If you’re new here (which many of you are!) then let me tell you our one rule: on Wednesdays we do riddles.

Today’s riddle: There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there?

Answer is in the tidbit!

The quote
"Does anyone ever say, ‘you know what, you’ve done a f***ing good job, ‘cause everyone else has sat on their arse, and done nothing’? No signs of that?” - UK Education Minister Gillian Keegan, caught on a hot mic at the end of an interview with ITV about the recent closure of over 100 schools built with faulty concrete.

The stat
$US1.7 trillion
The amount of financial aid the continent of Africa could need by 2035 to adapt to climate change, according to a new report from the UN’s Global Centre on Adaptation.

Today in history
1997: The funeral for Princess Diana is held at Westminster Abbey in London.

Some headlines from this morning:

The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate at 4.1%. It's the third month in a row the RBA has kept the rate on hold.

It was the last rate decision for outgoing RBA Governor Philip Lowe. Lowe says interest rates were "working" and inflation in Australia had passed its peak, but that inflation was "still too high" and further rate rises "may" be required.

The context:
The RBA began to increase the cash rate in May of last year. The cash rate is what the RBA charges commercial banks for short-term loans and it flows through to other interest rates across the economy (so it's often referred to as 'increasing interest rates').

The RBA is doing this to combat inflation (rising prices) by discouraging spending.

Inflation has been recently high in Australia, peaking at around 8% late last year.

The latest numbers (for July) showed it had fallen back to 4.9%, still above the RBA's target range of 2-3%.

Drunk drivers in Texas who cause the death of a parent or guardian will have to pay child support under a new law that came into effect this past week.

The law applies to drivers convicted of intoxication manslaughter – a charge relating to the death of another person caused by driving intoxicated.

According to state officials, drink driving in Texas caused three deaths per day in 2022.

The law:
Under the new law – House Bill 393 – drivers must financially support the child of a deceased person until the dependent turns 18 or graduates high school.

A judge will determine how much a child receives, based on a range of factors including their needs and their surviving parent's needs.

If the convicted driver is imprisoned and can’t afford the payments, they must begin payments within a year of being released from jail.

In July, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said he was “proud” to sign the bill into law.

“Any time a parent passes is tragic, but a death at the hands of a drunk driver is especially heinous.”

The rest of the U.S.:
House Bill 393 was modelled on a similar law introduced in the state of Missouri last year.

Known as ‘Bentley’s Law’, a Missouri woman lobbied for the bill after one of her grandsons lost his parents in a drunk driving accident.

Cecilia Williams told local news it was a “commonsense law”.

“You kill parents, and their children are left behind, you should pay the consequences and that’s by helping the families raise them,” Williams said.

The charge:
The intoxication manslaughter charge can be brought against drunk drivers, as well as drivers under the influence of illicit drugs, who cause a death whilst behind the wheel in the state of Texas.

The charge can also be brought against intoxicated drivers of aircraft, boats, or amusement rides.

According to state officials, drink driving in Texas caused three deaths per day in 2022.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

Sydney FC has launched a pathway to develop and encourage more female footballers to play at a professional level.

The program will develop footballers aged from 11 to 16 years old, and provide a link between community football and professional competition.

Sydney FC and Matildas World Cup squad forward Cortnee Vine said the program would provide an “enormous benefit” to the future of Australian women’s football.

Spring has officially sprung, which means the moment has arrived to shed your winter cocoon and get out there in nature! Now is the perfect time to plan a hike with your mates or a visit to your local national park.

Why? This Thursday, Kathmandu’s new ‘Out There Rewards’ loyalty program is landing, and we’re being promised bigger rewards, better bonuses and more points, just for getting out there. Stay tuned to learn how you can be rewarded and discover all the benefits that the program offers, there might even be a cheeky TDA x Kathmandu giveaway in the works…

If you’re currently eating your breakfast, or you’re about to give birth, you might want to skip this tidbit. 😬

A young woman in Auckland has been found with a surgical instrument the size of a dinner plate inside her abdomen, left there after a C-section birth in 2020.

The woman complained of chronic abdominal pains for 18 months until a CT scan revealed that an ‘Alexis retractor’ had been left inside her.

The instrument, which is used to draw back the edges of a wound during surgery, was removed from her abdomen following the discovery.

New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell has said that the Auckland District Health Board, which covers the hospital that performed the C-section in 2020, breached its obligation to provide services with reasonable care and skill.

“I have little difficulty concluding that the retention of a surgical instrument in a person’s body falls well below the expected standard of care – and I do not consider it necessary to have specific expert advice to assist me in reaching that conclusion.”

I can’t decide if a live worm or a dinner plate is worse. 😵‍💫
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Answer: Three ducks.

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