost their vision, explaining that he never gave 100 percent certainty that the procedure wouldn’t result in blindness.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I had guaranteed that there was no chance of blindness, that is me saying the wrong thing, that’s misinformation,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t do that, you can’t do that and not get sued, someone will sue you one day and after 11,000 cases, you don’t think if I have set out to a handful of patients I’d be sued by those patients?</p> <p dir="ltr">“In that case, I thought the chance of blindness was almost zero, but I never give a guarantee. They are claiming I said that I guarantee you won’t be blind, that is absolute lie, I did not say that I would never say that you be foolish to say that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Teo revealed that he has photos of his patients on his phone to remind him of the importance of his job, saying that he carried the devastation of failed operations with him every day.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is a French vascular surgeon who wrote a book on the philosophy of surgery, and I don’t think you can put in any better words when he said ‘every surgeon carries with himself a small cemetery’,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“My cemetery is not small, it’s a significant sized cemetery. (I have) pictures of my patients on my phone to remind me every day I’ve got to do it better.”</p> <p dir="ltr">While some of his former patients have been critical of the neurosurgeon, others have leapt to his defence, including 24-year-old Monica Lopresti.</p> <p dir="ltr">After she began to lose her memory in early 2021 but her blood tests returned normal results, it wasn’t until she received the results of an MRI in 2022 that it was discovered that she had a benign cystic tumour in the middle of her brain.</p> <p dir="ltr">Seven neurosurgeons turned her away, but Dr Teo agreed to perform surgery on her.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Lopresti said Dr Teo explained the risks, which included death, paralysis and being left in a vegetative state, and that she agreed to proceed with the knowledge of the risks.</p> <p dir="ltr">She added that “it just isn’t true” that the surgeon gave people false hope.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wasn’t living a life. I was always calling in sick and I wasn’t having the quality of life that I wanted,” she told <em>news.com.au</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since August 2021, Dr Teo has been banned from performing operations in Australia but still receives daily requests for help, telling the podcast <em>The Soda Room </em>that he estimates that nine patients a week are left without lifesaving care as a result.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So the sadness of the situation is that my entire practice was mostly taking out tumours that other people called inoperable, so that was 90 per cent of my practice,” he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d0234247-7fff-3076-f61d-8fd3339b1f0e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“That’s 10 tumours a week. So that means, quite conceivably, that there are nine patients a week, who are missing out on either extension of life or cure from a condition that I know that I can help. Now that’s sad.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: A Current Affair</em></p>

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Queen breaks 114-year-old royal tradition

<p dir="ltr">Queen Elizabeth II will be greeting outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor at the Balmoral estate, as being unable to travel down to London will see her breaking a royal tradition that predates her reign.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since 1908, it has been a royal tradition that the sovereign greets the outgoing and incoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in London.</p> <p dir="ltr">The leaving PM will visit the monarch after resigning or losing an election to advise her on who commands a majority of MPs in the House of Commons, as well as who should lead the country next.</p> <p dir="ltr">Then, the incoming leader will meet the Queen and “kisses hands” with her. While this previously required the new PM to actually kiss the sovereign’s hands, it now just refers to the meeting between the Queen and the PM.</p> <p dir="ltr">The shock development will mean that Boris Johnson - who <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/boris-johnson-resigns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resigned from the top job</a> in early July - will be travelling 1600 kilometres to Balmoral to take part in the royal tradition.</p> <p dir="ltr">He will also be joined by the next Prime Minister, who will be announced on Monday evening.</p> <p dir="ltr">Currently, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is the frontrunner to take on the role, with Rishi Sunak, the former Chief Secretary of the Treasury, following up behind.</p> <p dir="ltr">The decision comes amid growing concerns about the 96-year-old monarch’s health, after it was reported last week that Prince Charles is making “regular, daily” visits to his mother. </p> <p dir="ltr">Charles doesn’t typically make unplanned visits to see his mother, with most meetings planned by palace officials.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has been staying with the Queen at the estate in Aberdeenshire, which is where she spends most of her summers.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b0227f5-7fff-37dd-ef97-d79623a76a47"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Young girl wants to be paramedic after saving own mum's life

<p dir="ltr">A nine-year-old girl has set her sights on becoming a paramedic after she performed lifesaving CPR on her mum with the help of an emergency dispatcher.</p> <p dir="ltr">When Charli Johnson’s mum, Sharon, fainted as a result of a viral infection while the pair were home alone in July, the young girl knew exactly what to do next.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I checked if she was awake and still breathing, and I went and called trip-0,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought something was wrong so I knew what to do.”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the start of the call to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), emergency medical dispatcher Anne Barklimore can be heard asking for Charli’s suburb and name, to which she replied, “Helensvale, Charli”.</p> <p dir="ltr">During the call, Charli told Ms Barklimore that her mum had stopped breathing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She just kneeled to the ground and she just fainted,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Is she awake?” Ms Barklimore asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No, I don’t think so. I think she just stopped breathing,” Charli said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barklimore then talked Charli through how to perform CPR, and the pair counted the pumps together.</p> <p dir="ltr">With Ms Barklimore’s guidance over the phone, Charli performed chest compressions on her mother for about 17 minutes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One, two, three four - that’s the speed you’re going Charli. You’re doing a great job,” Ms Barklimore told Charli during the call.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You are doing such a good job Charli, and that you knew to call triple-0, I am so proud of you … and your mum is going to be so proud of you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Johnson can then be heard crying after regaining consciousness.</p> <p dir="ltr">Charli said that Ms Barklimore’s instructions were helpful, but that performing CPR was still a challenge, especially on her mum.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a bit scary, especially doing it on my mum,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Barklimore said she recognised Charli was young from the first moment she heard her voice and praised her for her calm composure.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She answered the questions calmly and directly - that’s so important,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I was proud. As a mother, I just thought, 'She's nine and she doesn't know what's happened to her mum'. </p> <p dir="ltr">"She held it together. So many older people don't have that composure — it was quite surprising.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She saved her mum’s life that day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Gavin Nichols, one of the first paramedics to arrive on the scene, said it was unusual to see a young person performing CPR on their mum, and that seeing a child know to call triple-0 and provide information clearly and directly was an important lesson for other families.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You don’t know when you’re going to have your emergency,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So it's really important to have your friends and family aware of what to do when that emergency happens."</p> <p dir="ltr">Charli was honoured for her bravery and composure by the QAS on Friday morning, receiving a teddy bear dressed in a paramedic uniform and an award.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her mum said she was “very proud” of her daughter, who says she now wants to be a paramedic so she can teach other kids how to do CPR.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm surprised Charli did what she did," Ms Johnson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We'd gone over our address, my phone number — we hadn't actually done it for a while, but she's obviously retained it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She's a bit of a ratbag at home, so she did surprise me."</p> <p dir="ltr">To hear the full recording of Charli’s call to triple-0, head <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-19/nine-year-old-girl-saves-mums-life-on-triple-0-call/101350536" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d0d848e6-7fff-bab6-64ab-9d5a98b1435d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

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Brad Pitt has a list of actors he’ll never work with again

<p dir="ltr">The people you work with have the power to make going to work heavenly or hellish, so it should come as no surprise that Brad Pitt - whose career in acting and producing spans 35 years - would be selective about who he works with.</p> <p dir="ltr">In fact, <em>Bullet Train</em> co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson has revealed that Pitt has a “long” list of actors he never wants to work with again.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taylor-Johnson told <em>Variety</em> that Pitt keeps notes on who he likes and dislikes when he’s making films.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He just wants to bring light and joy into the world and be around people who are there to have a good time,” the 32-year-old explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You work with many actors and after a while you start making notes - ‘I am definitely not working with this person ever again’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Brad has this list too: the ‘good’ list and the ‘s**t’ list.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0b58473c-7fff-a28a-53f3-7b4800d2810c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">But, Taylor-Johnson was tight-lipped as to who was on Pitt’s “s**t list”.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgPY8Eyr9kZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgPY8Eyr9kZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (@aarontaylorjohnson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">It comes after the <em>Fight Club</em> star recently revealed he would be winding down his acting career to the dismay of her millions of fans.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pitt told a popular men’s magazine that he was on the “last leg” of his career and that he chooses his new projects very carefully.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taylor-Johnson said his 58-year-old costar “is in a new chapter of his life”, describing him as “a humble and gracious human being”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Quentin Tarantino, who worked with Pitt on <em>Once Upon A Time In Hollywood</em>, said that when Pitt does retire, Hollywood will lose “one of the last remaining big-screen movie stars”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s just a different breed of man,” Tarantino said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7a240c0-7fff-ce3d-7ca0-1b30139672c6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“And frankly, I don’t think you can describe exactly what that is because it’s like describing starshine.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

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Man wins $117 million after getting cancer “from baby powder”

<p>A man from New Jersey has been awarded $117 million after filing a lawsuit against Johnson &amp; Johnson, claiming his use of the brand’s talcum powder products had given him the lung disease mesothelioma.</p> <p>46-year-old investment banker Stephen Lanzo filed a lawsuit against the company and its supplier, Imerys Talc, after being diagnosed with the disease that is often linked to asbestos exposure.</p> <p>Mr Lanzo claimed the company was aware that its talcum powder products contained carcinogenic asbestos but failed to warn the public about it.</p> <p>Last week, a jury awarded him $30 million and his wife Kendra $7 million for “loss of consortium”, in which spouses are compensated for any harm caused by a “negligent injury”.</p> <p>On Wednesday, Mr Lanzo was awarded a further $80 million in punitive damages, taking his total compensation payout to $117 million.</p> <p>Punitive damages are generally awarded for unethical or negligent actions, but both Johnson &amp; Johnson and its supplier have denounced the danger of talcum powder use. </p> <p>Both the company and the supplier plan to appeal the verdict.</p> <p>Mr Lanzo is the first male to file a lawsuit linking a cancer diagnosis with the talcum powder products he used for over 20 years. However, thousands of women have filed lawsuits against Johnson &amp; Johnson and other companies, claiming a link between talcum powder use and ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Lawyers for Mr Lanzo claimed Johnson &amp; Johnson had withheld information from the public about the health effects of talcum power since the 1960s.</p> <p>The powder is made from talc, a soft mineral that is generally found near asbestos deposits.</p> <p>Previous studies have revealed that there is a risk of cross-contamination between the two during the mining process.</p> <p>Asbestos exposure has been linked to mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that usually affects the lungs, as well as ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Johnson &amp; Johnson claimed the company undertakes extensive testing to ensure that none of the products contain asbestos.</p> <p>"While we are disappointed with this decision, the jury has further deliberations to conduct in this trial and we will reserve additional comment until the case is fully completed," a spokeswoman for Johnson &amp; Johnson told CNN.</p>

