'This is a full-scale takeover': Why the $10 million wedding of Apple heiress Eve Jobs and British Olympian Harry Charles has sparked a full village lockdown in rural Oxfordshire
The bride, 27, is none other than the youngest daughter of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and American philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs.
She and Charles, 26, are celebrating their nuptials with a jaw-dropping four-day affair in the heart of the Cotswolds, reportedly costing more than £5 million (A$10.3 million).
Locals say the entire area around the exclusive Estelle Manor country hotel, formerly Eynsham Hall, has been effectively shut down as security teams, helicopters, and convoys of blacked-out SUVs descend on the usually quiet Oxfordshire village.
"This is a full-scale takeover of the high-end venues in the Cotswolds for a huge event… there are going to be a lot of VIPs here this weekend," one resident told MailOnline.
Another source described the occasion to The Sun as being "planned like a military operation," adding, "It's a society wedding like no other and it's turning rural Oxfordshire upside down.
"The sleepy village feels like it's turning into a no-go zone, with secret service operatives and blokes who look like they work for the FBI."
The star-studded guest list includes politicians, royals, celebrities and elite athletes from both the UK and the US.
Former US Vice President Kamala Harris, who shares a close friendship with Powell Jobs, is expected to attend, along with her daughter Phoebe.
Bill Gates' daughter Jennifer Gates is also reportedly on the list.
Sir Elton John is set to headline the entertainment, with a performance fee believed to be in the ballpark of $2 million for a one-hour set.
Guests are reportedly arriving by private jet to Oxford Airport, before being whisked to the venue by helicopter.
Also tipped to attend are Princess Beatrice, Apple design guru Jony Ive, equestrian Jessica Springsteen, daughter of Bruce Springsteen, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, and Sofia Abramovich, the daughter of former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.
Behind the scenes, the Jobs family has enlisted top-tier event planner Stanlee Gatti, known for his work on Christy Turlington's 2003 wedding and Ivy Getty's extravagant 2021 nuptials—to ensure every detail is perfect.
Powell Jobs, also shares son Reed, 33, and daughter Erin, 29, with the late Steve Jobs, who died in 2011 from pancreatic cancer at age 56.
It's not known whether Eve's half-sister Lisa Brennan-Jobs, 47, will attend.
Eve and Harry began dating in 2022 and made their relationship public at the Paris Olympics last year, where Eve was spotted cheering him on at Versailles.
Harry, the son of 2012 team jumping gold medallist Peter Charles, followed in his father's footsteps and made his Team GB debut at the Tokyo Games in 2020 before securing gold in Paris.
The couple reportedly bonded over their shared love of horses.
Eve, a champion equestrian in her own right, has competed internationally and took home a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru.
That same year, she was ranked fifth among the world's top under-25 riders.
After graduating from Stanford with a degree in science, technology and society, Eve turned her attention to modelling.
She made her runway debut for Coperni at Paris Fashion Week in 2021 and has since graced the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and fronted campaigns for Louis Vuitton.
She was also named one of Tatler's "new generation of It Girls" in 2022.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography will be 'uncensored'
Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography has been described as a "brutally honest" book containing the singer's last confessions. The iconic star died on July 22, aged 76, and his upcoming autobiography will explore the ups and downs of his life, including the cheating scandal that almost ended his marriage in 2016. "This book was basically Ozzy's last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair," a source told Britain's The Sun on Sunday newspaper. "As he was always brutally honest during his life, it's been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon." The 72-year-old TV star - who married Osbourne in 1982 - is expected to write a foreword to the book, which is titled Last Rites. "Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest," the source said. The autobiography is set to be published in October. The blurb reads: "Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy's descent into hell. "Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, alongside his reflections on what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time. "Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as 'The Godfather of Metal' and 'The Prince of Darkness' to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure." Osbourne's death was announced by his family, who revealed he was "surrounded by love" when he died. "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love," their statement said. Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography has been described as a "brutally honest" book containing the singer's last confessions. The iconic star died on July 22, aged 76, and his upcoming autobiography will explore the ups and downs of his life, including the cheating scandal that almost ended his marriage in 2016. "This book was basically Ozzy's last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair," a source told Britain's The Sun on Sunday newspaper. "As he was always brutally honest during his life, it's been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon." The 72-year-old TV star - who married Osbourne in 1982 - is expected to write a foreword to the book, which is titled Last Rites. "Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest," the source said. The autobiography is set to be published in October. The blurb reads: "Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy's descent into hell. "Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, alongside his reflections on what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time. "Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as 'The Godfather of Metal' and 'The Prince of Darkness' to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure." Osbourne's death was announced by his family, who revealed he was "surrounded by love" when he died. "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love," their statement said. Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography has been described as a "brutally honest" book containing the singer's last confessions. The iconic star died on July 22, aged 76, and his upcoming autobiography will explore the ups and downs of his life, including the cheating scandal that almost ended his marriage in 2016. "This book was basically Ozzy's last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair," a source told Britain's The Sun on Sunday newspaper. "As he was always brutally honest during his life, it's been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon." The 72-year-old TV star - who married Osbourne in 1982 - is expected to write a foreword to the book, which is titled Last Rites. "Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest," the source said. The autobiography is set to be published in October. The blurb reads: "Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy's descent into hell. "Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, alongside his reflections on what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time. "Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as 'The Godfather of Metal' and 'The Prince of Darkness' to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure." Osbourne's death was announced by his family, who revealed he was "surrounded by love" when he died. "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love," their statement said.


The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
The golden age Trump regrets ushering in
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes."


Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Sharon Osbourne 'won battle with insurers ahead of Ozzy's last gig'
Sharon Osbourne fought a behind-the-scenes battle with insurance companies ahead of Ozzy Osbourne's last-ever gig. The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22, aged 76, but Sharon ensured that Ozzy - who was suffering from Parkinson's disease - was able to take to the stage for one final time at Villa Park in Birmingham, after she struck a deal with insurers. A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "It is heartbreaking to think about the stress that Ozzy and Sharon went through in those last few weeks. Ozzy had worked his a** off to get himself to a place where he could at least stand up and wave to fans. But for shows of that magnitude, if the artists do not meet the insurers' satisfaction of risk liability then the show doesn't go ahead. "With the Parkinson's and the walking issues, no insurance agent would agree to let Oz stand. So to overcome that, and not have a huge insurance premium on the charity show, they secured a deal to have him safely locked in his throne. It was a brilliant compromise. "It really speaks so much to Sharon's drive and focus to get it all pulled off, because of the liability issues. She was a miracle worker." Meanwhile, Ozzy's autobiography is set to be released in October. The upcoming autobiography will explore the ups and downs of Ozzy's life, including the cheating scandal that almost ended his marriage in 2016. A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "This book was basically Ozzy's last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair. "As he was always brutally honest during his life, it's been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon." The 72-year-old TV star - who married Ozzy in 1982 - is expected to write a foreword to the book, which is titled Last Rites. The source added: "Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest."