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Tina Turner: an immense talent with a voice and back catalogue that unites disparate music lovers

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-jarman-535397">Freya Jarman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-liverpool-1198">University of Liverpool</a></em></p> <p>On a few rare occasions (often at the end of a night), I’ve confided to my friends that Tina Turner was one of my biggest celebrity crushes. The revelation has usually been met with some surprise, and not unreasonably. Born in 1939, Tina was older than my mother and nearly 40 years older than me.</p> <p>But to me, she was a complete goddess from the moment I first encountered her. I vividly recall a white button-down shirt and figure-hugging blue jeans (probably the Foreign Affair tour of 1990) and an awakening of teenage desire.</p> <p>Turner has died aged 83. Reflecting now on her 50-year-long career, I can see the threads that made her the perfect icon for the young queer feminist I was in the early 90s. She was a strong and resilient woman who escaped the control of abusive men and went on to forge a stronger solo career afterwards.</p> <p>But her music also pushed boundaries of genre in ways that start to defy categories of gender, race and age, thereby changing the way female performers could be thought of.</p> <p>In 1967, Turner was both the first Black artist and woman to appear on the cover of <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-pictures/tina-turner-rolling-stone-covers-916255/">Rolling Stone</a>. She remains the only Black woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, she became the oldest person (at 73) to appear on the <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2013/03/tina-turner-oldest-vogue-cover-model.html">cover of Vogue</a>.</p> <p>Vocally, Turner was raised in the church, Spring Hill Baptist Church in Nutbush, specifically. However, her voice was different from the others she came up alongside.</p> <p>Unlike Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin or Diana Ross, Turner’s voice had a grit and a rasp, qualities that always added an unexpected edge to her early work. It was also a sound that enabled her to move beyond soul and blues in her solo career.</p> <h2>A genre-fluid singer</h2> <p>Turner’s first solo album (in 1974) was country, replete with steel guitars and talk of the bayou. The very next year, she performed the role of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rJGX8uqoL8&amp;ab_channel=StevenPrestidge">Acid Queen</a> in film of The Who’s psychedelic operetta fantasy, Tommy. The role gave its name to an album featuring several notable rock covers by Turner, such as Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.</p> <p>Famously, she escaped from an abusive relationship with her singing partner Ike Turner, securing the rights to her stage name to her comparative financial detriment in their divorce settlement in 1978. Ike exerted his dominance in plain sight, slipping verbal threats of violence into <a href="https://youtu.be/FqdhfwUd2lk?t=88">a live performance of I’ve Been Loving You Too Long</a> at a concert in Ghana (1971).</p> <p>From the early 1980s, Turner made what has repeatedly been described as one of the most remarkable career comebacks of the century. The chart success of her cover of Al Green’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc&amp;ab_channel=TinaTurner">Let’s Stay Together</a> (1983) came from left of field and the ensuing album, Private Dancer (1984) went platinum five times.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d4QnalIHlVc?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Private Dancer represented another musical turn, this time towards the electro-synth pop world inhabited by Heaven 17, whose Rupert Hine and Martyn Ware produced several of the songs.</p> <p>The title song of the album exemplifies the narrative of Tina as a feminist powerhouse. Even 40 years on, the idea of a woman in her mid-40s singing a pop song about sex work is somewhat surprising.</p> <p>It’s not just an allusion to sex work (like, for instance, Blondie’s Call Me). And it’s far from the many songs about female sex workers written and performed by men (take Roxanne by The Police or Killer Queen by Queen for instance).</p> <p>Private Dancer is an explicit and unambiguous declaration of female desire and power in the first person. If anyone were in any doubt that Beyoncé owes a great deal to Turner’s trailblazing, her video for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ12_E5R3qc&amp;ab_channel=Beyonc%C3%A9VEVO">Partition</a> is surely evidence, being a direct descendant of Private Dancer with its cage-dancing sex show.</p> <p>Over her 14 solo albums, Turner developed a remarkable capacity to push through boundaries and exist between categories. Along the way, she also changed how a woman in popular music was positioned for consumption. This magic made her fans in all sorts of music listeners.</p> <h2>A musical uniter</h2> <p>Turner’s musical agility allowed her to inhabit contradictory musical spaces simultaneously. For instance, there is the Tina Turner who makes regular appearances on the setlists of DJs at retro club nights, inspiring inebriated patrons to shake their tail feathers in unison.</p> <p>There is an exuberance here that crosses times and identities to bring a crowd together in the ritual of “rolling on the river”. It’s a song that also invites all shades of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLUJz5xrdds&amp;ab_channel=ThatRPDRChannel">drag performance to honour it</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GC5E8ie2pdM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Then there is the Tina Turner who appears – frequently as the only woman, and perhaps uniquely as a Black woman – on compilations targeted at a predominantly male audience.</p> <p>The world of “dad rock” and “driving anthems” is a stronghold of largely white, male baby boomers. Think Robert Palmer, ZZ Top, The Jam and Whitesnake. There alongside them is Turner with songs like The Best, We Don’t Need Another Hero and Nutbush City Limits.</p> <p>Tina Turner’s capacity to transcend these borders of genre, and with them, borders of race, age, and gender, is what made her the absolute legend that she was. To me, it will also always represent a hybridity that calls to my identity as a queer feminist.<!-- 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;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206526/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 href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-jarman-535397">Freya Jarman</a>, Reader in the Department of Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-liverpool-1198">University of Liverpool</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/tina-turner-an-immense-talent-with-a-voice-and-back-catalogue-that-unites-disparate-music-lovers-206526">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Tina Turner’s 12 daily habits that helped her live 83 inspired years

