☕️ Aus plan for new warships

Here is today’s riddle: During which month do people sleep the least?

Answer is in the titbit!

“After all, ‘a deal is a deal.’”
A letter posted on social media platform X to Tesla shareholders, explaining why the board has awarded CEO Elon Musk about $US30 billion worth of shares in the company. The letter said “retaining Elon is more important than ever before”. It comes as a legal battle continues, after a shareholder sued the company over a 2018 compensation deal that would have seen Musk paid up to $US55.8 billion – which the shareholder claims was “unfair” and “improperly approved”.

5,800
The number of charges laid against children for serious crimes in Queensland since December 2024. The State Government passed a law last year allowing children to be sentenced to long prison terms if found guilty of certain serious crimes. Police have charged 1,250 children with these crimes since then, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, entering premises, and burglary.

Sybaritic [sib-uh-RIT-ik]
Definition: Fond of or marked by luxury and pleasure; self-indulgent.
Used in a sentence: "She led a sybaritic lifestyle over the summer, lounging on yachts in France."

Australia will spend $10 billion over the next decade to acquire warships from a Japanese company.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won the Government contract over a rival German company.

The first three ‘frigates’ (warships) under the deal are scheduled to arrive in Australia in 2029.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said subsequent warships from the deal will be built in Western Australia.

Australia’s deal with Mitsubishi Industries will see the addition of ‘Mogami-class frigates’ to the navy.

The warships have a range of 10,000 nautical miles without re-fueling and have surface-to-air missiles.

Mitsubishi will build the first three ships in Japan. The Government estimates the first ship will operate in Australian waters by 2030.

The Government said it wants to then move the project to a shipbuilding yard in southern Perth.

The $10 billion frigate deal is part of a broader Government plan to modernise the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the next 10 years.

The Trump administration has called for Western allies to increase their defence spending.

In the 2025/26 budget, the Government estimated it would spend $51.5 billion on defence.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

The NSW Supreme Court will hear an urgent case to allow the State Government to vote to expel jailed MP Gareth Ward.

Ward was found guilty of sexually assaulting and indecently touching two young men earlier this month. He has denied guilt and plans to appeal.

MPs were due to vote for his expulsion from Parliament this week, with Labor and Coalition members backing the motion.

Ward, who remains in Parliament as the member for Kiama, has asked the NSW Supreme Court to stop the vote from going ahead.

Ward was first elected to State Parliament in 2011, and was a Minister in the previous Coalition Government.

Ward left the party when historic sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced four years ago, relating to two men aged 18 and 24 at the time of the indecent acts.

Police charged Ward and he pleaded not guilty in court.

He was re-elected as an independent for the seat of Kiama in 2023. His term ends in 2027.

Last month, Ward was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse without consent.

He is currently being held in prison while waiting for sentencing, due to take place in September.

Ward’s lawyers have indicated he will appeal.

MPs aren’t automatically dismissed if criminal charges are laid against them.

NSW Parliament rules state an MP is expelled if they are convicted of an “infamous crime”.

Traditionally, “infamous” refers to criminal conduct that disqualifies someone from telling the truth in court, such as bribery or treason.

MPs also automatically lose their seat if they are convicted of a crime punishable by at least five years in prison.

The NSW Parliament hasn’t expelled an MP since 1969.

The MP, Alexander Armstrong, admitted in court that he had considered bribing a judge. His actions were then ruled “conduct unworthy of a member”.

In the UK, an MP can face a by-election if they have been convicted of a crime, suspended from Parliament for at least two weeks, or made misleading claims about their expenses, and if at least 10% of voters in the seat sign a “recall petition”.

The Labor Government urged Ward to resign from Parliament “immediately” after the verdict was handed down.

Coalition leader Mark Speakman supported Labor’s move.

He added that if Ward didn’t resign, “the Parliament should swiftly take all appropriate steps to protect its integrity.”

An initial vote to expel Ward was scheduled for Tuesday.

Ward’s lawyers applied for an “injunction” (order) in the NSW Supreme Court to stop the vote from going ahead, which the court granted.

There are questions over whether a court order can have a binding effect on Parliament. Senior Government Minister Ron Hoenig told reporters on Tuesday he would give “due respect” to the court’s decision.

The Government will appeal the order at an urgent hearing listed for Thursday in the Supreme Court.

This week is the last time the NSW Parliament will sit until mid-September.

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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🍊 The Demons sacked their coach with three games left. Read more here.
🍊 The Storm apologised for cancelling a Welcome to Country ceremony.
🍊 Kenny Bednarek shoved Noah Lyles at the U.S. track championships.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: cricket, rugby union, and more…

FMD is a highly infectious disease that can affect cattle, sheep, and pigs. While Australia is currently FMD-free, experts warn a widespread outbreak could impact dairy and meat supplies, costing the economy an estimated $80 billion. However, the NSW Government has announced it has partnered with an international biotech company to develop an FMD vaccine to protect local livestock.

The vaccine is synthetic, meaning it doesn’t use any actual “infectious material,” making it fast and safe to produce. The development makes Australia one of only a few countries to produce its own FMD vaccine. The NSW Government said the vaccine is “undergoing further testing” following successful international trials. Once the immunisation is approved, it will only be used as an “emergency” if FMD is detected here.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

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Riddle answer: February (there are fewer nights in February).

Have you seen ‘Marriage Story‘?

The 2019 film was critically acclaimed, won an Oscar, and now it’s being used as a wolf-deterrent.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), gray wolves are killing livestock in the U.S. state of Oregon. The wolves are endangered, meaning farmers legally can’t harm them.

Instead, drones with thermal cameras detect the wolves, and broadcast “alarming sounds like fireworks, gunshots and people arguing,” to scare them away. The “alarming” audio includes a fight from ‘Marriage Story’ between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver’s characters.

United States Department of Agriculture district supervisor Paul Wolf said the technique shows the wolves “that, hey, humans are bad.” And they seem to be getting the message.

The drones were deployed after wolves killed 11 cows within three weeks. During the next 85 days with drones, “only two were killed.”

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

A new American Eagle ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has sparked controversy over what critics say are references to white supremacist messaging. The ad has divided opinion online and drawn responses from major political figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

Today we're breaking down everything you need to know about this viral ad: What happened, why people are upset, the political response and the ongoing fallout.