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"Good luck!": Pink stops show as pregnant fan goes into labour

<p>It's not every day that you can say pop icon Pink stopped her show as you were going into labour, but for one Sydney fan this was her reality. </p> <p>The <em>So What </em>singer briefly stopped her show after spotting a pregnant woman getting wheeled out of her concert by a medic on Friday. </p> <p>Wanting to know what all the commotion was about, Pink stopped half way through her performance of <em>Our Song </em>and excitedly tried to find out the baby-to-be's gender, after discovering  that the concertgoer was experiencing contractions. </p> <p>"Is it Alicia or Alex being born?" she asked from the stage, referencing her birth name, Alecia Beth Moore. </p> <p>The singer then playfully said that they shouldn't "be looking" anymore and urged the crowd to give the woman some "privacy."</p> <p> </p> <div class="embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important; width: 573px; max-width: 100%;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7333559856185593090&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40miss_chantal%2Fvideo%2F7333559856185593090&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2F22874a6d4d174a149b284ecb5a642be4_1707477473%3Fx-expires%3D1707865200%26x-signature%3DNsu2Nw7zUT%252Bf6ndURt3fjSjaZfg%253D&amp;key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p>"Wow, Our Song, that was the one that did it. Wouldn't have called that one! I thought it would've been Get The Party Started or 'Never Not Gonna Dance Again," she said, before congratulating the mum-to-be. </p> <p>"That's exciting. I don't even know what to say. But we have to sing now. Good luck! It's gonna be great! You're gonna do great," she said. </p> <p>A clip of the moment was shared on TikTok, with fans hoping that the mum had a safe delivery.</p> <p>"Baby is like nah I wanna see pink I don’t wanna just hear. Hope mama had a safe delivery 💕💕" one wrote. </p> <p>"Yep or maybe bubba is thinking will this make pink my godmother 😂💕" another added. </p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

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"You're not in labour": Expectant mum sent away from hospital gives birth at home

<p>A young mother from Ballarat, Victoria, had no choice but to give birth in the front bedroom of her home after being turned away from the maternity ward, even though she was experiencing contractions.</p> <p>Courtnie Apps, accompanied by her best friend Ashlee Meek, arrived at Ballarat Base Hospital on Monday night, enduring immense pain.</p> <p>Apps described the experience as intense and was promptly taken to the pregnancy assessment area for testing. However, medical staff concluded that her pain was likely due to a kidney infection, rather than labor.</p> <p>"They said, 'You're not in labour so this pain you're having must be from your kidney infection, which can be quite painful,'" Apps <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ballarat-pregnant-mum-turned-away-from-hospital-despite-having-contractions/b95ffc53-1be6-41ea-9368-a105e0ba8009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told 9News</a>.</p> <p>Disappointed and bewildered, Apps was sent home with painkillers and a strong sleeping pill.</p> <p>"We're like, 'Are we crazy? We're clearly seeing she's in labour,'" Meek stated, reflecting on their frustration.</p> <p>The pair returned home, and within an hour, Apps gave birth to her daughter, Alaida Hope.</p> <p>Meek, who has aspirations of becoming a midwife and is a nursing student with six children of her own, assisted in the delivery.</p> <p>"I had to put my hand on the baby's head to stop her from coming out too fast and doing too much damage, all while trying to dial triple zero with my other hand," Meeks recalled.</p> <p>"It was just pure luck really that nothing happened and that baby didn't need any help and that mum didn't have a serious haemorrhage."</p> <p>After the unexpected home birth, the trio was transported back to Ballarat Base Hospital in an ambulance. However, to their dismay, no one from the hospital has offered an apology thus far. Apps emphasised the importance of listening to patients saying that healthcare professionals should pay attention when patients express that something is wrong.</p> <p>When approached for a statement, a spokesperson for Grampians Health, the organisation overseeing Ballarat Base Hospital, declined to comment on Apps' case.</p> <p>The spokesperson cited patient privacy as the reason for not disclosing specific details but assured that patient safety is of utmost importance and their commitment to providing excellent care remains unwavering.</p> <p><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

