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Shocking reason why woman was dumped as her best friend’s bridesmaid

<p dir="ltr">A friendship has broken down live on radio, after a woman was dumped from being a bridesmaid after trying to attend a Taylor Swift concert the same night as her best friend’s wedding. </p> <p dir="ltr">Liv was one of thousands of Aussies who secured tickets to see Taylor Swift when her Eras Tour heads Down Under in February. Unfortunately for the young woman, the only night she could get tickets for was the same night as her best friend Jess’ wedding, where she was set to be a bridesmaid. </p> <p dir="ltr">Knowing about the concert while the wedding planning was taking place, Liv said she was nervous to tell Jess about the show, and decided to keep it secret while they were shopping for wedding outfits. </p> <p dir="ltr">Calling into the <em>Fifi, Fev &amp; Nick</em> radio show, Liv wanted advice on how to tell her friend that she planned to attend Jess’ wedding ceremony, and then leave the reception to attend the concert. </p> <p dir="ltr">The radio hosts decided to let the two women hash it out live on air, with Liv saying to her friend at the start of the phone call, “Obviously the whole Taylor thing, we've been talking about it and you've been saying how annoying it is that people have been backing out.”</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/C2cLqsqvcIw/?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/C2cLqsqvcIw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Fifi, Fev &amp; Nick (@fififevnick)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“But I haven't told you I got tickets for the Saturday and this was done before Christmas. However, I was thinking of trying to compromise here and make it work.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Liv shared her plan to “scoot off” in the middle of the big day, to which Jess was convinced she was being “pranked”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I feel really bad, I do but I have loved Taylor for so long, you are aware of this and you knew how hard it was to get tickets,” Liv replied. </p> <p dir="ltr">But Jess flew off the handle at her friend, slamming her for withholding the news and poking holes in her compromise. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You've known this before December and it's three weeks until my wedding and you're telling me now?” she said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You want to miss a part of my wedding to go to a Taylor Swift concert? You know how much this has been annoying me that people have been dropping out to go to her and you've known all along that you're going to go to her concert.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Liv said she feels like a “bad friend” before breaking down in tears, although Jess wasn’t having it. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I don't even understand though you've gone and bought tickets on my wedding date. I'm not trying to be mean right now, I think I'm just angry before I'm even upset because I'm so stressed, it's three weeks out,” she said. </p> <p dir="ltr">Host Fifi Box suggested Liv skip the concert, but she was hesitant calling the show a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. </p> <p dir="ltr">The pair eventually hung up, with Jess ringing into the radio show in the weeks after to share an update. </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/C29c8ERPrdT/?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/C29c8ERPrdT/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Fifi, Fev &amp; Nick (@fififevnick)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“I was caught off guard, pretty mortified that she chose to do it live on air, and also pretty angry,” Jess told the Melbourne radio show hosts. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Liv and I did speak after the show, and I told her she’s shown her true colours and if she wants to go to the concert, she can go to the concert.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was a really good friend, and if she saw that a Taylor Swift concert was more important (than my wedding), that’s her choice but I don’t want her to be a part of my day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When Fifi asked exactly what happened after the first call on air, Jess admitted that “there was a bit of fighting.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She still wanted to take the route that maybe she could come for some of the wedding and then leave,” Jess explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But realistically that wasn’t feasible and to choose someone to be your bridesmaid — in my eyes — is a pretty big deal.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Jess went on to say that Liv “reached out to some of the other bridesmaids and offered to help with the hen’s night, to which she “told them to block her because I don’t want her involved with it at all”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The bride-to-be admitted that it had been a “rough couple of weeks” and that some of her friends are “cult Taylor Swift fans and have taken Liv’s side.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“It definitely hasn’t been the lead up to the wedding that I wanted, I didn’t expect to lose friends over such an exciting part of my life. It’s really emotional, it’s meant to be an exciting time for me,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It just really sucks that someone who I loved so much has done this.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images </em><span id="docs-internal-guid-b1fd920e-7fff-fda1-0a24-05d2c9a0abb2"></span></p>

Family & Pets

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UK woman takes home from dump to dream starting with just £1