Legal

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Hugh Grant trolls outgoing PM Boris Johnson

<p dir="ltr">Actor Hugh Grant has engaged in some hilarious antics against outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid calls for the leader to quit.</p> <p dir="ltr">After several days defying calls for his resignation from Conservative MPs and mass resignations from his cabinet, Mr Johnson finally announced he would resign late on Thursday (Australian time).</p> <p dir="ltr">But, the announcement came with the sounds of <em>Yakety Sax</em> playing in the background - per a request from Grant.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fa9ef9d-7fff-14c1-c7fc-4f22cc7c8cf6">The<em> Love Actually</em> star requested activists standing outside Westminster to play the famed <em>Benny Hill Show</em> theme song, which activist and anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray honoured at full volume.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Morning <a href="https://twitter.com/snb19692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@snb19692</a> Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the Benny Hill music to hand?</p> <p>— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh/status/1544953409845043201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Morning [Mr Bray],” Grant tweeted on Thursday afternoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the <em>Benny Hill</em> music to hand?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Bray was all too happy to play the tune, sharing footage of protestors dancing to the wacky tune on the College Green.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-02960a36-7fff-83c2-cb7d-de92ee69ab9d">“Just for [Hugh Grant] as requested here today at the media circus… College Green. The<em> Benny Hill </em>theme tune,” Mr Bray tweeted.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just for <a href="https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HackedOffHugh</a> as requested here today at the media circus… College Green. The Benny Hill theme tune. <a href="https://t.co/Tazb57gT8e">pic.twitter.com/Tazb57gT8e</a></p> <p>— Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) <a href="https://twitter.com/snb19692/status/1544998211630383104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The music could even be heard in the background of news broadcasts which aired interviews with MPs, including supporters of Mr Johnson, also held in Parliament Square.</p> <p dir="ltr">Footage of the interviews quickly spread on social media, with many praising Grant and the activists.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Brilliant! Whoever is responsible for the choice of music &amp; the impeccable timing should be given an MBE!!!” one person commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You absolute beauties. He’s only gone and done it!” a second fan wrote.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b3645abc-7fff-ab41-bca7-43924f381034"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Don’t know about you, but I’m pretty damn excited with Boris Johnson’s replacement as the new PM,” another said, sharing a photo of Grant in his role as the British PM in <em>Love Actually</em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hugh Grant tweeted a request at activists protesting outside Westminster to play the Benny Hill theme on their loudspeakers; when they did it became the soundtrack for street interviews with leading Tories trying explain the situation to the British people <a href="https://t.co/V1LxUoxRUE">pic.twitter.com/V1LxUoxRUE</a></p> <p>— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fritschner/status/1545077380527673344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Your request was Grant’ed Hugh!” another joked. “Bravo Steve! Bravo!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Mr Johnson has announced his resignation, he wants to stay until his replacement is chosen.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Today I have appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place,” he said in his speech outside Downing Street.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e0904715-7fff-c9a1-0c72-f82ec641e619"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

