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Albanese weighs in after Canada demands Vegemite shipment be destroyed

<p>Canada has issued an edict that could force an Australian café owner to destroy $8000 worth of Vegemite – the black gold of breakfast, that savoury smear of Southern Hemisphere superiority.</p> <p>Leighton Walters, a dual Australian-Canadian citizen and the proud owner of award-winning <a href="https://www.found.coffee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Found Coffee in Toronto</a>, is now caught in an international standoff that involves Canadian regulators, vitamin-enriched condiments, and a surprisingly fired-up Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.</p> <p>“I grew up as a Vegemite kid eating it for breakfast every second day,” Walters told <em>CBC Toronto</em>, establishing himself as both nostalgic and aggressively Australian. His café has been serving Aussies, Canadians and confused tourists with Vegemite-laden toast for years – until Canadian authorities dropped the boom.</p> <p>The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), armed with clipboards and presumably zero joy, determined that Walters' most recent Vegemite shipment was laced with contraband – namely, vitamins.</p> <p>“The Vegemite product being sold was found to have added vitamins which are not permitted in this product as per the Food and Drug Regulations,” a CFIA spokesperson wrote, as though vitamins were some sort of dangerous street drug. In fairness, B vitamins do increase energy levels; maybe they’re worried people will start jogging in the snow.</p> <p>The ruling has left Walters devastated and Canada’s expat population dangerously low on yeasty nostalgia.</p> <p>“Pulling Vegemite off our shelves hits at the core and the heart of our brand,” said Walters, noting the café's identity revolves around this brown, bitter beacon of Aussie pride. To drive the point home, he offered a metaphor that can only be described as delightfully unhinged.</p> <p>“It would be similar to a Canadian entrepreneur moving to Australia, starting an amazing poutine shop and then bringing in this beautiful, sort of high quality, unique maple syrup from Canada, and then the Australian government turning around and saying, ‘No you can’t serve that maple syrup because the trees weren’t in a controlled environment when they were tapped’ or ‘They’re too sweet.’”</p> <p>The café owner’s impassioned defence continued with a dramatic flair usually reserved for courtroom dramas and soap operas: “As an Australian-Canadian citizen, I am torn and shocked to have awoken from surgery to receive a demand for destruction of our entire supply of our iconic Aussie Vegemite claiming ‘non-compliance’ citing concerns due to added B Vitamins.”</p> <p>Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Australia himself has weighed in. Anthony Albanese, known for dropping carbs and the occasional quote, took a strong diplomatic stance during a recent election campaign pit stop.</p> <p>“I stand with the Aussie cafe owner …!” he declared. “I can confirm here today that I am pro-Vegemite. And, indeed, I actually put a lot of Vegemite on my toast when I ate bread.”</p> <p>He continued: “It’s rather odd that they’re letting Marmite in – which is rubbish, frankly. Let’s be clear here. Pro-Vegemite, anti-Marmite. That’s my position.”</p> <p>With the prime minister now onboard and Australia’s diplomatic energy levels artificially boosted by illegal B vitamins, it remains unclear how this savoury standoff will end. As Walters puts it: “Even if we are unsuccessful and we can’t get Vegemite back, at least we went down trying.”</p> <p><em>Images: ABC News, <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Leighton Walters</span></em></p>

Food & Wine

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“Acting caused it”: Julie Walters quits after cancer diagnosis