<p dir="ltr">A UK woman has shown how she took a derelict property from a dump to a dream address, having paid just £1 ($NZ 1.93).</p> <p dir="ltr">Maxine Sharples was still a university student when she successfully bid for a ramshackle Victorian terrace in Liverpool under the council-run Homes for Pound Scheme.</p> <p dir="ltr">The scheme allowed residents to pay just £1 for a derelict home on the condition that they would renovate it, per <em><a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-transforms-1-house-dream-27496752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mirror</a></em>, and was so popular that 2500 people applied for just 106 houses.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, when Ms Sharples was handed the keys to her new home four years later, she admitted she was worried about how she would fund the work, particularly given that new owners had just 12 months to renovate according to <em><a href="https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/homeless-woman-turned-1-house-24498719?_ga=2.75979477.1998441293.1658101018-39617459.1654734058" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Liverpool Echo</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Sharples was able to take longer due to Covid restrictions, telling local news she spent £60,000 ($NZ 115,000) to bring the home up to a livable standard and transform it into a sweet first home.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-94bc6a79-7fff-21ea-0c61-4942fcc90dd5"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">She now has about £10,000 ($NZ 19,270) left to spend to enhance the property further.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/uk-woman-house1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Maxine Sharple, a 35-year-old yoga teacher, bought her first home for just £1, but had to put in plenty of work to get it up to scratch.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“Although initially I didn’t have the funds, I applied anyway and thought, ‘I’ll cross that bridge’ if I was shortlisted. In 2019, four years later, I got a phone call to ask if I was still interested in a home for a pound,” Ms Sharples told the <em>Echo</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though she has walked away with the deal of a lifetime, it was a difficult journey to get her home to where it is now.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Sharples lived in a caravan during the renovations and had to do plenty of work herself.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It has taken me 27 arduous months to get it signed off. It was gruelling, I couldn't have been more naive about the process,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As a yoga teacher I couldn’t have been less experienced in construction management.</p> <p dir="ltr">“With tradespeople in short supply, I took to a lot of labouring myself.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Going beyond just updating the interior and façade, Ms Sharples changed the layout to make the home lighter and more airy.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I began the rip out by myself. It took me nine months to get the house back to brick with a rotary hammer and borrowed electricity from my neighbours,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A hole in the roof meant a tree had taken root, water ingress, asbestos, rat infestations, you name it, it had it all.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-36149172-7fff-3f78-2ef0-34df62879a57"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: The Liverpool Echo</em></p>

Real Estate

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Lismore flood victims dump ruined belongings outside PM’s house