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Boris Johnson resigns

<p dir="ltr">Boris Johnson has resigned as Prime Minister of the UK.</p> <p dir="ltr">The leader of the controversial Conservative Party was plagued with various scandals from holding parties during lockdown to offering his colleague who was under investigation for sexual misconduct a high profile job. </p> <p dir="ltr">Within 48 hours, 59 people resigned from Johnson’s parliament with many of them calling for him to quit. </p> <p dir="ltr">Johnson eventually resigned from the top job at 12.30pm on Thursday UK time.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said he will remain in his position until a new leader of the Conservative Party is appointed. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister,” he said outside 10 Downing street.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I've agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week. </p> <p dir="ltr">“And I've today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until the new leader is in place.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time: 'Thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Johnson revealed that he tried to convince his party to stick together and how switching governments now would be “difficult”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"In the last few days, I've tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we're delivering so much... and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I regret not to have been successful in those arguments, and of course, it's painful, not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.</p> <p dir="ltr">"To you, the British public: I know that there will be many people who are relieved and, perhaps, quite a few will also be disappointed.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world, but them's the breaks."</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Read his full speech below.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">"It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I've agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week. And I've today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until the new leader is in place.</p> <p dir="ltr">"So I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, many of them voting Conservative for the first time: 'Thank you for that incredible mandate, the biggest Conservative majority since 1987, the biggest share of the vote since 1979’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"And the reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And of course, I'm immensely proud of the achievements of this government: from getting Brexit done to settling our relations with the continent for over half a century, reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament, getting us all through the pandemic, delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown, and in the last few months, leading the West in standing up to Putin's aggression in Ukraine.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And let me say now, to the people of Ukraine, that I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And at the same time, in this country, we've been pushing forward a vast program of investment in infrastructure and skills and technology, the biggest in a century. Because if I have one insight into human beings, it is that genius and talent and enthusiasm and imagination are evenly distributed throughout the population but opportunity is not. And that's why we must keep levelling up, keep unleashing the potential in every part of the United Kingdom. And if we could do that, in this country, we will be the most prosperous in Europe.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And in the last few days, I've tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we're delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we're actually only a handful of points behind in the polls, even in midterm after quite a few months of pretty relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And I regret not to have been successful in those arguments, and of course it's painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself. But as we've seen at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves. And my friends, in politics, no one is remotely indispensable, and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times, not just helping families to get through it but changing and improving the way we do things, cutting burdens on businesses and families and yes, cutting taxes, because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And to that new leader, I say wherever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And to you, the British public, I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them's the breaks.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I want to thank Carrie and our children, all members of my family who have had to put up with so much, for so long. I want to thank the peerless British civil service for all the help and support that you have given our police, our emergency services, and of course, our fantastic NHS who at a critical moment helped to extend my own period in office, as well as our armed services and our agencies that are so admired around the world, and our indefatigable Conservative Party members and supporters whose selfless campaigning makes our democracy possible.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I want to thank the wonderful staff here at Number 10 and of course Chequers, and our fantastic prop force detectives, the one group, by the way, who never leak.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Above all I want to thank you, the British public for the immense privilege that you have given me. And I want you to know that from now on, until the new prime minister is in place, your interests will be served and the government of the country will be carried on.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Being Prime Minister is an education in itself. I've travelled to every part of the United Kingdom and in addition to the beauty of our natural world, I found so many people possessed of such boundless British originality and so willing to tackle old problems in new ways that I know that even if things can sometimes seem dark now, our future together is golden.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Thank you all very much."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

News

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Charlie's Angels star stuns with her ageless appearance

<p>Beloved Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith has stunned fans with her latest jaw-dropping photo at an incredible 76 years of age.</p> <p>She casually posed in jeans and a puffy white blouse as she flaunted her ageless complexion in a pic posted to her Instagram.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXg1pb_PlnA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXg1pb_PlnA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jaclyn Smith (@realjaclynsmith)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Hundreds of fans immediately took to the comments section to express their shock over Smith’s youthful appearance. This isn’t the first time the mother-of-two has gone viral for her ageless appearance.</p> <p>She uploaded a photo on social media in December, where she was seen embracing her son Gaston Richman. Many followers pointed out how she managed to look younger than the 39-year-old.</p> <p>“I’ll tell you, it was a good photo,” the actress admitted.</p> <p>“Right place, right time. That’s the luck of the draw. Great lighting. I’m with a person that I adore, my son, and it was a going-away party, so my eyes were probably glistening with tears there, sparkling because he’s one of the human beings I worship.”</p> <p>Smith noted that fans still remember her best for playing Kelly Garrett in the hit series, which aired from 1976 until 1981. She has since spoken about her time on Charlie's Angels, sharing fond memories from filming.</p> <p>“Angels in chains, being chained together. Eating lunch together. It was an education and it was eye-opening because each girl was so unique with her own personality and style. And these are my friends today. That bond is what I really remember."</p> <p>“The friendship is what I treasure from that,” she shared.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Review: The Drover’s Wife: the Legend of Molly Johnson