Caring

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Mapping the labour and slavery risks in fashion supply chains

<div class="copy"> <p>How did your clothes get to you, and who was properly paid for them in the process?</p> <p>The garment industry is notorious for worker exploitation and complicated, unclear supply chains.</p> <p>Both within and without the fashion industry, forced labour, and modern slavery, is on the rise. According to the new <a href="https://publications.iom.int/books/global-estimates-modern-slavery-forced-labour-and-forced-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Estimates of Modern Slavery</a> report, there were 50 million people around the world living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour, and 22 million in forced marriages.</p> <p>This is an increase of 10 million from when the report was done in 2016 – among other things, the number has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and armed conflicts.</p> <p>What does the garment supply chain look like? <em>Cosmos</em> investigates.</p> <h2>The shape of the garment industry: four tiers (sort of)</h2> <p>“In a broad sense, when retailers talk about their supply chains, they tend to talk with tiers zero to four,” explains Dr Alice Payne, an associate professor in fashion at Queensland University of Technology.</p> <p>Tier 0 is the company’s direct operations: retail, offices, and distribution centres, for instance. Each additional tier is a layer removed from them.</p> <p>“Tier 1 is the people and the organizations constructing the garments for them – so assembling and manufacturing,” says Payne.</p> <p>Tier 2 is fabric production, while Tier 3 is the production of the yarn that makes the fabric.</p> <p>“Tier 4 is raw materials,” says Payne.</p> <p>“Natural fibres like cotton and wool, that’s all the way back to the farm, or the forests that the trees come from that are then processed into viscose material. And the petrochemical industry, which is the feedstock for polyester, nylons, acrylics and so on.”</p> <p>In reality, there aren’t clear lines between these tiers – particularly further up the supply chain.</p> <p>Even something as ubiquitous as cotton has a very complicated history.</p> <p>“You’ve got the seed inputs to grow the cotton on the farm, the cotton has to be ginned – the seed and the lint separated – and then from the ginning, it’s shipped to a spinner to make it into a yarn.</p> <p>“Then the yarn producer will ship it often to other countries to be manufactured into a cloth. At any point along the chain, it might be dyed,” says Payne.</p> <p>“They can span the world over in terms of geographic location and can be really complex,” says Abigail Munroe, a modern slavery research and policy analyst at human rights group Walk Free, which compiled the <em>Global Estimates of Modern Slavery </em>report with the United Nation’s International Labour Organization and the International Organisation for Migration.</p> <h2>The labour distribution along the supply chain</h2> <p>Workers aren’t distributed evenly across these tiers. Spindles and looms are both highly mechanised processes, making the middle tiers less labour-intensive. The raw materials in Tier 4 can be equally mechanised, or labour-intensive to make, depending on the fibre.</p> <p>Assembling garments in Tier 1, however, demands a huge workforce.</p> <p>“It’s part of the nature of cloth – it’s fluid and malleable,” says Payne.</p> <p>“In the robotics space, they talk about how it might take months to teach a machine to fold a t -shirt because it’s just such a such a very difficult thing to manoeuvre and manipulate cloth.”</p> <p>Each seam on your clothes needs to be guided manually through a sewing machine – which is something of a boon for poorer countries wanting to bring in more industry.</p> <p>“The textile industry is often the first rung on the ladder for a country that’s industrialising,” says Payne.</p> <p>“What’s an industry to bring into a country when you’ve got a large labour force? Well, often garment assembly, because it’s fairly light machinery.”</p> <p>But this also comes with risks.