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Rebel Wilson sparks controversy after “appalling” stunt

Rebel Wilson has been making headlines for her rigorous fitness routine as she works towards her weight loss goal. But her latest workout has caused outrage after she used wombats instead of dumbbells in a video posted by Sydney Zoo. While many loved the adorable addition, the World Animal Protection organisation critiqued the star. Speaking to news.com.au, the World Animal Protection expressed their concern and said the native Aussie animal “experience distress when handled by humans” and slammed the actresses “disregard” for their wellbeing. The video sees Wilson doing “15 kilo squats” while holding a large wombat close to her chest as she faces the camera. “Wombat squats! Thanks to the team @thesydneyzoo for organizing this fun workout and education sesh about some amazing rescue animals,” the actress wrote to her 8 million followers. Executive director Simone Clarke said wildlife experts from World Animal Protection were “disappointed” to see the footage. “We are disappointed to see Rebel Wilson handling Australian wildlife with such disregard for their wellbeing,” she wrote in a statement. “Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything; they are sentient beings, and experience distress when handled by humans. She went on to condemn the zoo for allowing the workout content to be filmed. “It’s appalling that Sydney Zoo endorse this type of promotion – quite frankly they should know better.” Some people in the comments shared the same thoughts. “Is it really needed to grab a hold of a wombat!?!,” one said. “Yeah....I felt a little uncomfortable for it....,” another responded, while one more weighed in: “(100 per cent) animal exploitation. I thought better of her. Maybe just a silly mistake and not thinking!” Rebel has not currently issued a statement on the matter.

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Prince Charles admits he has watched the Australian bushfires take its course in “appalling horror”

Prince Charles has released an emotional video message for Australians as the country battles bushfires all over the nation - revealing that he has been watching “the appalling horror… in despair”. The royal has long made an effort to warn about the effects of climate change, and in this statement said the scope of the loss was “not to be believed possible”. He went on to say that both he and the Duchess of Cornwall had kept the “remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters who have done much and worked ceaselessly to exhaustion” in their thoughts. In a heartfelt tribute recorded at Birkhall, the Prince’s home in Scotland, he praised the resilience of the Australian people and expressed confidence that “despite the horror” they would “find a way to face it all and win through.” Intense blazes have ruined and destroyed 8.4 million hectares – an area larger than Scotland - of Australian bushland. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m8FnorbkJS4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The drought and record high temperatures that have contributed to ravage Australia, and have been since the start of its summer have led to the deaths of as many as half a billion wild native animals. To address Australia directing, the Prince said: “I fear this is a hopelessly inadequate way of trying to get a message to all of you that both my wife and myself are thinking of you so very much at such an incredibly difficult time and in such impossible and terrifying circumstances. “Both of us have been in despair the last several weeks watching this appalling horror unfolding in Australia and witnessing so much of what you are having to go through from this distance. “Those of you who have tragically lost your properties, your houses, everything.. to me it is, and to both of us, not to be believed possible. And I know how many houses have been lost.” He added: “Above all, we wanted to say how much we have been thinking of all those remarkable, courageous, determined firefighters who have done much and worked ceaselessly to exhaustion. “We feel so deeply for the families of those who have been lost and lost their lives in the course of carrying out their remarkable duties as only they can do. “We also think of all the Australian wildlife that is destroyed in these appalling infernos, let alone everything else. “We both know how incredibly special and resilient the Australian people are. So I know at the end of the day, despite all this horror, you will find a way to face it all and win through. “All I can say is we are thinking of you and praying from you in the most determined way. I’m very proud to know you all.” Prince Charles is launching a new aim sometime throughout January to find solutions to the carbon emissions issue the world is facing. The Sustainable Markets Council will bring together leading international figures from the private, public and philanthropic sectors to identify ways of “decarbonise the global economy” and make the transition to sustainable markets. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall last visited Australia in April of 2018, where they travelled throughout the Northern Territory and Queensland. Scroll through the gallery to see the royal couple’s travels through Australia in 2018. OverSixty, its parent company and its owners are donating a total of $200,000 to the Vinnie’s Bushfire Appeal. We have also pledged an additional $100,000 of product to help all those affected by the bushfire crisis. We would love you to support too! Head to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-nsw/vinnies-nsw-bushfire-appeal-nsw" target="_blank">Vinnie's website</a> to donate!