<p><em>Review: The Drover’s Wife: the Legend of Molly Johnson, written and directed by Leah Purcell, Sydney Film Festival</em></p> <p>Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife: the Legend of Molly Johnson is an inspired and compelling re-imagining of Henry Lawson’s <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9363188-the-drover-s-wife" target="_blank">The Drover’s Wife</a>, a short story originally published in The Bulletin in 1892.</p> <p>Purcell’s debut feature film as writer and director, filmed in late 2019, has emerged out of a lifelong connection with this story. Citing three generations of drovers in her own family, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82A3wzwKWOI" target="_blank">Purcell explained in a recent interview</a> how, as a five-year-old girl, she would implore her mother to read Lawson’s story to her. For Purcell, it was, “the first time I used my imagination and saw myself in a story”.</p> <p>As her mother recited, Purcell would imagine a “little film in my head”. In it, she was the little boy in the story and her mother the drover’s wife.</p> <p>Purcell has been repeatedly drawn to The Drover’s Wife as a way of placing her Indigenous family’s story before a broad Australian audience. The film expands on the acclaimed stage play she wrote and starred in, <a rel="noopener" href="https://belvoir.com.au/productions/the-drovers-wife/" target="_blank">which premiered at Belvoir Street Theatre in 2016</a> and won the Victorian prize for literature, two NSW premier’s literary awards and four Helpmann awards. She also adapted the play into a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-drovers-wife-9780143791478" target="_blank">novel, released in 2019</a>.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TltTxxIqv4U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>In all three versions of the story, set in 1893 in the Snowy Mountains in NSW, Purcell gives voice to Indigenous experiences of the frontier that were maligned and marginalised in Lawson’s version.</p> <p>As in the play, the film is carried by its Indigenous co-stars. Purcell plays the drover’s wife, Molly Johnson, unearthing an Indigenous heritage for the character. Johnson is burdened by a dark secret and Purcell imbues the role with a determined strength, her posture and gaze expressing fortitude, grit and constant vigilance, whether she is carrying her broom or her rifle.</p> <p>Rob Collins plays Yadaka, a character inspired by Purcell’s great-grandfather, Tippo Charlie Chambers, a caring and gentle man who spent time as a travelling circus performer in the 1890s while yearning for his Country.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430929/original/file-20211108-19-11q4cdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430929/original/file-20211108-19-11q4cdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Yadaka (Rob Collins), left, is central to this reworked story.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bunya Productions, Oombarra Productions</span></span></em></p> <p>Yadaka is central to Purcell’s reworking of the original story, fleshed out from the brief mention of a “stray blackfellow” who chops some wood for the drover’s wife in Lawson’s version.</p> <p>In the film, the fugitive Yadaka arrives at the heavily pregnant Molly’s isolated property and ultimately saves her life when her labour goes wrong, helping her to bury her stillborn child. But Yadaka is a wanted man, blamed for the murder of a white family in town. This sets off an unfortunate chain of events.</p> <p>Yadaka also unlocks Molly’s understanding of her Indigenous family, paving the way for her children to escape from becoming wards of the state. The strong bond the drover’s wife has with her children in Lawson’s original story is deepened in Purcell’s film. Molly is driven to protect her children from the authorities and to overcome violence and hardship.</p> <p>Molly’s eldest son Danny – played by Malachi Dower-Roberts, who <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82A3wzwKWOI" target="_blank">Purcell joyfully describes</a> as a “red-haired freckled Blackfella from Glebe” – functions as a figure of hope in the film.</p> <p>He forms a bond with Yadaka, taking responsibility for guiding his siblings to safety. The absence of the drover himself, Jo Johnson, meanwhile, is attributed to his being a violent drunk and an abuser, rather than the heroic, pioneering figure imagined by Lawson.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430931/original/file-20211108-17-wm8elz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430931/original/file-20211108-17-wm8elz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Molly Johnson is driven to protect her children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bunya Productions, Oombarra Productions</span></span></em></p> <p>The film was shot in and around Adaminaby. Cinematographer Mark Wareham captures the beauty and harshness of the rolling hills and valleys of this vast, alpine landscape, from dusty clearings to lush greenery and stark, white snow.</p> <p>Foreboding, enveloping mists are rendered by the time-lapse photography of Murray Fredericks. The beauty and menace of this landscape frame the film’s harrowing violence. The final closeup shots are especially chilling.</p> <p><strong>Violent realities</strong></p> <p>Purcell’s is not, of course, the first re-imagining of Lawson’s story. In 2017, Frank Moorhouse brought together a collection of its numerous literary reworkings in <a rel="noopener" href="https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/review/the-drovers-wife-wives-frank-moorhouse-ryan-oneill/" target="_blank">The Drover’s Wife: A Celebration of a Great Love Affair</a>, including the writer and director’s notes from Purcell’s original play.</p> <p>But Purcell’s cinematic version of the story exemplifies what Felicity Collins and Therese Davis describe in their book <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/arts-theatre-culture/media-mass-communication/australian-cinema-after-mabo?format=HB&amp;isbn=9780521834803" target="_blank">Australian Cinema After Mabo</a> as a process of “cinematic backtracking”. Familiar figures and archetypes are revived and reworked, opening up new meanings and interpretations.</p> <p>In recent years, we have witnessed a surge of interest in the archetypes, themes and aesthetics of the Western in Australian cinema with films like The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005), Sweet Country (Warwick Thornton, 2017), The Nightingale (Jennifer Kent, 2018) and High Ground (Stephen Johnson, 2020). All suggest a growing reckoning with the violent realities of our frontier history.</p> <p>Purcell’s film is part of this turn.</p> <p>By bringing her personal history and identity as a Black woman to bear on the Australian Western, Purcell has enriched this burgeoning film cycle.</p> <p>The way that Purcell’s Molly Johnson endures in this film is both inspiring and heartbreaking. This is a subversive survival story that brings an unflinching new perspective to Australian cinema’s ongoing engagement with the frontier.</p> <p><em>The Drover’s Wife will be in cinemas May 2022.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170782/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-carrigy-1283895" target="_blank">Megan Carrigy</a>, Associate Director, Academic Programs, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/new-york-university-1016" target="_blank">New York University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/the-drovers-wife-the-legend-of-molly-johnson-brings-a-black-womans-perspective-to-australian-frontier-films-170782" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: <span>Bunya Productions, Oombarra Productions</span></em></p>