<p dir="ltr">Lismore residents have taken their flood-affected belongings to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Sydney residence, calling on him to act on climate change.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nine residents of the area, which has been devastated by recent flooding, brought a truck to Kirribilli House and dumped a number of items, including flood-ruined carpet, toys and furniture, outside the front gate earlier this week.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kate Stroud, who lost her home in the floods, said the group felt compelled to demonstrate after Mr Morrison visited the town earlier in the month but failed to speak to some residents.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Stroud lost her home in the floods, having been rescued by another resident on a jet ski after sheltering on her roof for six hours, and has said she wasn’t the only one looking to speak to the PM.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Everybody that I know has lost their homes, they’ve lost their businesses. We have basically lost our entire town,” she said on Monday morning.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bb905877-7fff-969f-8c6d-923637249f68"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We tried to have this conversation with him face to face in Lismore, but he slipped through the back door of our council chambers. If our leaders can’t come at least sit at a table with us and chat to us at times of devastation, what are they doing?”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">At the Prime Minister’s residence, Kirribilli House, standing in solidarity with Lismore flood survivors. Calling on <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottyFromMktg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottyFromMktg</a> to stop funding the climate crisis. <a href="https://t.co/lHYSwZLZ7i">pic.twitter.com/lHYSwZLZ7i</a></p> <p>— Naomi Hodgson (@CrystalNomes) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrystalNomes/status/1505653019718737921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Several residents held a ruined, mud-covered door with a message spray-painted on it in red.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Morrison, your climate megaflood destroyed our homes,” it read.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other signs read, ‘Lismore now, where next?’ and ‘Your climate inaction killed my neighbour’.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Stroud said residents were calling on the government to take action against climate change.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are so sick of the bottomless promises when there is a bigger picture to look at,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We need to fund the climate crisis [response], this is climate change and this will happen to somebody you love, someone you know, or it could happen to you personally.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although <em>9News </em>reported that his car was seen leaving shortly before protestors arrived, Mr Morrison was in Queensland during Monday’s protest, according to <em><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/flood-hit-lismore-residents-dump-debris-outside-kirribilli-house-20220321-p5a6dy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sydney Morning Herald</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">He responded to questions about the demonstration by referring to the $1.7 billion already committed to flood response and recovery, and that the bulk of the funds were already “out the door supporting people”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These floods [across NSW and south-east Queensland] are the worst we’ve ever seen,” Mr Morrison said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I can understand the frustration. But what I can assure you is the commitments [we’ve made] .. means we’ll be there with them to build back.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-83db4994-7fff-c9ba-9311-1dad16a851e2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I think the politicisation of natural disasters is very unfortunate. Everyone’s just doing the best they can.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lismore residents protest at Kirribilli House <a href="https://t.co/d5ciaZPaBd">pic.twitter.com/d5ciaZPaBd</a></p> <p>— Carol Connolly (@carolcarcos) <a href="https://twitter.com/carolcarcos/status/1505682999505219586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Despite his absence, Lismore resident Kudra Ricketts told <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/lismore-flood-survivors-dump-debris-outside-pms-house/58b54741-e566-4bec-a667-7433b0753c18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em> she hoped the message she and the other demonstrators were sending would still reach Mr Morrison.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hope that he’s able to listen to the media,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s done the same thing as he did when he was in Lismore. He didn’t want to talk to us. He doesn’t want to speak to us again. I can see that. It’s time he starts to listen to us.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. It’s been so traumatic for me and everyone that I love. Climate change is here now.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4abb5dfd-7fff-e287-e932-8fa0fa646e86"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Woman brutally dumped after donating an organ to her partner

<p><em>Image: TikTok</em></p> <p>Donating a kidney to somebody in need is not an easy decision. But when a young woman named Colleen had the chance to change her boyfriend’s life six years ago, she didn’t think twice about donating the vital organ.</p> <p>In a series of viral videos, the TikTok star explained how she made the decision to have the procedure to save his life according to<span> </span><em>The Sun.</em></p> <p>When they first got together, Colleen said her boyfriend had been upfront about how he’d been struggling with chronic kidney disease since the age of 17. This meant he had to be on dialysis and his kidneys functioned at just 5% at average capacity.</p> <p>She explained: “I decided to get tested to see if we were a match because I didn’t want to watch him die.” Luckily for the couple, the surgeries went well and both parties recovered.</p> <p>But while you’d naturally assume the man would be eternally grateful to his girlfriend for what she did for him, he then cheated on her seven months later.</p> <p>In a follow-up video, Colleen explained how her ex-boyfriend told her he was going to Las Vegas for a bachelor party with some guys in his church. At the time, the TikToker was in a busy exam period and trusted her boyfriend completely so didn’t think anything of it.</p> <p>Until he turned up on her doorstep and confessed to cheating.</p> <p>“A lot of arguments later, I eventually forgave him and gave him a second chance,” she said. However, three months later the now ex brutally dumped Colleen over the phone.</p> <p>She claims he said: “If we are meant for each other, God will bring us back together in the end.”</p> <p>Unfortunately, the break-up only got messier from there, when her ex told her: “You only donated your kidney to look good”.</p>

Relationships

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"Enjoy having mutant children": Woman dumped by anti-vaxxer