<h3>How did Tina Turner live such a long and successful life?</h3> <p>If you’ve ever seen Tina Turner perform live – which she last did on New Year’s Eve 2022 – you might have thought the music icon seemed ageless… immortal, even. From her powerhouse voice to electrifying stage presence and energetic dancing, you would never have known she was 83 years old. But earlier this year she became ill, with some sources reporting intestinal cancer and a stroke. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Tina Turner’s family announced she died peacefully at her home in Switzerland.</p> <p>Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee, Turner never had an easy life. In the 1960s and ’70s, she rose to fame as the lead singer of the Ike &amp; Tina Turner Revue, performing with her then-husband, before launching her decades-long solo career. Tina Turner was known just as much for her personal struggles and shared her experiences openly with her fans, earning a reputation for female strength.</p> <p>So how did Tina Turner live such a long and successful life despite her many struggles? The answer is that good genetics and chance likely played their roles, but a lot of the credit goes to her healthy lifestyle. Tina Turner had some famously great health habits and a resilient attitude. Ready to take notes from the Queen of Rock-n-roll? Following her lead won’t make you a famous singer (but who are we to crush your dreams?), but it will definitely make you happier and healthier.</p> <h4>1. Tina Turner maintained a spiritual practice</h4> <p>Turner grew up Southern Baptist but as her spirituality evolved, she eventually turned to Buddhism, crediting it for giving her a purpose in life – one of the best things you can do for your health and happiness. “After I began practicing Buddhism, I realised that my hardships could give me a mission – a purpose. I saw that by overcoming my obstacles, I could build indestructible happiness and inspire others to do the same,” she said in an interview with the Harvard Business Review. “I credit my spiritual practice with all the positive transformations – from the smallest to the largest – I’ve had in my career and personal life.”</p> <h4>2. Getting 10 (!) hours of sleep each night</h4> <p>Thanks to her rigorous touring schedule, Turner’s internal clock was set to ET (entertainment time, that is). “I am late to bed and late to rise, a habit of years of rock and roll touring,” she told Vogue in an interview. But, she admitted, she still prioritised getting enough shut-eye – “a good night’s sleep is the key,” she said, adding she aimed for about 10 hours each night.</p> <h4>3. Tina Turner meditated daily</h4> <p>Turner meditated daily and chanted a mantra when she felt anxious or stressed. One of her go-to mantras was change poison into medicine, to remind her to reframe negative situations or roadblocks and transform or remove them through positivity. “This allowed my true self to come out, and I became cheerful, confident, and resilient,” she wrote in her book Happiness Becomes You. “My approach to life and work became calmer and more thoughtful, and my reactions were more tempered.”</p> <h4>4. Tina Turner Loved to move</h4> <p>The key to making exercise a regular habit is to find something you genuinely love doing. For Turner that was clearly dancing, something she did with unabashed joy on stage. When Vogue asked what her exercise routine was to shape her famous legs, she replied, “Dancing! Any excuse and I will dance anywhere.”</p> <h4>5. Tina Turner had a strong a creative outlet</h4> <p>Songwriting was one of Turner’s greatest gifts, alongside her singing. But it wasn’t something that came easily to her and she dedicated countless hours to writing and composing. This creative outlet not only gave her a healthy outlet for her feelings but doing creative things, like writing, singing and painting have huge cognitive benefits. Not sure where to start to be creative? Write what you know: “I started with the topic I knew best: my own life. I wrote about my hometown of Nutbush in what became the 1973 hit ‘Nutbush City Limits,’” she said.</p> <h4>6. Tina Turner had a sensible diet</h4> <p>From Thai food to vegetarian to local delicacies, Turner was photographed enjoying a wide variety of delicious foods. So how did she keep her healthy muscular physique? Not by starving! “I knew a very long time ago that I always wanted to be as slender and attractive as I possibly could be,” she said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “But I hate all that calorie counting. I eat what I want and then if my weight starts to go up, I cut back.”</p> <h4>7. Tina Turner made time for friends and family</h4> <p>Fame can be isolating, as Turner found out when her ex-husband Ike used it as a way to abuse her. But as she got older Turner made it a point to spend time with her loved ones, including her four children. She also made friends wherever she went, recognising the joy and benefits of having a large social circle. “I do my best to see people as individuals and emphasise common ground,” she said.</p> <h4>8. Following a self-care routine</h4> <p>“I am blessed to have very good skin,” Turner told Vogue. But it wasn’t all genetics. No matter how tired she was after a show, she made it a point to practice self-care by washing off her makeup and using a deep moisture cream before bed. Clearly it worked: Tina Turner had glowy, supple skin well into her eighties!</p> <h4>9. Tina Turner exited a toxic relationship</h4> <p>Not all relationships are worth saving, especially those that are toxic or abusive. Staying with people who hurt you takes a terrible toll on your mental and physical health. Tina Turner’s escape from her abusive marriage was very public but, like many victims of domestic violence, it took the singer a long time to figure out how to leave. “For a long time I felt like I was stuck, with no way out of the unhealthy situation I was in,” she said. “Once I could see myself clearly, I began to change, opening the way to confidence and courage. It took a few years, but finally I was able to stand up for my life and start anew.” Not only did she save her own life, but she provided a powerful inspiration to other women in similar situations.</p> <h4>10. Tina Turner spent time outdoors</h4> <p>After retiring from the public eye, Turner and her husband Erwin moved their family to Switzerland – largely for the beautiful and relaxing scenery. “I love spending days in Switzerland with my husband driving into the mountains,” she said. “It’s relaxing and very spiritual to be surrounded by the lake and beautiful nature.”</p> <p>Are you a nature lover too? Being outdoors has powerful health benefits and is linked with a longer life in the research. It’s not just the exercise that boosts your health. Science has shown that simply being outdoors, in nature, lowers stress hormones, slows your heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and increases feelings of safety and well-being, according to a study on ‘forest bathing.’</p> <h4>11. Tina Turner embraced ageing</h4> <p>Ageing in showbiz is seen as one of the worst things a woman can do (as if she has any other option!), and many stars fight it as long as they can with surgery, drugs and photoshop. Not Tina Turner, though! “Of course, I’ve aged a bit in the face, but not enough to worry about it. I have common sense enough to know that if I’m [ageing], something has to happen,” she said to the Daily Mail. “As time passes, a woman goes through changes with her body, her hormones and all of that, but I don’t have a problem with that. So I am fortunate.” This happy attitude toward ageing is revolutionary and sets a great example, especially because how we talk about ageing has a powerful effect on our health and happiness as we get older.</p> <h4>12. Tina Turner chose happiness every day</h4> <p>Experts agree: happiness is a choice, not a circumstance. No one knew this better than Tina Turner. After suffering a stroke and cancer, she shared, “My challenges can either make me a better version of myself or break me apart, and I have a choice as to which it will be. It’s so important to remember that you do have a choice, even when it feels as if you don’t. I choose to be hopeful and to honour each experience in my life, negative and positive, as a chance to increase my wisdom, courage, and compassion.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> <p><em>Written by: </em><em>Charlotte Hilton Andersen</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/articles/backtips-advice/tina-turners-12-daily-habits-that-helped-her-live-83-inspired-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

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"This made me cry": Royal guard's stunning Tina Turner tribute

<p dir="ltr">The late Tina Turner has been remembered in a special musical tribute outside Buckingham Palace, with the Band of Welsh Guards putting on their own performance of her 1989 hit song, ‘The Best’.</p> <p dir="ltr">The captivating moment took place during the changing of the guard - a daily 45-minute ceremony in which The King’s Guard passes responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace, as well as St James’ Palace, to the New Guard. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Welsh Guards were joined by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Corps of Drums, and the entire performance reportedly went ahead with King Charles III’s full permission.</p> <p dir="ltr">Footage was quickly shared across social media, and fans of the royals and music superstar alike were delighted with what they saw. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This made me cry. So wonderful!!!” one wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh, that got me!  What a fantastic thing to do,” another agreed. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A lovely tribute to Tina by the Welsh Guards! I felt happy and sad listening to it!  Thank you for all the songs, Tina,” one said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Brilliant … Bet a young Tina never would have thought her songs would be played by Guardsmen at Buckingham palace,” someone mused. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Perfect tribute for the Queen of Rock and Roll,” another declared, “she will be missed, there will only be One Tina Turner.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Simply the best! ❤️ </p> <p>At Buckingham Palace, the British Army’s <a href="https://twitter.com/WelshGuardsBand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WelshGuardsBand</a> played a special tribute to 🇺🇸 music icon Tina Turner during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChangingOfTheGuard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChangingOfTheGuard</a> 💂‍♂️</p> <p><a href="https://t.co/LOSrsMRYMA">pic.twitter.com/LOSrsMRYMA</a></p> <p>— British Embassy Washington (@UKinUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/UKinUSA/status/1662152963924557835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The tribute came less than one week after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner">Tina had passed away at 83</a>, and on the back of touching words from friends, family, and fans across the globe.</p> <p dir="ltr">And the chosen song, ‘The Best’, holds a special place in the hearts of the royals - particularly for Charles’ eldest son, Prince William. </p> <p dir="ltr">In 2021, William had spoken to Apple’s Time to Walk podcast that his mother - the late Princess Diana - used to play music for himself and his brother, Harry, “to kind of while away the anxiety of going back to [boarding] school.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The song that “stuck” with him? Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Because sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment,” he said. “And my mother, she'd be driving along, singing at the top of her voice … And when I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides, and brings back lots of memories of my mother.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It was something - along with the royal tribute - that fans speculated would have meant a lot to Tina, a “resilient” woman who had <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/rare-for-a-mother-to-say-that-tina-turner-s-heartbreaking-fear-revealed">experienced the heartache of losing loved ones</a>, too.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tina’s life had had its joy as well, from her music to her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/tina-turner-s-husband-s-loving-act-during-her-darkest-hours">devoted husband</a>, and although the final years of her life had seen the singer engaged in a fierce battle with her own declining health, she still dedicated her time to doing what she did best - though <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/rare-photos-of-tina-turner-s-final-years">her appearances grew rarer as time went on</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">And it was all of this that her fans were happy to celebrate along with the guards, in the best way anyone knew how - through music. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter, Getty</em></p>

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“Rare for a mother to say that”: Tina Turner’s heartbreaking fear revealed

<p dir="ltr">Tina Turner’s daughter-in-law, Afida, has revealed the star’s deepest fear for her children, and her agonising health struggles prior to her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">death</a>, in an emotional interview with the <em>Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida revealed that the <em>Proud Mary</em> singer, who outlived two of her four children, grieved for them every day and was “extremely sick” by the time her second son, Craig, passed away.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you lose a child, or a loved one, you are going to cry every morning and every night,” Afida said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Craig, had passed away at the age of 59 by suicide in 2018. His brother Ronnie passed away just four years later at the age of 62 from colon cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida, who is Ronnie’s widow, shared that the only comfort was that Tina was finally reunited with her beloved sons.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They never had time to spend together and now all three of them are together.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida also revealed Tina’s deepest fear for her son Ronnie, and how she was worried he could “turn out like” his abusive father, Ike Turner</p> <p dir="ltr">“[Tina] sometimes told me, ‘You don’t want to stay with him. He is going to be like his father’. It is pretty rare for a mother to say that,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“At first, he was kind of like his father, but after that he was going very well,” she added\, revealing that she’d given Ronnie an ultimatum to get his act together.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He made a very big effort to keep me. In the beginning it was very hard because I was not willing to stay with him,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Afida also opened up about the star’s death and revealed that despite Tina’s health struggles, the singer was extremely strong and resilient, which made her family think that she would live forever.</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/CsoyspoMrqy/?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/CsoyspoMrqy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Afida Turner (@afida_turner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“She was ill for a long time, but she was extraordinarily strong too,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was fighting for her life from 2017 until now. We knew how sick she was, but she was doing so well that this was not expected,” Afida added.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love: why I fell for Tina Turner