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Joe Biden and Boris Johnson caught napping at COP26

<p dir="ltr">US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson were both caught trying to catch some shut eye during the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this week, and while that may sound bad, many people were quick to look for the nuance in the situation.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a video posted to Twitter by<span> </span><em>Washington Post<span> </span></em>journalist Zach Purser Brown, President Biden can be seen closing his eyes for approximately 20 seconds, before he is approached by an aide. After their conversation, Biden can be seen rubbing his eyes.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Biden appears to fall asleep during COP26 opening speeches <a href="https://t.co/az8NZTWanI">pic.twitter.com/az8NZTWanI</a></p> — Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) <a href="https://twitter.com/zachjourno/status/1455174496164458496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Some weren’t convinced he was actually falling asleep, with one Twitter user writing, "I have extensive knowledge re: watching old men fall asleep during church. This ain’t that. I’d bet everything he was just closing his eyes so he can listen better w/out distraction."</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, others accepted that he was falling asleep, but shared their own experiences of what his schedule might have looked like that contextualised his exhaustion. One Twitter user wrote, “When I worked in the Joint Staff and would go NATO meetings, we'd typically fly overnight then have a whole day of meetings...I'd grow my fingernails long to stick them into my palms during the meeting to keep from falling asleep. Nice work by the aide to intervene.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Others said it indicated he was not up to the job, with one person writing, “If it isn’t that important, then he shouldn’t be there. If it is important and he can’t stay awake, then he shouldn’t be there. Either way it shows he is not up to the job.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Fortunately, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was on hand to help Biden feel less alone. He was spotted shutting his eyes during the opening ceremony of the conference, while seated next to Sir David Attenborough and the Secretary-General of the United Nations. While some made fun of the Prime Minister for nodding off, others wondered why he was not wearing a mask when both men next to him were.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Takes an extra special kind of dickhead to not wear a mask to protect David fucking Attenborough <a href="https://t.co/UwJFBxc3pz">pic.twitter.com/UwJFBxc3pz</a></p> — James Felton (@JimMFelton) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimMFelton/status/1455271483102703622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">A source at Number 10 said it was “total nonsense” to suggest Johnson had been falling asleep. Obviously, he was just resting his eyes.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter/<span>Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Dr Charlie Teo makes shock admission about his future

<p>Well-known neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has broken his silence about the recent allegations which have rocked his prominent 35-year career.</p> <p>Last week, the Medical Council of NSW stated Dr Teo would be required to get the support of a second neurosurgeon before he performed specific high-risk operations.</p> <p>These new conditions were imposed after Dr Teo attended a hearing at the medical council, instigated by a number of complaints from other surgeons.</p> <p>Dr Teo’s registration now has some conditions attached to it including a requirement to meet regularly with a supervisor and get a supporting opinion from a fellow neurosurgeon, before operating on recurrent cancerous brain tumours and brain stem tumours.</p> <p>Since the hearing, Dr Teo has mainly spoken through his lawyers but now the surgeon has personally addressed the allegations by talking to <em>The Daily Telegraph.</em></p> <p><strong>Dr Teo has revealed he may walk away from medicine</strong></p> <p>When speaking about the allegations, Dr Teo revealed he may walk away from medicine.</p> <p>He also addressed the claims he told sexual jokes while operating. These allegations first surfaced in a <em>Sydney Morning Herald </em>article in September 2019, with a nurse telling the publication she had heard Dr Teo making sexually suggestive jokes to his staff including saying “while you’re down there …” when a nurse was bending down to pick something up.</p> <p>Dr Teo has today conceded he told “bad jokes” in the operating theatre.</p> <p>“I’ll be the first to admit that I said that. I’m not gonna step back from that. I’ll take that on the chin. But never again. I can see how things can be taken out of context,” he said.</p> <p>“Yeah, I was a dinosaur,” he added. “I used to tell bad jokes amongst my inner sanctum. In my defence, when you are totally focused on the job at hand, it’s difficult to think about being politically correct if it doesn’t come naturally.”</p> <p>The nurse in question, Young Je, who Dr Teo made the jokes to, has since said she didn’t take the suggestions to heart.</p> <p>“I wasn’t offended at all,” she said.</p> <p>Ms Je has worked with Dr Teo for 12 years and they virtually consider each other as family.</p> <p>“Our relationship is that special,” Dr Teo has said. “She was devastated when that came out.”</p> <p><strong>More conditions imposed on Dr Teo</strong></p> <p>The medical council has also ordered Dr Teo to file monthly reports of his procedures containing details of the surgery and patient; whether the patient travelled from interstate; any complications; and copies of all opinions from other surgeons, whether they approved or disapproved of the proposed operation.</p> <p>Dr Teo – who is a NSW Australian of the Year finalist - must also meet regularly with a supervisor to discuss management of interstate patients, care after discharge, and “professional behaviour, including but not limited to communication with colleagues and patients”.</p> <p>Regular audits are also among the conditions published on Dr Teo’s profile on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency website (AHPRA).</p> <p>The notice states the council considered the restrictions appropriate ‘for the protection of the health and safety or any person or persons, or because it is satisfied that action is otherwise in the public interest.’</p> <p><strong>Dr Teo's public statement</strong></p> <p>In a public statement last week, Dr Teo said he accepted the council’s direction to consult with another neurosurgeon on “two rare types of surgery” and “will also have retrospective discussions with a colleague to review outcomes”.</p> <p>His statement read: ‘Dr Teo believes that his treatment of patients, who suffer from extremely rare, complicated and terminal brain cancers, had always been in line with local and inter­national standards of care and welcomes greater transparency of his office procedures.’</p> <p>‘I am often approached by patients suffering from brain cancer who have been told that there is nothing else to be done.</p> <p>‘Published manuscripts over the past 30 years show that my success rate with these so-called “inoperable” tumours has been very successful in curing “incurable” tumours, ­ extending survival or improving quality of their lives.’</p> <p><em>Image: Charlie Teo Foundation / Instagram</em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