<p>A lot of people have hilarious anecdotes about questionable experiences with the world of online dating. </p> <p>But one woman has taken the crown with a dramatic exchange with an anti-vaxxer she met on the dating app Hinge. </p> <p>Olivia Krueger took to her TikTok account to share her text thread with an unnamed man, saying the bar for dating "is in literal hell at this rate".</p> <p>He started out by wanting to ask Olivia "a stupid question", to which she responded "there are no stupid questions".</p> <p>His responded with a single word, reading "Vax?"</p> <p>Olivia, probably rolling her eyes behind the screen, responded saying, "I am. Is that a problem?"</p> <p>The man's attitude flipped, saying "F**k, I liked you so much," with Olivia pointing out that her Covid vaccine status was in her Hinge profile and available for him to read.</p> <p>Olivia cut her losses with the anti-vaxxer, saying "Alright well it was fun while it lasted."</p> <p>The man proved how difficult it can be for anti-vaxxers to be silenced, as he unleashed a baseless tirade against Olivia. </p> <p>He said, “Good luck having mutant children. So ridiculous that some made up bullsh*t by the government can tear people apart that actually enjoy each other for no f***ing reason other than political gain."</p> <p>“Sad. Sad you caved. I should have known. ‘It’s history and that’s what my make my life off of’. You’re (sic) kids will Literally be f***ing mutants. Hahaha. Jesus. How’s Biden looking now?”"</p> <p>Olivia's video has racked up over 50,000 views, with a lot of people commenting in support of her decisions. </p> <p>One person said, "You dodged a bullet, sis! Congrats!"</p> <p>Another called out the man's claims saying "Bold of him to assume any woman would want to have his children."</p> <p>New York couples therapist Kelly Scott told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-talk-to-your-partner-about-vaccines-disagreements-2020-7" target="_blank">Insider</a> earlier this year that couples need to clarify their differing vaccine stances, as it can often be a point of contention within relationships. </p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok @oliviakrueger11</em></p>

Relationships

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Shocking video of dumped body emerges

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A disturbing video depicting two men throwing the body of a COVID-19 patient over a bridge in India has emerged on social media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One man, dressed in full PPE, is helped by another to dump the body into Rapti River in Uttar Pradesh.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The patient, identified as Premnath, was admitted to hospital and tested positive to COVID-19 on May 25 before passing away three days later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His body was returned to relatives for a final cremation, but Balrampur’s Chief Medical Officer said two family members dumped the body instead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the video surfaced on social media, police arrested the two family members involved.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">U.P: BODY OF A COVID PATIENT THROWN IN RIVER<br /><br />2 men are seen tinkering the body placed on the edge of a bridge over river Rapti. Patient was admitted to hospital on May 25 &amp; died three days later. The body was handed over to his relatives who dumped it in the river. <a href="https://twitter.com/AlokReporter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlokReporter</a> <a href="https://t.co/3e0MfqT8yj">pic.twitter.com/3e0MfqT8yj</a></p> — Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) <a href="https://twitter.com/MirrorNow/status/1398967316319064064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The incident comes several weeks after bodies were reportedly found washing up in rivers in India as the country battles the virus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Earlier this month, officials told the BBC about 40 bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges river in the country’s north.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Local official Ashock Kumar said many believed the bodies had washed up from nearby Uttar Pradesh.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bodies, some of which were found partially burned, were also believed to have potentially washed down the river from riverside cremations, NDTV reported</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Further suggestions that some families were running out of money or wood have also emerged, and had been left with little choice but to place their loved ones in the river.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Locals have claimed the act “is the height of insensitivity”, with resident Kameshwar Pandey telling AFP the find was “really shocking”.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Twitter</span></em></p>

Legal

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Sister dumped from bridal party after lockdown weight gain