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p>For singers – amateur and professional alike – the name Tina Turner evokes instant reverence: Turner is a singer’s singer and perhaps the performer’s performer.</p> <p>A highly successful songwriter, the consummate dancer and fittingly ranked as one of the <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-artists-147446/">100 Greatest Artists of All Time</a> by Rolling Stone magazine, Turner was the ultimate entertainer.</p> <p>Upon hearing of her death, I was deeply saddened. I immediately recalled the intoxicating power and timbre of her voice, her mesmerising energy and her commanding performances.</p> <p>I started singing sections of songs such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2T5_seDNZE">Proud Mary</a></em>, <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Lehkou2Do">River Deep Mountain High</a></em> and of course iconic original songs, such as <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I07249JX8w4">Nutbush City Limits</a></em>. This was an intimate, sentimental, nostalgic and danceable song celebrating Turner’s roots growing up in the small town of Nutbush, Tennessee.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tina Turner was raw. She was powerful. She was unstoppable. And she was unapologetically herself—speaking and singing her truth through joy and pain; triumph and tragedy. Today we join fans around the world in honoring the Queen of Rock and Roll, and a star whose light will never… <a href="https://t.co/qXl2quZz1c">pic.twitter.com/qXl2quZz1c</a></p> <p>— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1661514993383120896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <h2>Fierce hard work</h2> <p>My first encounter with Turner’s brilliance and might was hearing her hits of the mid-1980s, with songs like Graham Lyle’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpFcHTxjZs">What’s Love Got To Do With It</a></em>, Al Green’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc">Let’s Stay Together</a></em> and – love it or hate it – the powerful rock ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcm-tOGiva0">We Don’t Need Another Hero</a></em>, the theme song to <em>Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.</em></p> <p>Once introduced, I immersed myself in her extensive back catalogue, soaking in her early 1960s soul, funk and emerging rock tracks.</p> <p>Today, I flashed back to memories of the physical energy and technical focus and practice it took just attempting to sing any Turner songs in my 20s.</p> <p>The degree of difficulty required to perform as Turner did cannot be understated.</p> <p>To sing with such consistency in such high registers, belting out song after song live with impeccable pitch, breath control, fitness, articulation and rhythmic precision is one thing. To do all of this while dancing with intense pace to highly choreographed routines throughout each show is on a whole other level.</p> <p>Her performance practice exemplified fierce hard work – with an immense energy and vitality in live performance.</p> <p>Try singing any of her songs at a Karaoke bar. Very quickly you gain some insight into the technical demands her songs require.</p> <h2>Making songs her own</h2> <p>For every singer, selecting a repertoire to cover is an ongoing quest.</p> <p>In a sea of the world’s great songs, Turner selected songs she could make her own. She remodelled every song she sang - realigning them so much that we now think of them as hers first.</p> <p>There are so many examples. My favourites are Turner’s formidable versions of <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIPoC6JlP38">I Can’t Stand the Rain</a> </em>(originally by Ann Peebles), <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5E8ie2pdM">The Best</a></em> (Bonnie Tyler) and <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QnalIHlVc">Private Dancer</a></em> (Mark Knopfler).</p> <p>A great deal of the songs Turner was known for through the 1960s were covers. Turner’s forceful and expressive vocal delivery gave new life to these songs, realigning them with her uniquely identifiable sound and choice of vocal register, her phrasing choices and her punctuated rhythmic delivery.</p> <p>Turner is perhaps less known as a songwriter, but her diverse songwriting demonstrated her skill and thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics. On her 1972 album Feel Good, nine of the ten songs were written by Turner. From 1973 to 1977, Turner composed all the songs on each album.</p> <p>One of my favourites of her original songs is the power ballad <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__zi3OtrQ0">Be Tender With Me Baby</a></em>. It speaks of a request for understanding, of her loneliness and vulnerability, sung with Turner’s intensity.</p> <p>Across her original songs and covers, Turner’s repertoire spoke of empowerment, individual strength and the many facets of love. Beyond performing, Turner represented inner strength, spiritual depth and resilience against adversity.</p> <p>In 1996, when Turner was 57, she recorded her ninth studio album, <em>Wildest Dreams</em>.</p> <p>One track, <em>Something Beautiful Remains</em>, may not be as familiar as many of her other hits, but it is the song I have kept returning to today. In the chorus, Turner’s lyrics are sadly perfectly fitting:</p> <blockquote> <p>For every life that fades<br />Something beautiful remains.<!-- 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;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206395/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> </blockquote> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1uXLFtXpeFU?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leigh-carriage-456522">Leigh Carriage</a>, Senior Lecturer in Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/empowerment-individual-strength-and-the-many-facets-of-love-why-i-fell-for-tina-turner-206395">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Tina Turner's husband's loving act during her darkest hours

<p dir="ltr">When Tina Turner met Erwin Bach in 1985, it was love at first sight. </p> <p dir="ltr">The lasting kind, too, with the pair going on to enjoy nearly 40 years together - and 9 years of marriage after tying the knot in July 2013 - before <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner">the legendary singer passed away at 83</a>, in the home the couple shared. </p> <p dir="ltr">Tina had been battling various health issues in the years leading up to her passing, and had faced a particularly dark spot back in 2017 - but Erwin had been determined to help.</p> <p dir="ltr">The story of their relationship - and Erwin’s heartfelt gift - was covered in Tina’s 2018 memoir, with the star sharing that she had first met her future husband after landing at Cologne’s airport ahead of her Private Dancer tour. </p> <p dir="ltr">Bach, who at the time was the executive for EMI, had been there to collect her, along with a gift - a Mercedes Jeep. But as Tina noted, it wasn’t the car that caught her eye, but instead Bach. </p> <p dir="ltr">“My heart suddenly started to beat ‘BOOM, BOOM, BOOM’,” she recalled. “My hands were ice cold.</p> <p dir="ltr">“‘So this is what they call love at first sight’, I thought. ‘Oh my God, I am not ready for this’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It was a far cry from Tina’s first marriage to her abusive first husband, Ike Turner, and the couple happily settled into their quiet life in Zurich. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, things took a challenging turn when - after 9 years of marriage - Tina’s health declined. </p> <p dir="ltr">As she shared in her autobiography, “I couldn’t eat. I was surviving but not living,” she shared in her autobiography.  I began to think about death.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If my kidneys were going, and it was time for me to die, I could accept that. It was okay. When it’s time, it’s really time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Things became so difficult that she even looked into assisted suicide, before Bach stepped in to do what he could for his wife, telling Tina that he “didn’t want another woman, or another life”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Then he shocked me,” she said. “He said he wanted to give me one of his kidneys.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The next step was to find out if they were a match - with tests confirming that they could go ahead with the donation - and the pair underwent surgery in 2017. </p> <p dir="ltr">It was, thankfully, a success, though Tina’s favourite part of it all was seeing “when Erwin came rolling into my room in his wheelchair.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He somehow managed to look good, even handsome, as he greeted me with an energetic ‘hi, darling!’ </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was so emotional - happy, overwhelmed, and relieved that we’d come through this alive.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

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Rare photos of Tina Turner’s final years

<p dir="ltr">Music legend Tina Turner <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/tributes-flow-for-tina-turner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away</a> at the age of 83 after a long battle with illness.</p> <p dir="ltr">The singer mostly stayed out of the spotlight after she retired in 2009, and hadn’t been seen in public for almost four years prior to her death.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her final public appearance was in November 2019, where she travelled to New York to attend the Broadway premiere of the musical based on her life, <em>Tina - The Tina Turner Musical</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Turner had spent most of her final years in her Switzerland home, with her longtime partner German music executive, Erwin Bach.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll was rarely seen in public, her social media account would occasionally share a glimpse into the singer's condition.</p> <p dir="ltr">In March 2021 fans got a rare photo of present-day Turner as she celebrated the release of her documentary, <em>Tina</em>, where she looked frail but in good spirit as she posed in front of the TV.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I am so excited to share this movie with you – seeing the concert scenes made me relive some of the proudest moments of my life. I simply had to sing along and dance around my living room," she captioned the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">In June 2021, the star shared a photo of herself in what appeared to be the garden of her Swiss manor.</p> <p dir="ltr">In October 2021 the singer posed by a piano as she celebrated her long-overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although she retired from the music industry, the singer released a self-help memoir in 2020 titled, <em>Happiness Becomes You</em>.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / Getty</em></p>

Music

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Tributes flow for Tina Turner

<p>Tributes from fans and celebs alike are flowing in for rock legend Tina Turner, who has died aged 83.</p> <p>Turner passed away at her home in the town of Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, following years of suffering health issues including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure.</p> <p>Amongst the star-studded tributes, actress Angela Bassett, who played Turner in the film <em>What's Love Got to Do With It</em>, penned a sweet message, with the late David Bowie's estate paying homage as well.</p> <p>The official social media accounts of the late Bowie, who died 2016, shared a lengthy statement pointing out how Bowie will now "see [Turner] in the sky tonight”.</p> <p>"Sad to hear of the passing of Tina Turner, the legendary singer whose career dated back to 1960,” Bowie’s statement began.</p> <p>"Bowie fans will be aware of the duet she recorded with David for the title track of 1984's <em>Tonight</em> LP.”</p> <p>"The Bowie/Iggy Pop penned track was released as a single later that year. On 23rd March, 1985, at a Tina Turner concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in the UK, Bowie performed the song live with Tina along with a section of the Chris Montez hit, Let's Dance, segueing into Bowie's song of the same name. This live duet of Tonight was released as a single becoming a #1 hit in the Netherlands," the statement continued.</p> <p>"We'll finish with some words Tina said to The Guardian newspaper in 2020 that despite having some serious health problems, the last 10 years of her life had embodied her ideal vision of happiness.</p> <p>"'True and lasting happiness comes from having an unshakeable, hopeful spirit that can shine, no matter what,' she said. 'That's what I've achieved, and it is my greatest wish to help others become truly happy as well.’"</p> <p>In a statement obtained by <em>The Hollywood Reporter,</em> Basset, said, "How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?"</p> <p><em>The Black Panther</em> actress, who starred opposite with Laurence Laurence Fishburne's Ike Turner in the film, continued, "Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock and roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion and freedom should look like.”</p> <p>"Her final words to me – for me were, 'You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.' I shall hold these words close to my heart for the rest of my days. I am honoured to have known Tina Turner," she said.</p> <p>"I am humbled to have helped show her to the world," Bassett continued.</p> <p>"So on today, while we mourn the loss of this iconic voice and presence, she gave us more than we could have ever asked. She gave us her whole self. And Tina Turner is a gift that will always be 'simply the best.' Angels, sing thee to thy rest … Queen.”</p> <p>Diana Ross took to Twitter to pay tribute to the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, writing, "Shocked. Saddened. Sending condolences to Tina Turner's family and loved ones. ”</p> <p>Magic Johnson also shared a photo taken with Turner on Twitter.</p> <p>"Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time, the legendary queen of rock n' roll Tina Turner," he wrote.</p> <p>"I've seen her many many times and hands down, she gave one of the best live shows I've ever seen. She always gave you your moneys [sic] worth."</p> <p>Actress Viola David took to Instagram, sharing an image of the late star, alongside the caption, "Iconic. Beautiful. Brilliant. A Survivor. Our first symbol of excellence and unbridled ownership of sexuality!! You were my childhood. Oh man!!! God is getting an angel today!!! Rest well Queen Tina Turner. We will bask in your legacy!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”</p> <p>Mick Jagger wrote on Twitter, "I'm so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”</p> <p>"We have lost one of the [world's] most exciting and electric performers. A total legend on record and on stage. She was untouchable,” Sir Elton John wrote on Instagram. "Condolences to Erwin and her family.</p> <p>"What a woman, what a life, what a warrior!!!” Singer Alicia Keys wrote on Instagram.</p> <p>"The day I met you Ms Tina, I couldn't believe I was standing in the presence of your greatness!! (Thanks to my big sis [Oprah]!!!)," Keys continued her caption.</p> <p>"I got to celebrate and thank you for all the love you've poured out around u. The songs you sang gave us courage to step out and be our full selves.</p> <p>"You are a fierce force as a woman and a performer! All of these things have been beacons of light for not only me, but all the people around the world finding ourselves and our fearlessness, through our vulnerability!!</p> <p>"Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts beautiful big sister! Rest well! We love and adore you infinitely!”</p> <p>Giorgio Armani also shared a statement on his fashion house’s official Twitter account.</p> <p>"I heard of the passing of Tina Turner with sadness and disbelief: with her incredible energy she seemed eternal. Her music certainly is," his statement began.</p> <p>"I will miss a great friend, whom I have also had the pleasure to dress many times. In life, she was like she was on stage – pure energy. I am deeply saddened.”</p> <p>Author Stephen King wrote on Twitter, "Tina Turner: Simply the best. ”</p> <p>Actor Josh Gad shared on Twitter, "This one hits way too hard. #riptinaturner 🙏🙏🙏💔”</p> <p>Sylvester Stallone wrote a short message alongside a photo with Turner on Instagram, "see you forever Tina Turner ❤️ #tinaturner #slystallone.”</p> <p>Director Paul Feig took to Twitter, writing, "Ugh. This is so sad. She was someone who seemed like we'd have her forever. What a huge huge loss. There will never be another like her. Rest in power, Tina."</p> <p>"RIP Tina Turner. Simply, the best," Piers Morgan wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>Musician Bryan Adams recalled the time he and Turner spent working together in his tribute, shared in a since-deleted Twitter post.</p> <p>"My condolences to Erwin and Tina's family," he wrote. "I'll be forever grateful for the time we spent together on tour, in the studio and as friends.”</p> <p>"Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us your gift of your voice," Adams continued.</p> <p>"It's Only Love and that's all," he concluded, referencing the single the pair released in 1985.</p> <p>Bette Midler posted a heartfelt tribute to her Twitter account.</p> <p>"Our beloved #TinaTurner has died. From #Nutbush to the top, she was an absolutely brilliant performer and inspiration to us all,” she wrote.</p> <p>"May flights of angels sing her to her rest, but if I know Tina, she is singing lead. ”</p> <p>Singer-songwriter Ciara called Turner a "QUEEN, LEGEND, ICON” in a comment underneath an Instagram post, she followed with a tweet.</p> <p>"Heaven has gained an angel," she wrote. "Rest in Paradise Tina Turner. Thank you for the inspiration you gave us all. ”</p> <p>Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood labelled Turner as "a force of nature and a legend” in his tribute.</p> <p>His Tweet concluded, ”Rest in peace, Tina Turner.”</p> <p>"A true legend has passed," actor George Takei wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>"Tina Turner has died at the age of 83. She was our <em>River Deep</em> and our <em>Mountain High</em>, the <em>Private Dancer</em> in our hearts.”</p> <p>"She showed us that love really does has everything to do with it, and that we really did need another hero," he continued. "And she was it. Rest now, Proud Mary. Raise your voice high in the heavens.”</p> <p>Founding member of Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, also penned a heart-warming tribute for the star on Twitter.</p> <p>"Sad to hear of Tina Turner passing," he wrote. "I saw her on her first major tour, supporting The Rolling Stones at Birmingham Odeon on 1966 & became an instant fan. RIP .”</p> <p>While Actress Sarah Jessica Parker wrote on Instagram, "Simply the best. RIP Ms. Turner. I loved and love you. Thank you. Godspeed. X, SJ.”</p> <p>"Legends never die. They live on in our collective psyche forever. Thank you for enriching our lives, Tina. Rest in power… #tinaturner 1939-2023," actor Cary Elwes wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>Andy Cohen paid homage to the star on Twitter, writing, "SIMPLY THE BEST BEST BEST. WE LOVE YOU TINA ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”</p> <p>Even NASA shared a tribute for the beloved star.</p> <p>"Simply the best. Music legend Tina Turner sparkled across the stage and into millions of hearts as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll," NASA wrote on Twitter, alongside a photo of the stars in the sky.</p> <p>"Her legacy will forever live among the stars."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>

News

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Novak Djokovic kicks his brother out of tennis arena during epic showdown

<p>Novak Djokovic has ordered his brother out of the player's box in the middle of match at the the Adelaide International final.</p> <p>The Serbian star was having a less than desirable game on Sunday, after losing his first set to No.33 Sebastian Korda, from the USA, when he became visibly frustrated and pointed towards the corporate box.</p> <p>His brother Marko and another person then exited the area before Djokovic fought his way back on the court and managed to win the epic three-set thriller.</p> <p>Sports commentator Roger Rasheed claimed the sports star appeared angry, but determined to win the showdown.</p> <p>"He pointed to his box and two out of five members are no longer sitting there," he said.</p> <p>"It's probably living proof that he wants to win badly, in this final. He's got his game face on, mixed with a bit of anger at the moment."</p> <p>Speaking during an on-court interview after prevailing triumphant in a match that lasted three hours, the 21-time Grand Slam champion admitted it had not been an easy night.</p> <p>"I'd like to thank my team for handling me, tolerating me in the good and bad times."</p> <p>"Today, I'm sure they didn't have such a blast with me going back and forth with them, but I appreciate them being here."</p> <p>"My brother Marko is also here, I don't see him that much so I appreciate you coming here, love you. It's been an amazing week and you guys made it even more special for me."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Rest in paradise": Tina Turner's son passes away

<p>Tina Turner's son has died at age 62 after taking his own life. </p> <p>Ronnie Turner, the second-born son of the legendary singer, died on Thursday morning after police were called to his home in Los Angeles, according to reports from TMZ.</p> <p>Despite the best efforts of emergency services to revive him, Ronnie died at the scene. </p> <p>Ronnie's wife Afida announced the devastating news in an emotional post on Instagram.</p> <p>"My god Ronnie Turner a true angel, huge soul highly spiritual, my husband, my best friend my baby..." she captioned a series of photos. </p> <p>Tina Turner also shared a tribute to her late son in a short post on social media, alongside a black-and-white photo of herself grieving.</p> <p>"Ronnie, you left the world far too early," she wrote. "In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son."</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/Cl9Y5HtDRav/?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/Cl9Y5HtDRav/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tina Turner (@tinaturner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ronnie had battled several health issues in the past, including cancer.</p> <p>This is the second time in four years Turner's family has been rocked by tragedy, after the singer's eldest son Craig died by suicide at age 59 in 2018.</p> <p>"I think Craig was lonely, that's what I think really got him more than anything else," Turner said in an interview with Gayle King in 2019.</p> <p>"I have pictures all around of him smiling, and I think I'm sensing that he's in a good place. I really do."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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“They were loved”: Prince William chokes up in memorial speech