Domestic Travel

“Extreme racism”: TV host’s appalling comments about Serena Williams

A Romanian TV host has received heavy criticism after a shocking racial slur aimed at Serena Williams was made on air. Radu Branciu said on his evening show during the US Open he found Serena Williams to “look exactly like one of those monkeys at the zoo with the red asses”. “If monkeys wore trousers, they’d look exactly like Serena Williams does on the court,” he said. The National Council for Combating Discrimination in Bucharest has condemned Banciu’s comments. “The governing board shows that slavery of people of colour was based, among other things, on their comparison with monkeys,” a press release said. “As a result, such statements express a form of extreme racism.” Banciu was fined $2,700 however it doesn’t seem like the TV host will lose his job. This isn’t the first time Serena has faced racism at the hands of the media. The Herald Sun gained criticism in Australia and the U.S after the infamous US Open final in 2018 with a cartoon depiction of Serena which many labelled inappropriate and racist. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Australia's media watchdog finds cartoon of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SerenaWilliams?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SerenaWilliams</a> did not breach standards. <a href="https://t.co/a6BgIWFLWB">https://t.co/a6BgIWFLWB</a> <a href="https://t.co/CpWTVTc87Y">pic.twitter.com/CpWTVTc87Y</a> — ABC Grandstand (@abcgrandstand) <a href="https://twitter.com/abcgrandstand/status/1099806603681751040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2019</a></blockquote> However, the cartoon was deemed by the Australian media watchdog in a “highly animated tantrum”. "Specifically, concern was expressed that the cartoon depicted Ms Williams with large lips, a broad flat nose, a wild afro-styled ponytail hairstyle different to that worn by Ms Williams during the match, and positioned in an ape-like pose," the Australian Press Council said. The Council noted the publication “failed to take reasonable steps to avoid causing substantial offence, distress or prejudice without sufficient justification in the public interest.”

Woman appalled as in-laws bill her $280 for a broken glass

A mum-to-be was shocked to find that her father-in-law had emailed her a $280 bill for a wine glass she accidentally broke. The pregnant woman posted on parenting forum Mumsnet to ask others whether it was necessary for her to pay the hefty bill or not. “Went to PIL’ (parents-in-law’s) home last weekend, had a glass of wine and I accidentally dropped it,” the mum wrote online. “No big deal, they shrugged it off. I get on well with both FIL (father-in-law) and MIL (mother-in-law), have been with DH (darling husband) for 4 years now and we are having our first child in 4 months.” The woman explained that her in-laws are “well off… very well off” and that she lives in a rental and is “definitely not as well off”. “I didn’t know at the time, but said wine glass apparently happens to be pretty high end,” she said. According to her father-in-law’s email, the glasses cost $280 each. “FIL has this morning sent me an e-mail saying that I can just transfer the $280 to him or buy the glass online. He even attached a link and included their address, should I not know it by now(!),” she said. The woman claimed that she thought the email was initially a joke but then remembered that it was out of character for them to have a sense of humour. She decided to get recommendations on the parenting forum before explaining the situation to her husband. Most people thought it was “bad taste” for the father-in-law to ask for money. “Glasses often get broken, so you shouldn’t expect to get the cost of it reimbursed. And if you do expect reimbursement, you shouldn’t use stupidly expensive wine glasses for your guests,” one person said. However, one person suggested that she should have offered to replace the glass after she broke it. The woman said she didn’t think about offering to pay for it because they “shrugged it off as nothing”. “FIL is a bit of a snob in general but MIL is usually lovely so I wouldn’t be surprised if she had no idea about this e-mail,” she said. “She calls me every day to ask how I am doing and if we need anything whereas this is the first time FIL has initiated contact with me through phone/e-mail.” Others suggested for her to let her husband know so he could deal with the situation. What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments below.

Family & Pets

Donald Trump's appalling joke about Princess Diana

An absolutely appalling joke Donald Trump made about the late Princess Diana has been unearthed, which was made during a radio show interview of the now-US president. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show which was recorded in the ‘90s, Trump made scandalous comments just months after the death of the mother of two. In the shocking, newly emerged audio which has been leaked on the website <a href="https://factba.se/" target="_blank">Factbas.se</a>, Trump sensationally spoke about the possibility of sleeping with Princess Di, before joking with Stern that he would’ve had her tested for HIV first. Imagining a scene between Trump and Diana, Stern says, “Hey Lady Di, would you go to the doctor?” “Go back over to my Lexington Avenue doctor,” Trump jokes, as though he’s talking to the late royal, “We wanna give you a little checkup.” Trump made a number of unsightly comments about Princess Diana during the interview, including a number of disturbing statements about her beauty. Trump said, “She had times, you know, it was interesting, she had times when she didn't look great, and sometimes you look better than anybody in the world. But she was supermodel.” This audio has emerged after claims from UK presenter Selina Scott that the now-leader of the free world was absolutely besotted with the people’s princess. “Trump clearly saw Diana as the ultimate trophy wife,” she said. “As the roses and orchids piled up at her apartment she became increasingly concerned about what she should do." In another Howard Stern interview in 2000, Trump again mentioned Princess Diana saying he would have “slept with her without hesitation.” “Lady Di was truly a woman with great beauty,” he said, “She was super model beautiful; she had the height, she had the beauty, she had the skin, the whole thing.” “She was crazy, but you know these are minor details.” What are your thoughts?

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