</p> <h2>Who gets paid</h2> <p>According to the <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clean Clothes Campaign</a>, a T-shirt which sells for €29 (A$43) sends €0.18 (A$0.27) back to the Bangladeshi garment worker who sewed it.</p> <p>Walk Free’s <a href="https://www.walkfree.org/reports/beyond-compliance-in-the-garment-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Beyond Compliance in the Garment Industry</em></a> report has found similar levels of low payment across the supply chain.</p> <p>“In our assessment, workers would need to be earning almost 40% more to have their basic needs met,” says Munroe.</p> <p>Exploitation may be worse in the more distant tiers.</p> <p>“In general, across any kind of industry, workers further down the supply chains tend to face increased modern slavery risks,” says Munroe.</p> <p>“That can be for a number of reasons – some of these being that they’re more likely to work in the informal economy, and they’re more likely to be invisible to policies designed to protect them.”</p> <p><iframe title="Huh? Science Explained" src="https://omny.fm/shows/huh-science-explained/playlists/podcast/embed?selectedClip=c7003c2f-954f-4ebf-b826-af090009d3ac&amp;style=cover&amp;autoplay=0&amp;list=0" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <h2>Tracing slavery</h2> <p>Governments have taken steps to make companies monitor these supply chains, but there are still gaps in the legislation.</p> <p>In Australia, for instance, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018 Modern Slavery Act</a> requires companies with an annual revenue over A$100 million to produce annual reports on their supply chains and modern slavery risks within those chains. The UK has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar legislation</a>.</p> <p>Walk Free’s annual <em>Beyond Compliance </em>reports, track these disclosures and so far, they’ve looked at the hospitality, finance, and garment industries.</p> <p>While most of the garment companies in this year’s analysis had statements addressing modern slavery (an improvement on the hospitality and finance industries), 33% still didn’t meet minimum requirements set out by the acts. Over a quarter of companies didn’t produce any supply chain disclosure at all, while among those that did disclose, only 35% went beyond Tier 1.</p> <p>“There’s actually no penalties for companies that are within the threshold of the act, but don’t actually produce a statement,” says Munroe.</p> <p>And, even if those requirements are met, there’s little motivation to improve on reports.</p> <p>“We certainly see statements that are clearly being used as a box ticking activity,” says Munroe.</p> <p>“For both of those acts, even the Australian act which has more involved requirements, it’s completely disclosure-based. So simply reporting that the company needs to do more in relation to supply chain mapping or risk assessment – that’s enough.”</p> <p>Stricter legislation, such as the regulations <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-union-releases-draft-mandatory-human-rights-and-environmental-due-diligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently being proposed by the EU</a>, might include financial penalties for failing to comply, alongside obligations to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses right through the supply chain.</p> <p>The Australian government is <a href="https://consultations.ag.gov.au/crime/modern-slavery-act-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently reviewing</a> its modern slavery act, with a consultation period closing in just over a month.</p> <p>Future changes to the act might increase compliance – but for now, most of the places you buy clothes from aren’t making it clear where the garments have come from – or who’s being properly paid to make them.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=213724&amp;title=Mapping+the+labour+and+slavery+risks+in+fashion+supply+chains" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --></em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/garment-supply-chain-slavery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> </div>