<p dir="ltr">Prince William has shown his emotional side while unveiling a new memorial to the victims of the Manchester arena attack, choking up while sharing his own grief from losing his mother, Princess Diana.</p> <p dir="ltr">The royal unveiled the Glade of Light memorial on Tuesday to honour the 22 victims who died in the 2017 attack, per the <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/prince-williams-tears-for-diana-during-manchester-attack-memorial-speech/3MI35LKHSTVBUAL7AHAMWST36M/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The white marble halo-shaped memorial features the names of the victims, as well as personalised memory capsules where their families can place mementos and messages.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For Catherine and I, it is very important that we are with you here, today,” William told the victims’ families who attended the unveiling, his hand placed on his chest.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d39ec276-7fff-f8d8-3be1-4f220b727f9a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“To remember the twenty two lives so brutally taken. To acknowledge the hundreds of lives that were irrevocably changed and to pay tribute to the resilience of this great City.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">There is comfort in remembering.</p> <p>In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives. They were loved, and they are loved.</p> <p>It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important. Why Catherine and I so wanted to be here today. <a href="https://t.co/e14xAUzWSt">pic.twitter.com/e14xAUzWSt</a></p> <p>— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1524072136708698112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">It was when the prince later spoke about his experience grieving for his mother at 15 when he appeared to choke up.</p> <p dir="ltr">“As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives. They were loved, and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important. Why Catherine and I so wanted to be amongst you today.<br />“Catherine and I know that the atrocity’s impact will last a lifetime and beyond, and that the healing process is still ongoing. We want to assure all of you who are struggling that you are very much in our thoughts.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Both he and the Duchess of Cambridge then walked around the memorial garden, where Kate placed a bouquet of flowers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple then shared part of William’s speech on Twitter, along with several photos from the ceremony.</p> <p dir="ltr">It comes nearly a year after William and Prince Harry <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/harry-and-william-s-brotherly-feud-set-aside-for-princess-diana-s-big-unveiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled a bronze statue of Diana</a> on what would have been her 60th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5f3bc77f-7fff-549a-8a18-adefefd67654"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @KensingtonRoyal (Twitter)</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Tina Arena lists “heaven-sent” home AGAIN

<p dir="ltr">Superstar Tina Arena has listed her Melbourne home once again, seven months after taking it off the market.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five-bedroom home is nestled in the elite suburb of Toorak in Melbourne’s inner-south and has been re-listed with an<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.marshallwhite.com.au/property/13-toorak-avenue-toorak-1124812/" target="_blank">asking price</a><span> </span>between $7-7.5 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">The famed pop singer first purchased the property in 2017, dropping $5.733 million for it.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arena first listed the home through RT Edgar for $7 million, but pulled it from the market after changing her mind.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 838-square-metre property boasts north-facing gardens and a verdant verandah that spills into a tranquil pool area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s beautiful and it’s warm and it’s just got a wonderful feel to it,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/tina-arenas-toorak-pad-relisted-after-sevenmonth-hiatus/" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>Justin Long, one of the realtors handling inquiries for the home for Marshall White.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’d be a heaven-sent spot to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Inside, the home features minimalist decor and bright interiors, as well as a large granite kitchen, three bedrooms with built-in robes, and a master bedroom with its own sun-filled terrace, a dressing room or study nook and an ensuite.</p> <p dir="ltr">The house has also been owned by Hollywood silent actor Claire Adams, ANZAC commander Colonel Sir George Stevenson, and Victorian Premier Sir Stanley Argyle.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @tinaarena / Instagram, Marshall White</em></p>

Real Estate

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"That's rude": Tina Arena's explosive comment to Angela Bishop

<p>Australian music icon Tina Arena has slammed the lack off support given to the entertainment industry throughout the pandemic in a passionate plea on <em>Studio 10</em>. </p> <p>The singer, who will be featured in the upcoming <em>Young Talent Time</em> 50th anniversary special, blasted the "double standard" of the government cancelling music shows across the country, but sporting events still being allowed to go ahead. </p> <p>“I also hate the differentiation between sport and arts in Australia. As the artistic community, we will draw the line in the sand now and say, ‘No more of your double standards now,’” she continued.</p> <p>“Sport is a great thing, but life is not just about sport, life is about art and culture … I would encourage the artistic community to come forward, and I’d encourage anybody else to start thinking straight now.”</p> <p>Entertainment reporter Angela Bishop agreed with Tina, noting how much events has been cancelled on short notice, but "<span>never the footy match”.</span></p> <p><span>Tina was visibly outraged, </span>saying "That's a categoric disrespect."</p> <p>Tina Arena is one of millions of Melbourne natives who have been coping with seemingly endless lockdowns, <span>which is due to have had the most days under lockdown of any city in the world on October 4th. </span><br /><span></span></p> <p><span>“I’ve really struggled, and I’m comfortable in saying that. I’ve had a very difficult time, like many people. I’m profoundly against being locked up – the injustice is too much,” Arena said.</span></p> <p><span>Continuing on the injustice of the music industry, Tina noted how little financial support the arts have received during the pandemic. </span></p> <p><span>“I’m sorry, that’s rude, disrespectful, and shouldn’t be at all allowed to play out." </span></p> <p><span>"Never, ever silence an artist – we play an important role in the social fibre of any country. It’s freedom of expression, and I’ll fight for it until the day I die.”</span></p> <p><span>Angela Bishop noted that one of Tina's few stage performances in recent years was the February 2020 Firefight </span>concert to raise money for those affected by the bushfires. </p> <p><span>“It seems people have forgotten about the arts community when </span>they’re <span>in need,” Angela suggested, to which Arena agreed.</span></p> <p>“If anything goes wrong, the artistic community has always lifted their sleeves up."</p> <p>"We’ve gone in there and done what we needed to do. We’re very happy to play that role to help people – it’s what we do,” said Arena.</p> <p>“Now we’re in trouble, is someone helping us? No. It’s amazing how people just fly away and disappear..."</p> <p>“You know what? DONE. We’re done, and now we’re saying it. Just stop this ridiculous, preposterous behaviour. It’s got to stop,” she said.</p> <p>Tina's impassioned speech struck a chord with viewers ion Studio 10, as many agreed that more should be done to support Australian artists. </p> <p>One fan tweeted, "I'm ready for Tina Arena to be PM."</p> <p>Another said, "Tina articulating how we all feel. We are an incredibly resilient community but we are beyond exhausted."</p> <p><em>Image credit: Studio 10</em></p>

Music

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Tina Turner posts rare new snap

<p>Legendary singer Tina Turner has shared a rare new image with fans as she prepares to enter a new chapter in her life completely out of the spotlight.</p> <p>Turner already largely retreated from public life over the last decade but broke her social media silence to promote her new documentary film<span> </span><em>Tina</em>.</p> <p>The photo is one of the first times fans have seen a recent photo of Turner as she's been plagued by ill-health including a stroke, cancer and kidney transplant in more than a year.</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMuvSiColPF/?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/CMuvSiColPF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Tina Turner (@tinaturner)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"Only 5 days left! This Saturday, the documentary "TINA" will be released. I am so excited to share this movie with you – seeing the concert scenes made me relive some of the proudest moments of my life. I simply had to sing along and dance around my living room!" she wrote under the sweet snap.</p> <p><em>Tina</em>, a HBO feature-length documentary was filmed in 2019 and shows Turner revisiting her early years where she struggled with domestic abuse before her dream career materialised just a few years later.</p> <p>“It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad," Turner reflects in the documentary.</p> <p>“I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.”</p> <p>The film is also a final farewell to fans, as she wants her final phase of life to be private.</p>

Music

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Tina Turner bids farewell to fans