<p>A bride-to-be has caused controversy after admitting that she dumped her sister from her bridal party after she gained weight.</p> <p>The bridezilla revealed she asked her sister to step away from her bridesmaid duties after she put on 10kg during lockdown.</p> <p>She further went on to explain that her older sister struggled with eating disorders her whole life, but still tried to defend her actions.</p> <p>But after she was slammed over her decision, she eventually confessed to wanting to "protect her wedding day".</p> <p>Sharing on Reddit, the bride-to-be admitted the move had divided her family.</p> <p>“My sister Julia was overweight growing up while the rest of us (five girls, no brothers) were always petite,” she said.</p> <p>“No one in our family ever treated her badly for her weight, though my mum did try to help her diet several times throughout our childhood for purely health reasons.</p> <p>“She was hospitalised for her eating disorder for the first time when she was 18, and she’s been in and out of treatment facilities since then.</p> <p>“Pre-pandemic, Julia seemed to be on a recovery kick again. She looked healthy, seemed to be eating normally. I was hopeful she could keep it together and felt okay about asking her to be a bridesmaid at that point.</p> <p>“That was the last time I saw her though (Feb 2020), until I saw her Friday for Christmas Day.</p> <p>“Julia has gained a LOT of weight in that time, probably 10kg, which is a lot because she’s short. This is a huge red flag to me because prior relapses have been preceded by weight gain, which seems to trigger another relapse.”</p> <p>The bride-to-be said it was then she made the decision to dump her from her wedding.</p> <p>“I [decided] it makes more sense for her to not be a bridesmaid. That way she can wear whatever she wants, be skinny or fat, show up or not, and it won’t affect the day as a whole,” said said.</p> <p>“So I texted her after Christmas to ask if she was doing okay. Sure enough, she admitted she’d been having body image issues since gaining weight during lockdown.</p> <p>“I kindly asked her to step down from being a bridesmaid, explaining that it was for her own good and I was only doing this because I cared about her. She seemed upset but agreed to step down.”</p> <p>The decision ended up causing a heated debate amongst family members, with even the bride's fiancé joining in, saying she was harsh to dump her sister over her weight.</p> <p>“Now our dad is furious with me, saying Julia is heartbroken,” she said.</p> <p>“My mom and sisters are all on my side here and agree Julia not being a bridesmaid is what’s best for everyone.</p> <p>“So I wasn’t that worried about being in the wrong here—until my FIANCÉ said I was wrong and basically called me out for even bringing up her weight with her.”</p> <p>She added that while she was worried for her sister’s mental health, she was also concerned about her wedding day.</p> <p>“Yes, of course protecting my wedding day is part of my consideration here,” she said.</p> <p>“God forbid one single day doesn’t revolve around her I guess.”</p> <p>Some Reddit users slammed the bride.</p> <p>“The obsession over the wedding pictures is disgusting. Why does a wedding have to be an Instagram event?” said one.</p> <p>Added another: “Bride sounds so self-centered. Thank god the fiancé talked some sense into her.”</p> <p>Said a third: “With family like this, it’s no wonder she has an eating disorder.”</p> <p>But others disagreed, with one saying: “Maybe she went about it the wrong way, but her feelings are valid. Also what girl doesn’t dream a perfect wedding day, it’s natural to overthink all the variables that play into it.”</p>

Body

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Prince Harry and Prince Andrew dumped as Queen focuses on "streamlined" royal family

<p>The Queen has reportedly agreed on a core group of eight senior royals to conduct official duties as part of a slimmed-down monarchy.</p> <p>Her Majesty is thrilled with the new lineup that must be "seen to be believed".</p> <p>The new group includes Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Edward, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne and the Queen.</p> <p>Some notable exceptions from that group include Prince Harry, Prince Philip and Prince Andrew.</p> <p>The new group was pictured together for the first time this week as they paid tribute to Britain's health heroes during the coronavirus pandemic.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjCiZtH3nL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjCiZtH3nL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Prince Charles has been the leader of this notion of a slimmed-down monarchy for quite some time,” Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers, who broke the story, told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise" target="_blank"><em>Sunrise</em></a>.</p> <p>“We’re seeing a new royal family evolve,” he explained, adding that the group had been dubbed the ‘New Firm.’</p> <p>“Senior courtiers are very, very keen of everyone supporting each other, getting out, fulfilling their duty.”</p> <p>“2021 is going to be a big year for all of them.”’</p>

Family & Pets

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Qatar airport confirm dumped baby is still alive