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Celebrities mourn Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charlie Watts, the legendary drummer for The Rolling Stones, has passed away at the age of 80.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts,” the band said in a statement on Wednesday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/wi6333F6QF">pic.twitter.com/wi6333F6QF</a></p> — The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) <a href="https://twitter.com/RollingStones/status/1430209721567416323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watt’s spokesperson added that the musician was “a cherished husband, father and grandfather” and “one of the greatest drummers of his generation”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bandmate Mick Jagger shared a simple tribute on social media, sharing a photo of Watts laughing while sitting at a drum kit on stage.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/MrPpJI0Hxd">pic.twitter.com/MrPpJI0Hxd</a></p> — Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickJagger/status/1430294856774135817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stones guitarist Keith Richards followed suit, sharing a single picture of a drum kit with a “CLOSED” sign draped over it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watts played drums on all of the band’s 30 albums, was a jazz drummer in his earlier years, heading his own jazz band and getting involved in several side projects.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the tragic news was announced, tributes to the drummer have poured in from music stars - including Sir Elton John, Slash, Lenny Kravitz, and fellow drumming legend Ringo Starr.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company,” Elton John wrote, sharing a photo of the pair. “My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And, of course, The Rolling Stones.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">A very sad day. Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer. The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company. My deepest condolences to Shirley, Seraphina and Charlotte. And of course, The Rolling Stones. <br /><br />@therollingstones <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CharlieWatts?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CharlieWatts</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> <a href="https://t.co/9rjSSgioZL">pic.twitter.com/9rjSSgioZL</a></p> — Elton John (@eltonofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/eltonofficial/status/1430213430095630343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lenny Kravitz had no words, sharing a photo of the drummer with his sticks with the caption: “The beat of The Stones. There are no words, every groove has spoken for itself.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ringo Starr also shared a picture, writing: “God bless Charlie Watts, we’re going to miss you man, peace and love to the family, Ringo.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHARLIEWATTS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHARLIEWATTS</a>. The beat of The Stones. There are no words, every groove has spoken for itself. <br />6/2/41 - 8/24/21 <a href="https://t.co/Lw2USKaxYH">pic.twitter.com/Lw2USKaxYH</a></p> — Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/LennyKravitz/status/1430221907899654156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/God?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#God</a> bless Charlie Watts we’re going to miss you man peace and love to the family Ringo 😎✌️🌟❤️🌈🎶☮️ <a href="https://t.co/3tSFg7EMQG">pic.twitter.com/3tSFg7EMQG</a></p> — #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/ringostarrmusic/status/1430214308101705730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fellow Beatle Paul McCartney said Watt’s death was a huge blow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He was a lovely guy. Condolences to the Stones. A huge blow for them because Charlie was a rock,” McCartney said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A fantastic drummer, steady as a rock. Love you, Charlie, will always love you. Beautiful man, and great condolences and sympathy to his family.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beach Boy Brian Wilson also paid tribute to Watts, who he described as a “great drummer”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I feel terrible for Charlie’s family. Charlie was a great drummer and I loved the Stones music, they made great records. Love &amp; Mercy,” Wilson said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Celebrities outside the music world also shared their sympathies, with Monty Python star Eric Idle writing on Twitter: “Saddened by the loss of Charlie Watts. A kind and gentle man. He will be very missed.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Irvine Welsh, the author of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trainspotting</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, also penned a tribute to the drummer.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“RIP Charlie Watts. Always steadfastly came over as a no-nonsense honest broker in a situation where acclaim, wealth, pomposity and egotism could corrupt the sweetest of souls,” he shared on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes several weeks after the drummer pulled out of The Rolling Stones’ upcoming US tour to recover from an unspecified medical procedure.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Mick Jagger / Twitter</span></em></p>

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Concern over dropped charges against Dr Charlie Teo’s daughter

