Your afternoon Briefing

Good afternoon, readers. Here’s how Monday unfolded.

Good afternoon, readers. Here’s how Monday unfolded.

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Rippon and Mike Pence and gay

Pence tries to clear the air with US athlete

Adam Rippon said he would be prepared to meet US Vice President Mike Pence after making history when he became the first openly gay US man to compete at a Winter Games, AFP reports.

Rippon had criticised the choice of Pence as leader of the US delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, accusing him of supporting gay conversion therapy.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Women's rights demonstrators hold placards and shout slogans during the Time's Up rally at Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street on January 21, 2018 in London, England. The Time's Up Women's March marks the one year anniversary of the first Women's March in London and in 2018 it is inspired by the Time's Up movement against sexual abuse. The Time's Up initiative was launched at the start of January 2018 as a response to the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

#MeToo ‘shuts out eroticism’

One of the world’s leading film directors says the #MeToo movement is a “crusade against eroticism”.

Michael Haneke said that classic art house films exploring human sexuality would not get made today because studios and investors feared a backlash.

The Austrian director of Amour, The White Ribbon and Funny Games also claimed the flood of sexual harassment allegations against prominent men since the Harvey Weinstein scandal was a “witch-hunt” that had “murdered lives and careers”.

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Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce reacts during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, February 12, 2018. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Labor launches QT assault on Joyce

Labor has peppered Barnaby Joyce with infrastructure questions and suggested he’s not up to his portfolio during a fiery Question Time.

“Is it the Infrastructure Minister is simply not up to the job that he has been given?” asked Anthony Albanese.

Joyce is already under intense pressure over his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion, with questions being asked about her employment arrangements.

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A woman pushes a shoping trolley past an Aldi logo as she leaves one of the company's supermarket stores in London on September 26, 2016. Aldi UK announced on Monday that it will invest £300 million ($389 million, 346 million euros) to revamp its stores over the next three years. Aldi and its German rival Lidl have boomed in Britain, grabbing market share from traditional supermarkets Asda, Morrison, Sainsbury's and Tesco, as customers tightened their belts to save cash. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel Leal-Olivas

Has Aldi peaked in Australia?

Easy pickings for supermarket discounter Aldi in the nation’s $90 billion grocery sector are becoming harder to come by, as its aggressive store rollout on the east coast reaches “critical mass”.

For the first time in decades, its stores are starting to cannibalise from each other.

It’s bad news for Aldi, but this will come as a massive relief to Woolies and Coles, which have watched billions flow to the German retailer.

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Double Trouble Gang Lover embroidered sweatshirt www.net-a-porter.com $145 Supplied

Something different this Valentine’s Day

Oh, Valentine’s Day. Love it or loathe it, come Wednesday it’s going to be staring you right in the face.

Flowers remain a favourite but there are more adventurous ways to express your love for that very special person.

We’ve put together a few alternative ideas that you may find helpful. Take a look here.