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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Aussie girl Marleigh, 10, talks to A Current Affair about new blood donation rules
A 10-year old Australian girl who relies on blood donations to stay alive says she has a better chance at life from new rules that allow gay and bisexual men and transgender women to donate plasma. Mum Kate told A Current Affair her daughter Marleigh relies on blood donations because of an incurable condition that is potentially fatal and has no cure. Kate fought for years to have the rules changed in Australia that would allow more people to donate lifesaving plasma. Kate said Marleigh suffered seizures that lasted up to almost 40 hours and their gay male friends were heartbroken they could not donate blood when the young girl was at her sickest. 'Her immune system is wrongly identifying her healthy brain cells as foreign and attacking her brain,' she said. 'We have so many friends, particularly our gay male friends, who would love to donate for Marleigh. 'All they wanted to do was go and jump in a seat at Lifeblood and donate the blood.' According to Lifeblood, earlier rules prevented gay and bisexual men and transgender women from donating blood or plasma if they had sex with men in the past three months. Lifeblood will remove most sexual activity wait times for plasma donations from July 14, which means most people, and anyone who takes pre-exposure prophylaxis that meets other eligibility criteria, will be able to donate plasma. The lifesaving organisation expects an extra 24,000 Australians will be able to give about 95,000 donations of plasma each year. Lifeblood chief medical officer Jo Pink said with plasma now the donation type most needed by Australian patients, the change came at an important time. 'We're excited to be able to welcome more people from across the community into our donor centres from next month,' she said. Dr Pink said the Therapeutic Goods Administration was also in the process of approving their submission to remove gender-based sexual activity rules, which means all donors will be asked the same rules about their sexual activity. She said their submission to change rules for blood donation included data that showed a six month wait was the safest option for Australian patients. 'But we are committed to reviewing this as more evidence becomes available,' she said. 'There are many steps that Lifeblood needs to take before we can implement the new gender-neutral assessments, including working with state and territory governments to change the donor questionnaire. 'We hope to be able to implement this part of the changes next year. 'Blood safety is and always will be our top priority but we know the current donation rules have been very difficult for many people in the LGBTQIA+ community. 'While they were put in place to ensure a safe blood supply in the past, we know that they've contributed to the stigma faced by the community.' Health Equity Matters chief executive officer Dash Heath-Paynter said he welcomed this change that could unlock thousands of donations of lifesaving plasma. 'While there is still more work, the Therapeutic Goods Administration's approval for gender neutral assessments for blood donation is welcomed,' he said. 'In terms of plasma donations, these changes mean Australia's regulations are world-leading.' Kirby Institute head of global health program John Kaldor said Lifeblood had developed pragmatic and innovative new procedures for blood donations with scientific evidence that shifted societal expectations.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
When life gives you cumquats or kumquats make a marmalade and mezcal cocktail
In our Melbourne garden, the only fruit tree that produces with any regularity is a cumquat. Bitter little things, cumquats – spelled kumquats outside Australia – are not quite as versatile as most other citrus. So, I say 'when life gives you cumquats, make marmalade!' – then use it in a punchy and tangy cocktail. The Lady Marmalade is a late-night specialty in our household. You can make a non-alcoholic version by shaking up the marmalade with a tangy fruit juice. Grapefruit with a splash of lime works well; the marmalade adds texture and complexity that elevates the juice to mocktail status. The cocktail is made with mezcal and apricot brandy but you can swap out the mezcal for aged tequila, brandy or whisky. You could also use a brighter marmalade based on lime, lemon or grapefruit, and switch the lime juice for lemon to pair with a lighter spirit. To make the spiced marmalade, you'll need a saucepan, juicer, microplane, measuring jug and scale. For the cocktail, you'll need a rocks glass, shaker and a jigger. 500g cumquats 1 cup (250ml) water, or enough to cover the cumquats250g granulated white sugar, or to taste (I like to keep my marmalade quite tart)Pinch salt 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ lemon, zest and juice Quarter or slice the cumquats (depending on size). You can cover the cumquats with the water and leave them to soak overnight if you have time. This softens the fruit, which helps it to cook faster and keeps the flavour fresher, but it's not imperative. If you do this, cook the cumquats in the same water you soaked them in. Put the cumquats, water and sugar in a saucepan and stir over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the fruit is tender and the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, spices, lemon zest and juice while still over a low heat, then increase the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue boiling for about 20 minutes, or until the marmalade has thickened. To check if it has reached setting point, place a small plate in the freezer until cold, then drop a dollop of marmalade on the cold plate. Tilt the plate and, if the marmalade doesn't run, you're good to go. If it runs, continue boiling for a few minutes, then use the same cold plate method to check again. Or you can just eyeball it, if you're a cowboy like me. Fish out any pips you can see. If marmalade is properly jarred and sealed in a sterile container, it can last in the pantry for up to six months. Once opened, keep it refrigerated and use within 12 weeks. 