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Echoes of Churchill in epic wartime address

<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has delivered an historic wartime address to the House of Commons, vowing "we will not give up".</p> <p>Zelenskyy was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after he gave his speech via Zoom, in which he likened Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Britain's fight against Germany in World War II.</p> <p>The Ukraine president's address mirrored the words of Winston Churchill's famous "we shall fight on the beaches" speech, following Britain's devastation in the Battle of Dunkirk in June 1940.</p> <p>Mr Zelenskyy said, "We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost."</p> <p>"We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets."</p> <p>He went on to say that Ukraine was fighting a "war that we didn't start and we didn't want", as he told British MPs "we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours."</p> <p>Comparing Ukraine to the UK standing alone more than 80 years ago, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians are fighting to save their country "just the same way as you once didn't want to lose your country when Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight for Britain."</p> <p>He said more than 50 children have now been killed in the Russian invasion, telling the House of Commons, "These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us."</p> <p>UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded to the address, saying "Britain and our allies are determined to press on with supplying our Ukrainian friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland as they deserve."</p> <p>He added, "We will employ every method that we can – diplomatic, humanitarian and economic – until Vladimir Putin has failed in this disastrous venture and Ukraine is free once more."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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Grieving Maggie Beer finds amazing way to honour her late daughter

<p>Australian culinary legend Maggie Beer and her husband Colin have found a heart-felt way to honour their late daughter Saskia. </p><p>Saskia, who shared her mother's passion for cooking and ran her own business, is about to be honoured in the form of a Churchill Fellowship. </p><p>"It allows people for, say, four to eight weeks, depending on what they envisage doing, of going overseas to find something that can't be learnt in Australia... that's the strength of it, and when they bring it back, they have to give back to the community in large what they have learnt," Maggie told <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p><p>"Through the Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship, the people who are awarded that Fellowship will pay tribute to Saskia's life and continue her legacy through their passion for food," Winston Churchill Trust CEO Adam Davey said.</p><p>Two years ago, Maggie and Colin were blindsided by the sudden death of their 46-year-old daughter, who passed away unexpectedly in her sleep in February 2020. </p><p>Maggie said the beginning of the pandemic gave their family valuable time to grieve together. </p><p>"COVID to me was a bit of a gift, to isolate... we didn't want to talk to anyone except for our very closest," Maggie said.</p><p>After her daughter passed away, Maggie found solace in the kitchen: a space that they both shared a deep love for. </p><p>"My happy place is being in the kitchen... so it gave me comfort," Maggie said.</p><p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Lucky escape" for Winston Churchill's great-granddaughter on Epstein's notorious island

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>One of Princess Diana's younger bridesmaids detailed her "very lucky" escape after she was a guest on Jeffrey Epstein's island.</p> <p>Clementine Hambro took two flights on Epstein's jet, including one dubbed the Lolita Express.</p> <p>On both occasions, she had been at Epstein's luxury homes where he spent many years abusing young girls.</p> <p>She also was at Epstein's Island Little St James in the US Virgin Islands, which was dubbed by locals as Paedo Island.</p> <p>Miss Hambro, a great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, said she has been "completely horrified" by the revelations about the financier’s conduct and her "heart breaks for all the survivors".</p> <p>The now-married mother of four said she did not suffer or witness any abuse, but added that she hopes the victims "get the justice they so deserve".</p> <p>She issued a statement after flight logs, which were released as part of court documents, revealed that she flew on the jets to Epstein's visits to his ranch in New Mexico as well as the island.</p> <p>She made the trips back in 1999, where she was a 23-year-old employee at Christie's auction house in New York.</p> <p>In a statement last night, Miss Hambro said: "The first flight was a work trip with female colleagues to look at Epstein’s new home in Santa Fe to discuss what art he was going to buy.</p> <p>"The second trip, to Little St James, was a personal invitation, which I thought would be fun to accept, but I didn’t know anyone there, didn’t really enjoy myself, and never went back. My heart breaks for all the survivors, now I know what happened on that island.</p> <p>"In the course of those two trips, I was not abused, nor did I see anyone abused, or anything untoward happen, with minors or otherwise. I have been completely horrified about the revelations of his conduct since then. I was clearly very lucky, my heart goes out to those who were abused by him, and I trust they get the justice they so deserve."</p> <p>She also apologised for being "young and naive".</p> <p>"I was young and naive, and could not conceive of what was to unfold."</p> <p>She only travelled on the jets when leaving his homes, according to the logs. It is not known how she arrived at the ranch and the island.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Legal

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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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