<p><span>In the feature-length documentary, simply titled Tina, the singer has opened up about her younger years, and how she found true love, global fame and healing as a middle-aged woman.</span><br /><br /><span>The 81-year-old now suffers from a number of health issues and revealed in her film that she wants to enter her final chapter of life out of the spotlight.</span><br /><br /><span>Looking back at her life, Tina revealed: “It wasn’t a good life. The good did not balance the bad.</span><br /><br /><span>“I had an abusive life, there’s no other way to tell the story. It’s a reality. It’s a truth. That’s what you’ve got, so you have to accept it.</span><br /><br /><span>“Some people say the life that I lived and the performances that I gave, the appreciation, is blasting with the people. And yeah, I should be proud of that. I am.</span><br /><br /><span>“But when do you stop being proud? I mean, when do you, how do you bow out slowly? Just go away?”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840314/tina-turner.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e7d755a0bcad466ca87e57cdcdd72195" /><br /><br /><span>The documentary, set to release in the US on Sunday, March 28, shows Tina speaking with her second husband, Erwin Bach.</span><br /><br /><span>After their farewell trip to the US for the Broadway premiere of her stage show, The Tina Turner Story, Erwin, 65, revealed: “She said, ‘I’m going to America to say goodbye to my American fans and I’ll wrap it up.’ And I think this documentary and the play, this is it – it’s a closure.”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina’s documentary is a painful reminder of her past, but she chose to share her life on film for her global army of fans.</span><br /><br /><span>In her career, she has sold more than 100 million records, and at her peak in the 1980s, sold out arenas around the globe.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina was born with the name Anna Mae Bullock, and her childhood days were filled by picking cotton in the fields around Nutbush, Tennessee.</span><br /><br /><span>Her mother, Zelma, suffered domestic abuse at the hands of her father, Floyd Bullock, before they both fled and abandoned her as a child.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina revealed that when she reunited with her mother as a superstar, Zelma was cold and unloving.</span><br /><br /><span>“Mum was not kind. When I became a star, of course back then she was happy because I bought her a house. I did all kinds of things for her, she was my mother,” Tina revealed.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was trying to make her comfortable because she didn’t have a husband, she was alone, but she still didn’t like me.</span><br /><br /><span>“Even after I became Tina, Ma was still a little bit like, ‘Who did that?’ and ‘Who did this?’ And I said, ‘I did that, Mum!’ I was happy to show my mother what I did. I had a house, I had got a car, and she said, ‘No, I don’t believe it. No, you’re my daughter, no you didn’t!’</span><br /><br /><span>“She didn’t want me, she didn’t want to be around me, even though she wanted my success. But I did for her as if she loved me.”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina experiences domestic violence and cruel abuse firsthand when she married her first husband Ike Turner in 1962.</span><br /><br /><span>The marriage saw Anna Mae Bullock reborn as Tina Turner and together they made a duo that would see them become soul stars for almost three decades.</span><br /><br /><span>When they split in 1976, Tina’s new name was the only thing she asked for in their divorce proceedings.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840313/tina-turner-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/84784d36687a46a1a153a7097f8ac4cf" /><br /><br /><span>Together they Ronnie, and she adopted two of Ike’s children, Ike Jr and Michael, from his previous relationship.</span><br /><br /><span>She also had another son, Craig, from a previous relationship.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin said in the documentary that his loving wife still has nightmares about those dark days and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.</span><br /><br /><span>“She has dreams about it; they’re not pleasant. It’s like when soldiers come back from the war. It’s not an easy time to have those in your memory and then try to forget,” he said.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina first tried to escape from Ike with a sleeping pill overdose in 1968 and admitted: “That scene comes back. You’re dreaming it. The real picture is there, it’s like a curse.”</span><br /><br /><span>She has come to terms with her past, and found peace with Ike, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina revealed: “For a long time I did hate Ike, I have to say that. But then, after he died, I really realised that he was an ill person. He did get me started and he was good to me in the beginning. So I have some good thoughts. Maybe it was a good thing that I met him – that, I don’t know.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840311/tina-turner-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fe67a33f41fb4da48080aea63a83282e" /><br /><br /><span>“It hurts to have to remember those times, but at a certain stage forgiveness takes over, forgiving means not having to hold on.</span><br /><br /><span>“It was letting go, because it only hurts you. By not forgiving, you suffer, because you think about it over and over. And for what?”</span><br /><br /><span>Tina would go on to reinvent herself as a solo artist, and had hit albums such as Private Dancer and Break Every Rule.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina met German record producer Erwin while visiting Europe in 1986. She was 46 and he was 30, but it was love at first sight.</span><br /><br /><span>“He had the prettiest face. It was like, ‘Where did he come from?’ He was so good looking,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“My heart went ba-bum. It means that a soul has met. When he found out that I liked him he came to America and we were in Nashville and I said to him, ‘When you come to LA I want you to make love to me.’</span><br /><br /><span>“I thought that I could say that because I was a free woman, I didn’t have a boyfriend, I liked him.</span><br /><br /><span>“There was nothing wrong with it – it was just sex. And he looked at me as if he didn’t believe what he was hearing.</span><br /><br /><span>“He was just so different, so laid back, so comfortable, so unpretentious, and that was the beginning of our relationship.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840312/tina-turner-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6c613152303548a7a08d1b11eda79b10" /><br /><br /><span>Tina made her last album in 1999, at age 59. She gave her final performance in 2009.</span><br /><br /><span>Tina now lives in Switzerland with Erwin, after renouncing her US citizenship.</span><br /><br /><span>In 2018, Tina lost her son Craig when he committed suicide in Los Angeles.</span><br /><br /><span>After scattering his ashes, she said: “My saddest moment as a mother. He was 59 when he died so tragically, but he will always be my baby.”</span><br /><br /><span>Her most recent illness led to her kidney transplant.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin ended up being the donor, and while the process was risky for an elderly couple, they came out okay.</span><br /><br /><span>Erwin said: “It’s something we both have for each other. I always refer to it as an electrical charge. I still have it.”</span><br /><br /><span>Before the operation, Tina had been so ill that she was considering assisted suicide, as it is legal in Switzerland.</span><br /><br /><span>She joined the assisted-suicide organisation Exit, and recalled in a book three years ago: “It wasn’t my idea of life but the toxins in my body had started taking over. I couldn’t eat.</span><br /><br /><span>“I was surviving, but not living. I began to think about death. If my kidneys were going, and it was time for me to die, I could accept that, it was OK.</span><br /><br /><span>“When it’s time, it’s really time.”</span></p>

Caring

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Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sir Elton John has revealed in his new autobiography </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Me</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the tough times he went through with singer Tina Turner. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two legends united for a joint tour in 1997, but tensions quickly rose and eventually Elton told Tina to “shove her song up her f***ing a**e”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an extract from the book, which has been serialised in the </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7551955/Elton-Uncensored-Tinas-tantrum-simply-best.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daily Mail</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Elton revealed that he was particularly upset after some suggestions from Tina. The suggestions included swapping his Versace for Armani outfits so he would look “less fat” and that he should update his hairstyle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I got off the phone and burst into tears: ‘She sounded like my f***ing mother,’ I wailed at David.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Things didn’t get better in rehearsals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Proud Mary</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f*****g song up her a**e and stormed off,” Elton added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Elton has had time to reflect on why Tina was acting like that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Maybe it was insecurity on her part. She’d been treated appallingly earlier in her career, suffered years and years of being ripped off, beaten up and pushed around. Maybe that had an effect on how she behaved towards people,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Later, once Elton had calmed down, he went to Tina’s dressing room to apologise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The argument made the pair realise that they had different performance styles, as Elton preferred to improvise, and Tina wanted to rehearse every detail.</span></p>

Music

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The internet is now an arena for conflict – and we're all caught up in it