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Doha, capital of Qatar, airport officials have confirmed that a newborn located in one of its terminals is alive and well.</p> <p>Earlier in October at Hamad International Airport, staff discovered an infant, described as a premature baby, "abandoned" in the terminal bathroom.</p> <p>After this incident, female Australian passengers were allegedly invasively searched, and the Australian Government has since "formally registered our serious concerns" with Qatari authorities.</p> <p>Women at the airport, including 13 Australians, were allegedly removed from flights, detained and forced to undergo an invasive inspection in an ambulance on the tarmac.</p> <p>None of the women were told about the abandoned newborn before the strip searches began.</p> <p>An Australian Government spokesperson told 7NEWS that it is “deeply concerned” at the “unacceptable treatment of some female passengers on a recent Qatar Airways flight at Doha Airport”.</p> <p>“The advice that has been provided indicates that the treatment of the women concerned was offensive, grossly inappropriate, and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent.</p> <p>“The Government has formally registered our serious concerns about this incident with Qatari authorities.</p> <p>“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is engaged on this matter through diplomatic channels.”</p> <p>A Hamad International Airport spokesman told <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/world/doha-airport-officials-confirm-dumped-baby-is-still-alive-c-1457385" target="_blank" class="editor-rtflink"><em>7News</em></a> that the newborn infant was found on October 2.</p> <p>“The newborn infant was immediately provided with medical attention and care,” he said.</p> <p>“Medical professionals expressed concern to officials about the health and welfare of a mother who had just given birth and requested she be located prior to departing HIA.</p> <p>“Individuals who had access to the specific area of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the query.”</p> <p>The newborn remains unidentified, and “is safe under the professional care of medical and social workers”.</p> <p>However, Shadow Resources Minister Joel Fitzgibbons said that authorities should "await confirmation about the accuracy of the report".</p> <p>“If true, this effectively amounts to state-sanctioned sexual assault and we should all be very, very concerned,” he said.</p> <p>“And the government here in Australia should be most robust in its responses.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Why Sweden's central bank dumped Australian bonds