Beauty & Style

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Australia's 'First Dog' Toto gains following on her own Twitter account

<p>She was a star on the campaign trail and now Anthony Albanese's dog Toto is set to be a social media sensation.</p> <p>The pet pooch made her debut on Twitter after a fan created an account for "Australia's 1st dog", racking up more than 19,000 followers in less than 24 hours.</p> <p>"Hello Australia! Dad thought it'd be a furry good idea to get me a Twitter account so here I am! Woof!" the account's first tweet stated.</p> <p>Despite the reference to Toto's dad, the Labor leader didn't start the social media account for his beloved Cavoodle, in fact nor did anyone from the PM's office. Reportedly, a 20-year-old law student from Brisbane is behind the account.</p> <p>"I just like the dog," the student said.</p> <p>Albanese announced Toto's arrival back in 2015 on his Instagram account.</p> <p>"Introducing my new family member, Toto," he wrote.</p> <p>Toto went on to feature across Albanese's social media pages but fans appear eager for more puppy moments.</p> <p>"I'm looking forward to hearing all of Toto's woofs about life as the top dog," one Twitter user wrote.</p> <p>In an interview last December, Albanese revealed how Toto helps him handle the demands of being a politician.</p> <p>“I definitely feel better for all the time I spend with Toto, " he said while promoting a fundraising calendar the pair starred in together.</p> <p>"She's loving, she's loyal, she's great company, and she's always so happy to see me."</p> <p>Toto proved to be "great company" again when the Labor leader was struck down with COVID-19 during the election campaign.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mother goes viral for making her hair "look cute" while in labour

<p>While there are many things that race through a woman's mind when she is in labour, not everyone is too concerned with how they look. </p> <p>Secora Hawks, however, had her mind on other things. </p> <p>The US woman shared a video diary online to document the birth of her daughter Olive, posting her experience in hospital to TikTok.</p> <p>As the woman navigated her contractions, she decided to make herself "presentable" for the birth. </p> <p>"I just took a shower so I can re-braid my hair," she says in the clip.</p> <p>"I am just trying to do my hair quickly before the pain starts again."</p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7079483270496308526&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40secora%2Fvideo%2F7079483270496308526&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp19-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2Fbfd3fa845fe8431bad95fd1287b7ac0d_1648320648%7Etplv-tiktok-play.jpeg%3Fx-expires%3D1651802400%26x-signature%3DyrlhpIbSZJfuyZmU%252BYRtkYMSmFQ%253D&amp;key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;">In the video, which has now been viewed over 12 millions times, she tries to explain to her online followers the pain she is feeling while waiting at home to get the go ahead from the midwives to come in for delivery.</p> <p>At one point her pain is so bad that she has to take a break from doing her hair. "Babe I can't braid my hair. It looks so bad," she yells over to her partner.</p> <p>"Really doubted I was going to do my hair while in labour but I was committed," she captioned the post.</p> <p>Followers were stunned that the mum had the energy to be able to get herself ready for the trip to the hospital, as she said it was "Definitely the worst pain in my life".</p> <p>Other mums shared their stories of pushing through the pain to enjoy one last moment before birth. "I was in labour on thanksgiving and didn't want to miss dinner so I dealt with labour pains until I finished eating and then went," one recalled.</p> <p>Secora updated her followers that the video of her doing her hair was recorded at 10pm, and she ended up giving birth to her daughter Olive just hours later at 3am the next morning.</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p> </div>

Family & Pets

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MP cycles to hospital while in labour

<p>In the early hours of Sunday morning, New Zealand Member of Parliament Julie Anne Genter welcomed her new baby into the world.</p> <p>The MP took to Facebook to share her dramatic birthing story, and how she cycled to the hospital while in labour.</p> <p>The Greens politician wrote, "Big news! At 3.04am this morning we welcomed the newest member of our family. I genuinely wasn’t planning to cycle in labour, but it did end up happening."</p> <p>"My contractions weren’t that bad when we left at 2am to go to the hospital - though they were 2-3 min apart and picking up in intensity by the time we arrived 10 minutes later."</p> <p>"And amazingly now we have a healthy, happy little one sleeping, as is her dad."</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJulieAnneGenter%2Fposts%2F4916210785057860&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="797" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p> <p>Her extraordinary story has racked up thousands of likes on Facebook, with many well wishers commending her strength.</p> <p>One person wrote, "Wow, cycling in labour... not sure I could've done that!"</p> <p>Others shared their congratulations and called Julie a "Wonder Woman" for riding a bike while enduring contractions. </p> <p>Julie also praised the medical staff that assisted in the delivery, saying, "Feeling blessed to have had excellent care and support from a great team, in what turned out to be a very fast (and happily uncomplicated) birth."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Hugh Grant lashes Boris Johnson over iconic Love Actually campaign spoof