45ml mezcal 15ml apricot brandy2 tbsp spiced cumquat marmalade30ml lime juiceCubed iceCumquat halves, to garnish Add the alcohol, marmalade and lime juice to your shaker tins with ice and shake hard. 'Dump' into your glass (in other words don't strain it, just pour in the same ice you shook with), adding more ice if necessary to fill the glass. Garnish with a cumquat half. This is an edited extract from Behind the Home Bar by Cara Devine, with photography by Gareth Sobey (A$36.99, NZ$36.99, Hardie Grant Books), out 1 July
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
David Crisafulli found to be ‘careless' in not declaring $200,000 in payments related to company he ran
The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, was 'careless' in not declaring $200,000 in payments he made after a company he had run became insolvent, the state's parliamentary ethics committee has found. Crisafulli became sole director and chief executive of Southern Edge Training Solutions after losing his north Queensland seat at the 2015 election. The company had been financially stressed before he took over on 1 December 2015 and went into liquidation months after he left on 1 April 2016. After being re-elected in 2017, Crisafulli made three payments as a result of a claim of insolvent trading by liquidators: $80,000 on 12 March 2020, $60,000 on 30 July 2020 and $60,000 on 19 July 2021. He did not declare them on parliament's register of interests, though parliamentary rules required MPs to declare any liability worth over a threshold of $19,000 at the time. From October 2020 onwards, the threshold for declaration was $19,399. A report by the parliament's ethics committee, which is made up of three Labor and three Liberal National party MPs, was tabled on Friday. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The committee ruled the premier was 'careless in the discharge of his obligations as a member by not including the liability on the register of interests'. But it found that 'on balance, it did not have evidence to meet the threshold required to prove that the premier knowingly did not disclose the liability'. As a result, it found his non-disclosure was not a contempt of parliament. Crisafulli argued to the committee that he did not have a liability because no claim had been litigated, and asked for the complaint to be dismissed. But the committee determined that there was a liability as a result of an agreement 'which created a legally binding obligation to settle a debt'. It noted that he had not approached the clerk of the parliament for clarification of the rules. 'While I did receive legal counsel, in hindsight, it is clear to me I should have consulted with the clerk on this matter,' Crisafulli told the committee. 'If the committee decides I should have declared a liability, I can only apologise and assure the committee it was an honest mistake and by no means deliberate or knowing.' On Friday, the premier said he had 'acted in good faith'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The report is very definitive. It has cleared me. There was no further actions,' he said. Crisafulli did not answer a series of questions about how he made the $200,000 payments and whether anyone had assisted him. 'This was subject to this analysis, and I have met my obligations. And a bipartisan committee has shown that,' he said. The deputy Labor leader, Cameron Dick, referred Crisafulli to the ethics committee on 22 October last year, four days before the state election. On Friday, Dick said: 'David Crisafulli has been saying over and over that he has complied with his obligations. Well, he did not, and that is in black and white in this report today.' The report says that the payments did not create any conflict of interest or the perception of any on the part of the premier, and that assessing the matter was a 'novel issue' involving 'ambiguity in the definition of liability'. Crisafulli was the subject of an earlier ethics inquiry, in April 2020, between the first and second payments. He was late to disclose interests as director and secretary of Revalot Pty Ltd. The committee 'determined these failures were not undertaken knowingly'. Southern Edge Training Solutions, which traded as SET Solutions, taught a range of training courses. Based in Melbourne, it went into voluntary liquidation on 30 June 2016. Crisafulli has repeatedly said he only joined the company after being assured that there would be an imminent capital injection to keep it afloat. The committee recommended that no further action be taken.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Unbelievable sacrifice': Ricky goes public with news about Josh Papalii and wife