<p><strong>What’s happening?</strong></p> <p>Suddenly, at the level of central banks, Australia is regarded as an investment risk.</p> <p>On Wednesday Martin Flodén, the deputy governor of Sweden’s central bank, announced that because Australia and Canada were “<a href="https://www.riksbank.se/globalassets/media/tal/engelska/floden/2019/monetary-policy-in-a-changing-world.pdf">not known for good climate work</a>”.</p> <p>As a result the bank had sold its holdings of bonds issued by the Canadian province of Alberta and by the Australian states of Queensland and Western Australia.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301897/original/file-20191115-47128-1s2eoc3.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/301897/original/file-20191115-47128-1s2eoc3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://www.riksbank.se/globalassets/media/tal/engelska/floden/2019/monetary-policy-in-a-changing-world.pdf" class="source">Martin Flodén, deputy governor Sveriges Riksbank Central Bank of Sweden</a></span></p> <p>Central banks normally make the news when they change their “cash rate” and households pay less (or more) on their mortgages.</p> <p>But central banks such as Australia’s Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank, the People’s Bank of China and the US Federal Reserve have broader responsibilities.</p> <p>They can see climate change affecting their ability to <a href="https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/working-paper/2018/climate-change-and-the-macro-economy-a-critical-review.pdf">manage their economies</a> and deliver <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/fsr/2019/oct/box-c-financial-stability-risks-from-climate-change.html">financial stability</a>.</p> <p><strong>There’s more to central banks than rates</strong></p> <p>As an example, the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva warned last month that the necessary transition away from fossil fuels would lead to significant amounts of “<a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/central-banks-tune-in-to-climate-change-20191020-p532ev">stranded assets</a>”.</p> <p>Those assets will be coal mines and oil fields that become worthless, endangering the banks that have lent to develop them. More frequent floods, storms and fires will pose risks for insurance companies. Climate change will make these and other shocks more frequent and more severe.</p> <p>In a speech in March the deputy governor of Australia’s Reserve Bank <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/speeches/2019/sp-dg-2019-03-12.html">Guy Debelle</a> said we needed to stop thinking of extreme events as cyclical.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>We need to think in terms of trend rather than cycles in the weather. Droughts have generally been regarded (at least economically) as cyclical events that recur every so often. In contrast, climate change is a trend change. The impact of a trend is ongoing, whereas a cycle is temporary.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>And he said the changes that will be imposed on us and the changes we will need might be abrupt.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>The transition path to a less carbon-intensive world is clearly quite different depending on whether it is managed as a gradual process or is abrupt. The trend changes aren’t likely to be smooth. There is likely to be volatility around the trend, with the potential for damaging outcomes from spikes above the trend.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>Australia’s central bank and others are going further then just responding to the impacts of climate change. They are doing their part to moderate it.</p> <p><strong>No more watching from the sidelines</strong></p> <p>Over thirty central banks (including Australia’s), and a number of financial supervisory agencies, have created a <a href="https://www.ngfs.net/en">Network for Greening the Financial System</a>.</p> <p>Its purpose is to enhance the role of the financial system in mobilising finance to support the transitions that will be needed. The US Federal Reserve has not joined yet but is <a href="https://www.bis.org/review/r191111a.pdf">considering how to participate</a>.</p> <p>One of its credos is that central banks should <a href="https://www.bis.org/review/r191111a.pdf">lead by example</a> in their own investments.</p> <p>They hold and manage over A$17 trillion. That makes them enormously large investors and a huge influence on global markets.</p> <p>As part of their traditional focus on the liquidity, safety and returns from assets, they are taking into account climate change in deciding how to invest.</p> <p>The are increasingly putting their money into “<a href="https://www.bis.org/publ/qtrpdf/r_qt1909f.pdf">green bonds</a>”, which are securities whose proceeds are used to finance projects that combat climate change or the depletion of biodiversity and natural resources.</p> <p>Over A$300 billion worth of green bonds were issued in 2018, with the total stock now over A$1 trillion.</p> <p><strong>Central banks are investing, and setting standards</strong></p> <p>While large, that is still less than 1% of the stock of conventional securities. It means green bonds are less liquid and have higher buying and selling costs.</p> <p>It also means smaller central banks lack the skills to deal with them.</p> <p>These problems have been addressed by the <a href="https://www.bis.org/">Bank for International Settlements</a>, a bank owned by 60 of the central banks.</p> <p>In September it launched a <a href="https://www.bis.org/press/p190926.htm">green bond fund</a> that will pool investments from 140 (mostly central bank) clients.</p> <p>Its products will initially be denominated in US dollars but will later also be available in euros. It will be supported by an advisory committee of the world’s top central bankers.</p> <p>It is alert to the risk of “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing">greenwashing</a>” and will only buy bonds that comply with the International Capital Market Association’s <a href="https://www.icmagroup.org/green-social-and-sustainability-bonds/green-bond-principles-gbp/">Green Bond Principles</a> or the Climate Bond Initiative’s <a href="https://www.climatebonds.net/standard">Climate Bond Standard</a>.</p> <p>Launching the fund in Basel, Switzerland, the bank’s head of banking Peter Zöllner said he was</p> <blockquote> <p><em>confident that, by aggregating the investment power of central banks, we can influence the behaviour of market participants and have some impact on how green investment standards develop</em></p> </blockquote> <p>It’s an important role. Traditionally focused on keeping the financial system safe, our central banks are increasingly turning to using their stewardship of the financial system to keep us, and our environment, safe.<!-- 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/126766/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: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-hawkins-746285">John Hawkins</a>, Assistant professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-why-swedens-central-bank-dumped-australian-bonds-126766">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Groom dumps bride for being late to their wedding