<p><em>Love Actually<span> </span></em>might be considered one of the world's most popular Christmas films.</p> <p><span>However, not even an iconic scene taken from the movie for a spoof election campaign video by Boris Johnson could save him from a heap of criticism.</span><span></span></p> <p>Mr Johnson played as a poor understudy for<span> </span><em>Love Actually’s</em><span> </span>Andrew Lincoln for his take of the scene.</p> <p>In the film, Lincoln’s character Mark confesses his love for Julie, the wife of his best friend, with a series of cue card held up to the tune of carol singers outside their London home.</p> <p><em><strong>Scroll through the gallery to see the video in pictures.</strong></em></p> <p>While the scene has become a classic to reenact over the years since its release in 2003, the decision to use it by the conservative social media machine - which is run by an Australian political strategist and two New Zealanders - has received a harsh response from Britain.<span> </span></p> <p>Mr Johnson appears on a doorstep promising to “get Brexit done”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Brexit, actually. <a href="https://t.co/4ryuh19c75">pic.twitter.com/4ryuh19c75</a></p> — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1204152954934177792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The clip begins with the classic “tell them it’s carol singers” before launching into the Conservative election manifesto, saying “with any luck by next year we’ll have Brexit done.”</p> <p>Embed video<span> </span></p> <p>While some people in the UK have marked the video as “brilliant,” others have remade their own version for the Prime Minister to watch.<span> </span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I saw that Boris Johnson made a Love Actually campaign video.<br /><br />Well, Boris, when I made this video, it looked as if the UK was going to leave before this Christmas. <br /><br />I am more than happy you are still with us. And hope for many more years together in our European family.<br /><br />🇪🇺❤️🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/HBZ6fzlsgE">https://t.co/HBZ6fzlsgE</a></p> — Terry Reintke (@TerryReintke) <a href="https://twitter.com/TerryReintke/status/1204377617153048576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">What a brilliant <a href="https://twitter.com/Conservatives?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Conservatives</a> broadcast. Everyone is talking about it! Well done <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BorisJohnson</a> and team! Here it is <a href="https://t.co/uGcNZn0NaR">https://t.co/uGcNZn0NaR</a></p> — Jayne Cowan (@JayneCowan) <a href="https://twitter.com/JayneCowan/status/1204161457837027329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Labour Party MPs also pointed out the scene had been parodied before by a Labour’s Rosena Allin-Khan on 22 November.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The choice at this election... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoveActually?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LoveActually</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MerryXmas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MerryXmas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tooting?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tooting</a> <a href="https://t.co/laP589NlMm">pic.twitter.com/laP589NlMm</a></p> — Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrRosena/status/1197884965444366337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><em>Love Actually</em><span> </span>star Hugh Grant, who played the role of Britain’s Prime Minister in the film and is a vocal critic of the Conservative government told the BBC he found that the video was “quite well done, very high production values but clearly the Conservative party have a lot of money.”</p> <p>“Maybe that’s where all the roubles went,” he said in reference to reports of Russian interference in the UK election.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"One of the cards... Boris Johnson didn't hold up was the one saying "Because at Christmas you tell the truth"<br /><br />Actor Hugh Grant <a href="https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HackedOffHugh</a>, who wants people to vote tactically against Brexit, gives his view of the PM's version of the famous Love Actually cards scene <a href="https://t.co/HyU9Uk47Sd">pic.twitter.com/HyU9Uk47Sd</a></p> — BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1204321608694976514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>“But I did notice that one of the cards from the original film he didn’t hold up was the one where Andrew Lincoln held up a card saying ‘because at Christmas you tell the truth’.”</p> <p>“And I just wonder if the spin doctors in the Tory party thought that was a card that wouldn’t look too great in Boris Johnson’s hands.”</p> <p><em><strong>Scroll through the gallery to see the video in pictures.</strong></em></p>

International Travel

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Winston Peters' decision on a coalition with Jacinda Ardern as PM puts us in new territory

<p>The price of power. Deputy Prime Minister, four ministers in Cabinet, one more outside Cabinet. And some big policy wins, including immigration.</p> <p>It was a price Jacinda Ardern was prepared to pay, and one that Bill English judged as too high. Over the coming days and hours we will find out more about what finally tipped Winston Peters hand in Labour's favour. But for now we know enough. After days of hard ball negotiation, and talks that Peters dragged out till the 11th hour, Ardern just wanted it more than English.</p> <p>So what can we expect from a Labour - NZ First Government? It won't be the Government many of its supporters thought they were voting for - the Greens are sidelined by Peters', who made it abundantly clear they won't be equal partners in a Labour-NZ First government.</p> <p>But Labour's supporters will take it regardless. Nine long years in the political wilderness is more than enough. And Ardern has sweetened the pill by giving the Greens a proportionate number of ministerial portfolios - though outside, rather than inside, Cabinet.</p> <p>So what was the tipping point? National was not prepared to go as hard or as far on curbing immigration as Labour - that much was made clear by English in a gracious concession speech. </p> <p>And while it's likely National was prepared to offer Peters the same plum roles - foreign affairs and deputy prime minister - it may have found some of NZ First's more interventionist economic demands harder to stomach.</p> <p>The deal with Labour is understood to put NZ First's hands on the economic tiller with a super-sized economic development portfolio, and responsibility for industries such as forest and fisheries, as well as transport and infrastructure. Economic development will likely go to former Labour minister Shane Jones, while NZ First deputy Ron Mark will likely pick up defence. NZ First education spokeswoman Tracey Martin will be the other Cabinet minster, while Fletcher Tabuteau is tipped for a ministerial portfolio outside Cabinet.</p> <p>There were cheers and tears of joy in the Labour caucus rooms when Peters streamed his announcement live. The mood in National would have been grim. But the dragged out negotiations and constant delays suggests they were in it till the end. So why did National not go the extra mile? </p> <p>Peters had tested the patience of National MPs - its demands sought influence disproportionate to NZ First's  result of 7 per cent  to National's 44 per cent. There was also wariness about history repeating after the disastrous 1996 coalition deal, which sparked National's defeat and nine years in Opposition. Some MPs had openly debated whether National should just sit this one out rather than cosy up to NZ First again.</p> <p>A decision to go with a four-term National government would have weighed just as heavily on Peters; the mood for change would likely have swept them both out. Peters is banking on NZ First being part of a generational change in New Zealand politics and sharing in some of Ardern's inevitable honeymoon.</p> <p>But that is not a given; if there is a honeymoon, it will be for the next generation of political leaders and the change of direction a Labour government and younger leader promises.</p> <p>Ardern will need every bit of that honeymoon to manage a Government that is a first under MMP - nearly one in two voters wanted National, which will enter Opposition with more resources and more MPs than its Labour opponent.</p> <p>It won't just be in the House where Ardern's mettle will be tested - she will need to lead an inclusive enough Government to manage the large number of National - and Green - voters who may feel robbed by Thursday's outcome.</p> <p><em>Written by Tracy Watkins. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a>. </em></p>

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What to do at the Gisborne Wine and Food Festival in New Zealand

<p><em><strong>Justine Tyerman is a New Zealand journalist, travel writer and sub-editor. Married for 36 years, she lives in rural surroundings near Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand with her husband Chris. </strong></em></p> <p>Gisborne Wine and Food Weekend is about to come of age. It began last century, in fact last millennium, and celebrates its 20th anniversary at Labour Weekend.</p> <p>The festival, located on the East Coast, North Island of New Zealand, has seen many incarnations in the past two decades from an entirely vineyard-based event to single venues and a mixture of both. This year it’s a hybrid, offering the best of both worlds. Festival-goers have the opportunity to visit the Tairawhiti region’s vineyards and recline in the vines while sampling the product thereof.</p> <p>They can also taste a variety of wines from a number of other vineyards at the ‘Wine Central’ hub.</p> <p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/28824/12-10-16-matawhero-wines-2015-wine-and-food-weekend-picture-by-stephen-jones_500x420.jpg" alt="12-10-16, Matawhero Wines . 2015 Wine And Food Weekend . Picture By Stephen Jones" width="500" height="420" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Matawhero Wines, 2015 Wine and Food Weekend. Picture by Stephen Jones.</em></p> <p>On Saturday October 22, the region’s many celebrated vineyards and wineries will open their cellar doors for visitors to savour stunning wines and cuisine.</p> <p>In addition, on Saturday afternoon, TW Wines is hosting Beats, Bites and Brews at the TW Barn from 12 to 6pm.</p> <p>Also on Saturday, Matawhero Wines is conducting wine workshops led by ‘The Wine Guy’ Gavin Hubble.</p> <p>Sunday is the official festival day so join the throngs of wine lovers from 11am to 6pm at Matawhero Wines, The Millton Vineyard and the hub at ‘Wine Central’.</p> <p>Matawhero Wines available for tasting are Pinot Rosé, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Malbec, non-alcoholic grape juice and boutique beer from Galbraith.</p> <p>Gourmet food, hosted wine-tasting sessions in Matawhero’s underground cellar, live music and pétanque and croquet are also on the agenda.</p> <p>James and Annie Millton established Millton Vineyards and Winery in 1984 and they were the first producer in New Zealand to gain Bio-Gro certification for organic wine production in 1989.</p> <p>Millton’s will be serving Crazy by Nature, Muskats @ Dawn, Amrita Certified Organic Grape Juice, and Sunshine Brewery Craft Beers. There will be food and live music too.</p> <p>‘Wine Central’ at Showgrounds Park Pavilion, open from 11am to 6pm, is the venue for four wineries and a brewery.</p> <p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/28826/capture_500x283.jpg" alt="Capture (9)" width="500" height="283" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>James Millton of Millton Vineyards and Winery and Kristen Searle of Matawhero Wines. </em></p> <p>The Gisborne Garagiste Wine Company was formed in 2012 by three friends and winemakers with the intention of making small quantities of high-quality wines. Their list includes Viognier, Cabernet /Merlot/Malbec, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Syrah and Sauvignon Gris.</p> <p>The Cognoscenti label is reserved for the finest releases produced by Waimata Wines. On their wine list are Chardonnay, Viognier, Chardonnay/Viognier, Gewürztraminer and Syrah.</p> <p>Villa Maria is well-known in the New Zealand wine industry. For more than 50 years, Villa Maria has been creating approachable and food-friendly wines from New Zealand’s best winegrowing regions. A variety of Viognier, Albarino and Chardonnay will be available for tasting.</p> <p>Stone Bridge Wines are produced from grapes selected by viticulturist and owner David Hart from some of Gisborne finest vineyards. Wines available are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Merlot and ‘40fied’ Port.</p> <p>Gisborne’s Sunshine Brewery has been turning out delicious batch-brewed beer using all natural ingredients since 1989. Beers for tasting include their Sunshine Project and classic Heritage range.</p> <p>An array of fine food will complement the fruit of the vine at Wine Central.</p> <p>Wine Central is also the ticket transfer hub for the festival, the place to exchange your ticket for your wristband and glass.</p> <p>The hub will be serviced by buses running on a continuous loop from Wainui Beach through the city from 10.30 to 1pm and then back from the venue to the city and Wainui from 4.30 to 6.30pm. Tickets are $40 including unlimited bus transport.</p> <p>And in case you still have energy to burn, the Funky and Familiar Tour after-party gets under way on Sunday at 7pm at The Dome Cinema.</p> <p>The three-day weekend will also allow you to glimpse the cultural, historical and scenic treasures of Tairawhiti which means: "The coast upon which the sun shines across the water."</p> <p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/28827/161010-gh-millton-vineyards-and-winery_497x330.jpg" alt="161010 Gh Millton Vineyards And Winery." width="497" height="330" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Millton Vineyards and Winery.</em></p> <p>Gisborne is a place of firsts. The most easterly city in the world, it’s the first city on the planet to see the light of each new day. It’s where Maori landed their voyaging waka in the 14th century after navigating the Pacific Ocean; where Captain James Cook anchored the Endeavour and came ashore in 1769 for the first meeting on land between Maori and Pakeha; and not far from where Rocket Lab will launch the first test rocket into space from its base on Mahia Peninsula later this month.</p> <p>Event organiser Prue Younger is excited about the festival coming of age.</p> <p>"Twenty years is a great innings for the event. This year tickets are limited to 2000 so be in fast and make October 22-24 your first but not your last visit to Tairawhiti."</p> <p><em><strong>*Tickets available online at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/">Ticketek.co.nz</a></span></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/domestic-travel/2016/09/best-place-to-fly-fish-in-new-zealand/">The best place to fly-fish in New Zealand</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/domestic-travel/2016/08/guide-to-queenstown-paradise-trail-in-new-zealand/">Cycling Queenstown's stunning Paradise Trail</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/domestic-travel/2016/07/guide-to-queenstown-new-zealand/">Travel guide: Queenstown</a></em></strong></span></p>