Ricky Stuart produced a brilliant gesture for Josh Papalii after Canberra's win over Newcastle on Saturday night, bringing him into the post-match press conference to announced the birth of his fourth child. Papalii had another barnstorming game, running for 106 metres and making 31 tackles as the Raiders won 22-18. The 33-year-old made a surprise appearance alongside Stuart and Canberra captain Joseph Tapine in the post-match press conference, and Stuart started by revealing why. The coach described it as an "unbelievable sacrifice" from Papalii's wife Sepa to give him her blessing to travel to Newcastle and miss the birth, which happened just hours before the game. 'The reason I bought Paps along today, an unbelievable sacrifice from Sepa Papalii - Josh's wife - who had a baby boy this afternoon, Jeremiah,' Stuart said. 'It was always going to be touch and go whether Sepa could hang on or what not, but she wanted Josh to go away and play. It was an unbelievable sacrifice from a new mother so I thought I'd bring Josh along.' Papalii said: 'Pretty excited. Can't wait to go back and check on the wife and hold my new son. "I told 'Sticky' at the start of the week that she was sort of due around tonight. I told the room that my missus told me to make sure we come home with the two points and she'll deliver the baby. I'm glad we did both.' Stuart added: 'I'm glad she held her end of the bargain up.' Stuart and Papalii have a special bond, as shown when the coach burst into tears when Papalii scored in his 319th first-grade game earlier this month - breaking the record for most ever by a Canberra player. The veteran forward's love of the Raiders is so strong that he refuses to play for any other NRL club, and will instead move to England next year to finish his career with St Helens. 'Papa came and spoke to (CEO) Don Furner and I some time ago and told us that he has some interest in England and also other NRL clubs and he simply said, 'I can't play against the Raiders and I'll look to secure a contract in England at some stage'," Stuart told The Daily Telegraph. 'From our club's point of view, we couldn't be prouder of Josh. 'He's been an extremely loyal player and when the discussion turns to legends of the Raiders, one of the first name's spoken will be Papa's. How this unfolds for Papa I'm not sure, but what I do know is that he'll give everything he has until the very last step he takes on the field for the Raiders." Papalii's form has been so good that some have suggested Billy Slater should bring him out of rep retirement to play in the State of Origin decider for Queensland. Papalii has played 25 games for the Maroons, but retired from rep footy back in 2023. Whispers have re-emerged ahead of Game 3 that Slater might try and convince Papalii to backflip, and Matty Johns is all for it. "Little bit of talk going around about Josh Papalii," Johns said on SEN radio on Friday. "Maybe Billy selecting him for Game 3 out of the blue. "I think it would be a fantastic move for Queensland. To come down to Sydney for a decider and to bring someone with the presence of 'Big Papa' and his leadership, I think it would be a masterstroke." RELATED: The one club banned from signing Selwyn Cobbo early revealed Panthers star in doubt for State of Origin 3 in concern for NSW Ben Hunt said on 4BC radio last week: 'I would love to see big Paps out there. There was never a time when he pulled on the jumper that he let Queensland down and he is playing great footy at the moment. He is the ultimate warrior. He would bring some real aggression up front if we brought him back in.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Is ‘Lordeussy' Trending Amid Lorde's New ‘Virgin' Album Release?
Lorde's fourth studio album, Virgin, dropped June 27, but it's the vinyl packaging causing the biggest stir. The album includes an explicit photo that fans have dubbed 'Lordeussy,' sparking intense social media reactions. Lorde's new album, Virgin, seemingly contains a picture of what appears to be a body part that fans have dubbed as 'Lordeussy.' Listeners who purchase the vinyl packaging of the album will find a close-up shot of what fans assume is the 'Supercut' hitmaker's vagina, peeking through clear plastic trousers. The intriguing addition of the picture in Lorde's new album has started a social media frenzy. There are other visible elements of the album that appear to allude to the singer's body. The album cover of Virgin itself features an X-ray scan of what appears to be a pelvis with an IUD visible. Fans discussed if the new album, dubbed as her 'bravest' release yet, is also trying to reinforce its themes around female autonomy and reproductive rights. One fan opined on Reddit, 'Virgin is a perfect title for the album. The songs tell an uncomfortable and raw story about navigating body and identity issues all while relearning how to love yourself and others following the breakup of a long term partner. Lorde finds herself in a new body she hasn't figured out yet, but has learned to understand.' Another defended Lorde's creative choice of adding the picture of Lordeussy, adding on X (formerly Twitter), 'Just saw the Lordeussy and I don't get why people are so shocked, and it's creating so much discourse. Like, it's barely visible, and have they never seen nude paintings.' A third fan shared on X, 'Lorde shared her lordeussy with the world. Some people are uncomfortable. Clearly they haven't been paying attention to what she's been saying about VIRGIN.' Meanwhile, Lorde's fourth album, Virgin, contains a total of eleven tracks: 'Hammer,' 'What Was That,' 'Shapeshifter,' 'Man Of The Year,' 'Favourite Daughter,' 'Current Affairs,' 'Clearblue,' 'GRWM,' 'Broken Glas,' 'If She Could See Me Now,' and 'David.' Within a day of its release, the album has received rave reviews. The Guardian praised Lorde's 'act of consolidation' through the new project. The review stated, 'Lorde has reappeared because she's got something fresh to say rather than to reassert her commercial pop bona fides.' The post Why Is 'Lordeussy' Trending Amid Lorde's New 'Virgin' Album Release? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