<p>A bride has been dumped by her fiancé for being late to her own wedding ceremony.</p> <p>British bride Nichola Tuohy accidentally jilted fiancé Darren Ferne at the altar and only arrived in time for the reception.</p> <p>Nichola, a care worker from Essex, blames a laundry list of disasters for her missing her £12,000 ($AU20,900) wedding, including a make-up mishap, forgetting her daughter’s flower girl dress and having her bridesmaid drop out last minute.</p> <p>She said: “I wish the rehearsal the night before had been the real thing.</p> <p>“It was perfect and now we’d be man and wife.</p> <p>“It was my fault. I just got so overwhelmed with things to do on the day that I had a meltdown. I feel like I have lost everything.”</p> <p>Groom Darren, 40, a customer services adviser, said: “We would probably still be together now if our wedding hadn’t been ruined.</p> <p>“It’s not the kind of thing you can get over easily.”</p> <p>The couple met online in September 2014 and Darren proposed just five weeks later. The mother-of-three began excitedly planning her wedding.</p> <p>But it was not meant to be.</p> <p><img width="380" height="285" src="http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/5aa2590bcee15a8fd87695baa1bca333" alt="Nichola Tuohy didn’t make it to the ceremony. Picture: Facebook" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“The morning I woke with a huge panic about how much I had to do,” Nichola said.</p> <p>First on her list was to get her make-up done at a local department store. However, it took much longer than she planned for.</p> <p>She said: “When it was done it didn’t look like me. I wanted to cry. I felt like an extra from Towie.”</p> <p>With only 90 minutes to the wedding, she rushed home to take it off and do it herself.</p> <p>But when she arrived home she found her parents and two younger children still there. Her parents, who had not approved of the marriage, had at the last minute decided not to attend.</p> <p>So Nichola took the kids with her to the hotel to get ready but then a payment issue meant there was a delay getting into the room.</p> <p>“I was in tears at this stage as I could see the clock ticking and knew I didn’t have long to get myself and the kids ready,” Nichola said.</p> <p>And by the time she got inside the room, Nichola realised she had left her daughter’s flower girl outfit at home.</p> <p>She said: “I started crying. I had a bare face, no make-up on, no dress on, no flower girl dress and half an hour to get ready.”</p> <p>Then Nichola received a text from her bridesmaid saying she could not make it because her children were sick.</p> <p>She called Darren in tears, who was at the church.</p> <p>“Our guests were already getting seated, and when he told me to hurry up that just stressed me even more.”</p> <p>Finally, Nichola had hired a vintage wedding car to transport her to the venue but it didn’t have any seatbelts.</p> <p>She said: “It was only supposed to be taking me, but now I had the kids I knew I couldn’t put them in a car with no seat belts. I was in such a panic.</p> <p>“I knew I had to calm myself down before driving my Ford Focus.”</p> <p>The church was 20 miles away and she had just 30 minutes to get there.</p> <p>Nichola said: “I knew I didn’t have a hope in hell unless I drove like Lewis Hamilton.</p> <p>“I had a wave of panic and, exhausted, I just lay down defeated.</p> <p>“My heart sank when I realised I’d missed my own wedding. I had jilted my groom without meaning to.”</p> <p>Nichola said: “Darren was livid. He’d been left standing in front of the guests, pleading with the vicar to wait but there were more weddings taking place.”</p> <p>After the fiasco the couple tried to stay together but the memories of the disastrous wedding day hung over the relationship.</p> <p>Nichola said: “In the end, there was no big showdown — we just drifted further apart and split up.</p> <p>“I knew it was because of the wedding and so did he. I just hope that one day he can forgive me.”</p>

News

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What happens when a plane dumps fuel mid-flight

<p>You’re probably already familiar with the concept of a plane dumping fuel, an important process designed to dramatically decrease an aircraft’s weight in emergency situations when it has to land earlier than it’s supposed to.</p> <p>But have you ever wondered what this process looks like?</p> <p>Well, thanks to one traveller, we can see it first-hand.</p> <p>Jeff Lambert, who was on the San Francisco-bound Qantas flight which had to return to Sydney quickly after taking off, filmed the following video of a fuel dump in action.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr">Here’s the plane dumping fuel, got an hour out of Sydney and told there was an issue with the autopilot not working and needed to head back😒 <a href="https://t.co/cW6Dj1FuR8">pic.twitter.com/cW6Dj1FuR8</a></p> — Jeff Lambert (@JeffLambert8) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffLambert8/status/921607458715402241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2017</a></blockquote> <p>Lambert captioned the video, writing, “Here’s the plane dumping fuel, got an hour out of Sydney and told there was an issue with the autopilot not working and needed to head back.”</p> <p>Have you ever encountered this on your travels?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

International Travel