International Travel

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Labour of love: Australian carers provide $60.3 billion of care each year

<p>Helen Johnson started caring for her son Ben 21 years ago, when he was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome and later with severe Autism. Helen has been the primary carer for her son through 54 surgical procedures including a post-operative complication, which left Ben a paraplegic in 2009.</p> <p>Helen is just one 2.86 million informal carers across Australia who provide unpaid, life-supporting care to the community. And according to Helen, that number is set to grow.</p> <p>“During their lifetime, every Australian has a high chance of either being a carer, knowing a carer or needing a carer,” she says.</p> <p>“I started caring for my son over 21 years ago and in that time the demand for unpaid care has grown considerably, especially with the ageing of the population. This demand is set to continue to increase and community attitudes towards carers must grow alongside.”</p> <p>The size and value of this ‘invisible workforce’ of carers has been chartered in a new report, released by Carers Australia. The Deloitte Access Economics Report estimates informal carers provide a whopping $60.3 in unpaid care each year, a figure which is equivalent to 3.8 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).</p> <p>CEO of Carers Australia, Ara Cresswell, believes the report sheds light on the thousands of people who care for friends and family in a labour of love. “Carers do a lot of heavy lifting that often goes unrecognised. In fact, the report values the provision of informal care in Australia at more than a billion dollars a week,” she says.</p> <p>While Cresswell calls for greater government support for carers, the report also points out four key policy updates to not only better the welfare sector but also improve the lives of those growing old in Australia.</p> <p>Proposed changes include:</p> <ul> <li>Greater flexibility in working arrangements to accommodate workers’ care responsibilities and employment preferences</li> <li>Improvement in access to carer support services, such as respite care, to alleviate the impact of caring</li> <li>Further investigation of carer perceptions of the costs and quality of formal care in order to encourage an optimal mix of formal and informal care provision</li> <li>Adapting the formal care sector to better meet the needs of older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.</li> </ul> <p>Tell us: What changes would you like to see to benefit Australian carers?</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/caring/2015/10/make-friends-at-any-age/">Friendships can be key to positive ageing</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/caring/2015/10/consider-aged-care-now/">Why everyone should consider their own aged care now</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/caring/2015/09/signs-of-dementia/">The facts about dementia you need to read</a></em></strong></span></p>

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