<p>Most people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square. In reality, it’s become a divided arena where conflict between nation states plays out.</p> <p>Nation states run covert operations on the same platforms we use to post cat videos and exchange gossip. And if we’re not aware of it, we could be unwittingly used as pawns for the wrong side.</p> <p>How did we get here? It’s complicated, but let’s walk through some of the main elements.</p> <p><strong>The age of entanglement</strong></p> <p>On the one hand, we have an information landscape dominated by Western culture and huge multi-national internet platforms run by private companies, such as Google and Facebook. On the other, there are authoritarian regimes such as China, Iran, Turkey and Russia exercising tight control over the internet traffic flowing in and out of their countries.</p> <p>We are seeing more cyber intrusions into<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/a-state-actor-has-targeted-australian-political-parties-but-that-shouldnt-surprise-us-111997">nation state networks</a>, such as the recent hack of the Australian parliamentary network. At the same time,<span> </span><a href="https://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/lucas-kello-gives-evidence-to-house-of-lords-committee.html">information</a><span> </span>and influence operations conducted by countries such as Russia and China are flowing through social media into our increasingly shared digital societies.</p> <p>The result is a<span> </span><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/stack">global</a><span> </span>ecosystem<span> </span><a href="https://nsc.crawford.anu.edu.au/news-events/podcasts/video/10698/towards-political-ecology-cyberspace-3-3">perpetually</a><span> </span>close to the threshold of war.</p> <p>Because nations use the internet both to assert power and to conduct trade, there are incentives for authoritarian powers to keep their internet traffic open. You can’t maintain rigid digital borders and assert cyberpower influence at the same time, so nations have to “<a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3903_pp007-047.pdf">cooperate to compete</a>”.</p> <p>This is becoming known as “entanglement” – and it affects us all.</p> <p><strong>Data flows in one direction</strong></p> <p>Authoritarian societies such as China, Russia and Iran aim to create their own separate digital ecosystems where the government can control internet traffic that flows in and out of the country.</p> <p>The Chinese Communist Party is well known for maintaining a supposedly secure Chinese internet via what is known in the West as the “<a href="https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2010-11/FreedomOfInformationChina/the-great-firewall-of-china-background/index.html">Great Firewall</a>”. This is a system that can block international internet traffic from entering China according to the whim of the government.</p> <p>For the majority of the<span> </span><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/21/china-reaches-800-million-internet-users/">802 million people online</a><span> </span>in China, many of the apps we use to produce and share information are not accessible. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter are blocked. Instead, people in China use apps created by Chinese technology companies, such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu.</p> <p>Traffic within this ecosystem is monitored and censored in the most sophisticated and comprehensive surveillance state in the world. In 2018, for example, Peppa Pig was<span> </span><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-peppa-pig-became-a-gangster-figure-in-china">banned</a> and the People’s Daily referred to her as a “<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180502092019/http://media.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2018/0426/c40606-29950870.html">gangster</a>” after she became iconic of rebelliousness in Chinese youth culture.</p> <p><strong>Complete blocking of data is impossible</strong></p> <p>A key objective of this firewall is to to shield Chinese society and politics from external influence, while enabling internal surveillance of the Chinese population.</p> <p>But the firewall is not technologically independent of the West – its development has been reliant upon US corporations to supply the software, hardware innovation and training to ensure the system functions. And since the internet is an arena where nations compete for economic advantage, it’s not in the interest of either side to destroy cyberspace entirely.</p> <p>As cyber security expert Greg Austin<span> </span><a href="https://www.springer.com/la/book/9783319684352">has observed</a>, the foundations of China’s cyber defences remain weak. There are technical ways to<span> </span><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F11957454_2">get around the firewall</a>, and Chinese internet users exploit<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/from-metoo-to-ricebunny-how-social-media-users-are-campaigning-in-china-90860">Mandarin homophones and emoji</a><span> </span>to evade internal censors.</p> <p>Chinese economic and financial entanglement with the West means complete blocking of data is impossible. Consistent incentives to openness remain. China and the United States are therefore engaged in what Canadian scholar of digital media and global affairs Jon R Lindsay<span> </span><a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3903_pp007-047.pdf">describes</a><span> </span>as:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>chronic and ambiguous intelligence-counter intelligence contests across their networks, even as the internet facilitates productive exchange between them.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>That is, a tension exists because they are covertly working against each other on exactly the same digital platforms necessary to promote their individual and mutual interests in areas such as trade, manufacturing, communications and regulation.</p> <p>Since Russia is less dependent upon the information technology services of the United States and is therefore less entangled than China, it is<span> </span><a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/unsw-canberra-cyber/news/australian-cyber-ideas-moscow">more able</a><span> </span>to engage in bilateral negotiation and aggression.</p> <p><strong>Different styles of influence</strong></p> <p>If the internet has become a contest between nation states, one way of winning is to appear to comply with the letter of the law, while abusing its spirit.</p> <p>In the West, a network of private corporations, including Twitter, Google and Facebook, facilitate an internet system where information and commerce flow freely. Since the West remains open, while powers such as Russia and China exercise control over internet traffic, this creates an imbalance that can be exploited.</p> <p>Influence operations conducted by China and Russia in countries such as Australia exist within this larger context. And they are being carried out in the digital arena on a<span> </span><a href="https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/update-state-sponsored-activity/">scale</a>never before experienced. In the words of the latest<span> </span><a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf">US Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>Our adversaries and strategic competitors […] are now becoming more adept at using social media to alter how we think, behave and decide.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>The internet is a vast infrastructure of tools that can be used to strategically manipulate behaviour for specific tactical gain, and each nation has its own style of influence.</p> <p>I have previously written about attempts by<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-digital-media-blur-the-border-between-australia-and-china-101735">China</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/russian-trolls-targeted-australian-voters-on-twitter-via-auspol-and-mh17-101386">Russia</a><span> </span>to influence Australian politics via social media, showing how each nation state utilises different tactics.</p> <p>China takes a subtle approach, reflecting a long term strategy. It seeks to connect with the Chinese diaspora in a<span> </span><a href="https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/57781/apt/operation-cloud-hopper-apt10.html">target country</a>, and shape opinion in a manner favourable to the Chinese Communist Party. This is often as much as about<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-china-will-be-watching-how-we-commemorate-anzac-day-75856">ensuring some things aren’t said</a>as it is about shaping what is.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/russian-trolls-targeted-australian-voters-on-twitter-via-auspol-and-mh17-101386">Russia</a>, on the other hand, has used more obvious tactics to infiltrate and disrupt Australian political discourse on social media,<span> </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/weve-been-hacked-so-will-the-data-be-weaponised-to-influence-election-2019-heres-what-to-look-for-112130">exploiting</a><span> </span>Islamophobia – and the divide between left and right – to undermine social cohesion. This reflects Russia’s primary aim to destabilise the civic culture of the target population.</p> <p>But there are some similarities between the two approaches, reflecting a growing cooperation between them. As the<span> </span><a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf">US Intelligence Community</a><span> </span>points out:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>China and Russia are more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950s.</em></p> </blockquote> <p><strong>A strategic alliance between Russia and China</strong></p> <p>The strategic<span> </span><a href="https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2017/07/24/forget-sun-tzu-the-art-of-modern-war-can-be-found-in-a-chinese-strategy-book-from-1999/">origins of these shared approaches</a><span> </span>go back to the early internet itself. The Russian idea of<span> </span><a href="https://www.nato.int/DOCU/review/2015/Also-in-2015/hybrid-modern-future-warfare-russia-ukraine/EN/index.htm">hybrid warfare</a><span> </span>– also known as the<span> </span><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/">Gerasimov Doctrine</a><span> </span>– uses information campaigns to undermine a society as part of a wider strategy.</p> <p>But this concept first originated in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In 1999, Chinese PLA colonels penned a strategy titled<span> </span><a href="https://www.oodaloop.com/documents/unrestricted.pdf">Unrestricted Warfare</a>, which outlined how to use media, government, pretty much everything, in the target country not as a tool, but as a weapon.</p> <p>It recommended not just cyber attacks, but also fake news campaigns – and was the basis for information campaigns that became famous during the 2016 US presidential election.</p> <p>In June 2016, Russia and China<span> </span><a href="http://www.russia.org.cn/en/russia_china/president-vladimir-putin-and-chairman-of-the-people-s-republic-of-china-xi-jinping-held-talks-in-beijing-june-25-2016/">signed</a><span> </span>a joint declaration on the internet, affirming their shared objectives. In December 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a new<span> </span><a href="http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/official_documents/-/asset_publisher/CptICkB6BZ29/content/id/2563163">Doctrine of Information Security</a>, which establishes how Russia will<span> </span><a href="https://www.cyberdb.co/russia-and-china-are-making-their-information-security-case/">defend</a><span> </span>its own population against influence operations.</p> <p><a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d23109be-661d-4e90-a92c-32b7330e3a49">Observers</a><span> </span>noted the striking similarity between the Russian document and Chinese internet<span> </span><a href="https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/cybersecuritylaw/?lang=en">law</a>.</p> <p>Russia and China also<span> </span><a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/cyberattack-revelations-appear-undercut-russia-un">share a view</a><span> </span>of the global management of the internet, pursued via the United Nations:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>[…] more regulations to clarify how international law applies to cyberspace, with the aim of exercising more sovereignty – and state control – over the internet.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>The recent “sovereign internet”<span> </span><a href="http://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/608767-7">bill</a><span> </span>introduced to the Russian Parliament<span> </span><a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-bill-on-autonomous-operation-of-internet-advances-in-duma/29765882.html">proposes</a><span> </span>a Domain Name System (DNS) independent of the wider internet infrastructure.</p> <p>If the internet is now a site of proxy war, such<span> </span><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2466222">so-called</a><span> </span>“<a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/q-a-hurdles-ahead-as-russia-surges-on-with-sovereign-internet-plan/29766229.html">balkanization</a>” challenges the dominance of the United States.</p> <p>Nations are competing for<span> </span><a href="https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/harnessing-david-and-goliath-orthodoxy-asymmetry-and-competition">influence, leverage and advantage</a><span> </span>to secure their own interests. Russia and China don’t want to risk an all out war, and so competition is pursued at a level just below armed conflict.</p> <p>Technology, especially the internet, has brought this competition to us all.</p> <p><strong>We're entering turbulent waters</strong></p> <p>Despite its best efforts, China’s leaders remain concerned that the digital border between it and the rest of the world is too porous.</p> <p>In June 2009, Google was blocked in China. In 2011, Fang Binxing, one of the main designers of the<span> </span><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/great-firewall-of-china">Great Firewall</a><span> </span>expressed concern Google<span> </span><a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=dEGdCwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA113&amp;lpg=PA113&amp;dq=Fang+Binxing+2011+riverbed+benjamin+bratton&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=61Gnc-6vW-&amp;sig=ITVdygMm5ZmxuelLYB6w9oa6Cos&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwib66X9mPvcAhXHU7wKHRHrDiUQ6AEwAHoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=Fang%20Binxing%202011%20riverbed%20benjamin%20bratton&amp;f=false">was still potentially accessible in China</a>, saying:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>It’s like the relationship between riverbed and water. Water has no nationality, but riverbeds are sovereign territories, we cannot allow polluted water from other nation states to enter our country.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>The water metaphor was deliberate. Water flows and maritime domains define sovereign borders. And water flows are a good analogy for data flows. The internet has pitched democratic politics into the fluid dynamics of<span> </span><a href="http://politicalturbulence.org/">turbulence</a>, where algorithms shape<span> </span><a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/xwjden/targeted-advertising-is-ruining-the-internet-and-breaking-the-world">attention</a>, tiny clicks<span> </span><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/political-science-research-and-methods/article/quota-sampling-using-facebook-advertisements/0E120F161C9E114C6044EBB7792B5E70">measure participation</a>, and personal data is<span> </span><a href="https://www.chinoiresie.info/the-global-age-of-algorithm-social-credit-and-the-financialisation-of-governance-in-china/">valuable</a><span> </span>and apt to be<span> </span><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3224952">manipulated</a>.</p> <p>While other nations grapple with the best mix of containment, control and openness, ensuring Australia’s<span> </span><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/china-in-focus/10181900">democracy remains robust</a><span> </span>is the best defence. We need to keep an eye on the nature of the political discussion online, which requires a coordinated approach between the government and private sector, defence and security agencies, and an educated public.</p> <p>The strategies of information warfare we hear so much about these days were conceived in the 1990s – an era when “surfing the web” seemed as refreshing as a dip at your favourite beach. Our immersion in the subsequent waves of the web seem more threatening, but perhaps we can draw upon our cultural traditions to influence Australian security.</p> <p>As the rip currents of global internet influence operations grow more prevalent, making web surfing more dangerous, Australia would be wise to mark out a safe place to swim between the flags. Successful protection from influence will need many eyes watching from the beach.</p> <p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">Written by Tom Sear. Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-internet-is-now-an-arena-for-conflict-and-were-all-caught-up-in-it-101736"><span class="s1">The Conversation.</span></a></em></p>