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The daughter of neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has had charges against her for dangerous driving withdrawn by the Crown.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nicola Teo was accused of dangerous driving after she crashed into former Comancheros boss Jock Ross in Sydney’s northwest in 2019.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 26-year-old was driving on the wrong side of the road when her Toyota Landcruiser collided head-on with Ross’ motorcycle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bikie boss was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Teo faced a maximum of seven years imprisonment and had pleaded not guilty to four charges, including negligent driving and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The trial, which was scheduled for Monday, May 21, was delayed for a psychiatric report to be prepared.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Tuesday, NSW District Court Judge Warwick Hunt dismissed the case and told Teo she was now “free to go and get on with your life” after the Crown withdrew the charges.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking after court on Tuesday, Mr Ross’s distraught daughter Holly Gittany said the family was concerned at the way in which the charges were suddenly dropped.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She told reporters her father was still suffering from the lingering effects of the crash.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Gittany said Mr Ross, now in his late 70s, had been forced to quit his job with the Rural Fire Brigade due to his injuries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What happened today was not right,” she said. “My Dad’s never been the same again. My Dad was severely injured. He was hit head-on.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: news.com.au</span></em></p>

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Charlie Hebdo cartoon of Queen and Meghan Markle sparks outrage

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>French satirical magazine Charle Hedbo has left people furious after releasing a cartoon of the Queen kneeling on Meghan Markle's neck in a similar fashion to the way that US man George Floyd passed away.</p> <p>The cartoon, published Sunday, was titled "WHY MEGHAN QUIT BUCKINGHAM", with Markle drawn to say "Because I couldn't breathe anymore!".</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">French magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks George Floyd's murder and Meghan's racism concerns. The cover reads: 'Why Meghan left Buckingham Palace', 'Because I couldn't breathe'. <a href="https://t.co/3Fuj789xn7">pic.twitter.com/3Fuj789xn7</a></p> — Nadine White (@Nadine_Writes) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nadine_Writes/status/1370677878145363970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>US man George Floyd was unarmed and died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes. Video footage of the incident released had Floyd saying "I can't breathe", which became the rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement.</p> <p>The cover has been shared on Twitter and has been described as "utterly appalling".</p> <p>Dr Halima Begum, CEO of anti-racism think-tank Runnymede Trust, said that the image was "wrong on every level".</p> <p>"#CharlieHebdo, this is wrong on every level. The Queen as #GeorgeFloyd ‘s murderer crushing Meghan’s neck? #Meghan saying she’s unable to breathe? This doesnt push boundaries, make anyone laugh or challenge #racism. It demeans the issues &amp; causes offence, across the board."</p> <p>Another Twitter user voiced their outrage, saying it was "disgusting".</p> <p>“Words cannot describe just how disgusting I found that Charlie Hebdo cover.</p> <p>“Punching down and constantly drawing racist caricatures it’s not satire.”</p> <p>The cartoon comes after Markle claimed an unnamed member of the royal family commented on the colour of Archie's skin before he was born.</p> <p>Buckingham Palace said that the allegation of racism was "concerning" and that the matter would be dealt with privately.</p> </div> </div> </div>

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Devastating story behind photo of mother and daughter

<p><span>A British woman has desperately spoken out with a heartfelt plea after she was forced to watch her mother die in the hospital bed next to her.</span><br /><br /><span>Both of the women were admitted to hospital after coronavirus “ravaged through” their family late last year.</span><br /><br /><span>Ultimately the family lost its oldest member.</span><br /><br /><span>Anabel Sharma, 49, spent almost two months in hospital, and since her recovery she has shared a haunting photo showing the final moments she shared with her 76-year-old mother Maria.</span><br /><br /><span>After spending a fortnight in intensive care in the same hospital together, Maria held hands with her daughter for the last time and shared her funeral wishes, iTV reported.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839331/british-family-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b5caf68592054cbb924f8d7868ef5168" /><br /><br /><span>“All I heard was ‘funeral’, she said ‘cremation’ and I said to the doctors I can’t hear what she’s saying.</span><br /><br /><span>“She was telling me not to be scared and that I had to keep fighting for the children but that she had had enough,” Ms Sharma told the UK broadcaster.</span><br /><br /><span>The doctor also informed her that her mother had earlier signed a Do Not Resuscitate order.</span><br /><br /><span>The doctor bluntly told her: “your mum is dying.”</span><br /><br /><span>Ms Sharma believes the novel coronavirus tore through her family at a “frightening” speed, starting with her son who she thinks caught it at school.</span><br /><br /><span>“I would ask people to follow all the precautions and think of others,” she said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839332/british-family.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a3d8e97a574647ff96553f75021086e4" /><br /><br /><span>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered England into a new national lockdown to try to slow a Covid-19 surge.</span><br /><br /><span>He says hospitals are at breaking point, and he wants to not overwhelm parts of the health system.</span><br /><br /><span>“As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than any time since the start of the pandemic," Johnson said on Monday (local time).</span><br /><br /><span>“With most of the country already under extreme measures, it's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control.</span><br /><br /><span>“We must therefore go into a national lockdown, which is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home.”</span></p>

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