<p>Julie Walters appears to be done with acting after her cancer diagnosis caused her to re-evaluate her entire career.</p> <p>The 70-year-old actress known for her role in the Harry Potter movies recently opened up saying she believes the stress from the industry “caused” her cancer.</p> <p>"Part of me was going, 'Oh my God! I've got cancer! Oh my God!' And I'm dealing with the shock of that, and it's all systems go to have it treated," she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/julie-walters-i-dont-want-to-work-again-unless-theres-a-mamma-mia-3-fdn0dxsn3" target="_blank">The Times.</a></p> <p>"But there was also an element of going, 'I don't have to do any more work. I can actually get off this treadmill.' Because I had been working really hard and it seemed like a big excuse not to do anything. Cancer trumps everything. So there was a huge relief in it, which is strange. But I needed something to stop me."</p> <p>In 2018, Walters was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer which forced her to get chemotherapy and undergo surgery.</p> <p>Due to this, she had to be cut from certain scenes in her new film The Secret Garden, and also ended up missing the premiere for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.</p> <p>She has now been told she’s cancer-free.</p> <p>"Acting caused it," Walters said. "Because of the way that I approach it. I have to be totally in it. Everything has to be just so. It's very stressful. You're immediately above the parapet. You're being judged. It's a stressful job and I don't sleep when I'm working. It's not good for me."</p> <p>While Walters appears to be ready to call her time on acting, she'd never turn down the opportunity to return for Mamma Mia 3.</p> <p>"After I had the operation and I was thinking about the future, I thought, 'I don't want to work again,'" Walters said. "Unless it's another Mamma Mia!"</p>

Beauty & Style

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Dame Julie Walters reveals frightening cancer diagnosis

<p>Veteran British actress Julie Walters has revealed she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2018.</p> <p>The<span> </span><em>Harry Potter<span> </span></em>and<span> </span><em>Mamma Mia!<span> </span></em>actress says the news of being diagnosed with stage three of the disease left her and her husband, Grant Roffey, in a state of shock.</p> <p>"I couldn't believe it," she told<span> </span><em>BBC's</em><span> </span>Victoria Derbyshire, describing the moment she told her husband as one she would “never forget”.</p> <p>"I'll never forget his face. And tears came into his eyes," she admitted.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8r1vjUgWRx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8r1vjUgWRx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Julie with her husband, Grant, and her daughter, Maisie, at the Buckingham Palace when she received her OBE (1999). #buckinghampalace #obe #JulieWalters #juliewaltersbrasil #damejuliewalters #britishcomedians #mammamia #educatingrita #michaelcaine #harrypotter #juliewaltersmovies #nationaltreasure #mollyweasley #billyelliot #juliewaltersbrasil #goldenglobewinner #calendargirls #educatingritauk #baftawinner #oscarnomination #london #bafta</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/juliewaltersbrasil/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Julie Walters Brasil</a> (@juliewaltersbrasil) on Feb 17, 2020 at 2:36pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The 69-year-old star says that despite being cleared of the disease around 18 months ago, the diagnosis left her pondering on her life.</p> <p>Decidedly, she has chosen to be more particular with the workloads and projects she takes on.</p> <p>The BAFTA-winning actress told Derbyshire that she visited her doctor after suffering from a number of symptoms, including indigestion, stomach pain and vomiting.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ydB1RgmZj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ydB1RgmZj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Julie Walters Brasil (@juliewaltersbrasil)</a> on Feb 20, 2020 at 4:15am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>While filming <em>The Secret Garden</em> Walters found out that a CT scan had uncovered an abnormality in her intestine, which specialists feared was cancer.</p> <p>The star underwent surgery, which removed approximately 30cm of her colon.</p> <p> She also underwent chemotherapy – both experiences she detailed as ones that “completely changed” her perspective towards acting.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8yv0Epgmym/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8yv0Epgmym/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Wizarding Washingtons (@the_wizarding_washingtons)</a> on Feb 20, 2020 at 6:59am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"I feel like the person before the operation is different to this person," said Walters, adding that she enjoyed stepping back from her intensive workload.</p> <p>Walters has been nominated for two Academy Awards — for her supporting roles in <em>Educating Rita</em> and <em>Billy Elliot</em> — and also played Molly Weasley in the <em>Harry Potter</em> movie franchise.</p> <p>"I'm not saying I'll never act again," Walters said.</p> <p>Instead, she says she will likely opt not to star in a film that required her to work 14-hour days, five or six days a week.</p> <p>A recent scan has shown Walters she has fully recovered from her frightening ordeal.</p> <p>As she moves on to new ventures, the actress says the new “merry-go-round” of acting projects lined up for her has given her a sense of “relief”.</p>

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