Technology

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Rod Laver and Roger Federer share “the moment of the tournament”

<p>Roger Federer had us all in tears after last night’s Australian Open final when he <a href="/news/news/2018/01/federer-breaks-down-in-tears-after-grand-slam-win/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">tearfully celebrated his history-making 20th grand slam title</span></strong></a>, and it seems not even the stadium’s namesake could hide his emotion.</p> <p>Rod Laver, 79, set social media abuzz when he was caught on camera capturing a photo of Federer’s emotional post-match reaction, shedding a few tears himself, in what’s being described as “the moment of the tournament”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">You know how special Federer’s 20th is when the legend Rod Laver is even snapping pics. <a href="https://t.co/w5z9V8AgdY">pic.twitter.com/w5z9V8AgdY</a></p> — Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNCaroline/status/957584275183869954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>When Federer learnt of Laver’s reaction to his win, the 36-year-old told the media he considered Rod “Rocket” Laver “the best”.</p> <p>“I am so happy when I see him any time ... to see Rocket in the front row taking a picture. I couldn’t see it because I was crying too much.”</p> <p>Sports reporters and fans from around the world took to Twitter to celebrate the incredible moment the cameras panned to Laver photographing the Swiss great.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Rod Laver taking a photo on his cell phone while Federer stood overwhelmed on the podium has to be the moment of the tournament <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AustralianOpen2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AustralianOpen2018</a></p> — Sambit Bal (@sambitbal) <a href="https://twitter.com/sambitbal/status/957584984755154944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Rod Laver taking a snap of it all. Priceless.</p> — Duska Sulicich (@DuskaSulicich) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuskaSulicich/status/957584248768118784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Extraordinary moment seeing the greatest men's player ever break down in tears, and Rod Laver capturing it on his cell phone. Remarkable <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rogerfederer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpenFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpenFinals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOAT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GOAT</a></p> — Shashank Bengali (@SBengali) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBengali/status/957583946966958080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Rod Laver taking a picture with his phone is the best.</p> — Judy Battista (@judybattista) <a href="https://twitter.com/judybattista/status/957584224344735744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Rod Laver is taking pictures of Roger Federer. Unreal. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/goat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#goat</a></p> — Matt Connellan (@MattConnellan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattConnellan/status/957584213632413696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>It took Federer just three hours and three minutes to beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7 6-3 3-6 6-1. He is the second oldest Australian Open winner in history and the only man ever to take home 20 grand slam titles.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, did you watch the emotional moment live on TV? What did you think about Fed’s win?</p> <p><em>Image: AFP/Getty.</em></p>

Technology

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The moment Federer makes a humble confession about Nadal

<p>Just as Roger Federer seemed to cement his status as the odds-on favourite to take out this year’s Australian Open, with his quarterfinal victory over Tomas Berdych, a story emerging from Melbourne Park has served as another example of the Swiss maestro’s class off the court.</p> <p>In a post-match interview Federer revealed that the night before his big match, when most players would’ve been focusing on their own game, he was texting Rafael Nadal.</p> <p>The World No. 1 had retired injured in the fifth set of a brutal quarterfinal clash with Marin Cilic, and Federer wanted more than anything to make sure he was okay.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Defending champion Roger Federer has reached his 14th <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> semi-final with a straight-sets victory over Tomas Berdych. <br /><br />👉 <a href="https://t.co/e2Vrwknmci">https://t.co/e2Vrwknmci</a> <a href="https://t.co/8kfiwZGN1G">pic.twitter.com/8kfiwZGN1G</a></p> — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/956120507585302530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>“It’s hard to watch,” Federer said. “Someone go out in five sets and not being able to finish.</p> <p>“At least if somebody finishes and he loses all credit to the other guy.</p> <p>“I wrote Rafa late last night before I went to bed. Last thing I did. I said I have to write Rafa see how he’s doing.</p> <p>“I hope he was going to be OK with the scan today. I’m hoping the news was not terrible.</p> <p>“It was not nice to see a fellow rival and friend like this go out. Wish him well.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr">Post match smolderview 🤨 <a href="https://t.co/xW80lFBk1X">pic.twitter.com/xW80lFBk1X</a></p> — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) <a href="https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/954997107248660480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Federer is the biggest name remaining in the tournament and after his 7-6 7-3 6-4 victory over Berdych he’ll face South Korean Hyeon Chung, who is on a roll after defeating the Open’s greatest ever champion Novak Djokovic.</p> <p>Did you see the game? Who is your favourite to win this year’s Australian Open? And what’s been your impression of the action at Melbourne Park?</p>

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"Despair" as Nadal breaks down

<p>The <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2018/01/australian-open-drama-leaves-crowd-stunned/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>big names keep on falling at the Australian Open</strong></span></a>, with Rafael Nadal the latest top contender to join the exit queue after a dramatic day of tennis at Melbourne Park.</p> <p>Nadal was expected to buck the trend of <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2018/01/nick-kyrgios-special-moment-after-intense-match/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>superstars exiting the tournament early</strong></span></a>, but after a marathon match against Marin Cilic which lasted three hours and 48 minutes, the tournament’s No. 1 seed was force to retire hurt.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Sadly leaving the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ausopen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ausopen</a> tonight. I’ll get an MRI tomorrow morning to see what is the injury. Thanks for the support to all my fans <a href="https://t.co/KwTf56G7aG">pic.twitter.com/KwTf56G7aG</a></p> — Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/955803238300770305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>While still unclear as to the extent of his injury, the multiple grand slam winner hit out at tennis officials over the disturbing trend of players carrying long-term injuries.</p> <p>“Somebody who is running the tour should think a little bit about what’s going on,” Nadal said.</p> <p>“Too many people are getting injured.</p> <p>“I don’t know if they have to think a little bit about the health of the players. Not for now that we are playing, but there is life after tennis. “I don’t know if we keep playing on these very, very hard surfaces what’s going to happen in the future with our lives.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"Somebody who is running the tour should think a little bit about what's going on. Too many people getting injured." <br /><br />Nadal says he worries the injuries will linger post-career for players.<br /><br />"There is life after tennis."</p> — Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/955782383336275968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>This is the second time Nadal has been forced to retire at the Australian Open, with the first coming in 2010 in a quarter-final match with Scotsman Andy Murray.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Unfortunate scenes here with the world No.1 Rafael <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nadal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nadal</a> retiring hurt in the QF 😥<a href="https://twitter.com/cilic_marin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Cilic_Marin</a> progresses through to the SF. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/IEjPruzvdi">pic.twitter.com/IEjPruzvdi</a></p> — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/955775500361740288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think tennis officials are neglecting their duty of care for players? Or is it one of those situations with no easy solution?</p>

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