☕️ Safety alert for Ozempic

Thank you to the person who emailed us yesterday to suggest we create a daily news podcast.

It’s a great suggestion. I thought I’d take the opportunity to let everyone know we do have one, and have been publishing it since February 2021! We’d love you to listen here.

“It’s not like an on/off switch… you start off with a bit of a nagging worry and the more you look into things, the more that dial turns up and it gets to a point where it’s quite loud.”
An anonymous former British Army officer speaking to an inquiry about his growing belief that soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan, including killing prisoners. A separate inquiry is underway into possible war crimes committed by Australian soldiers during the Afghanistan War.

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The number of people taken to hospital following carbon monoxide exposure at a pork processing plant in Melbourne on Monday.

Allodoxaphobia is the fear of other people’s opinions.

More than 800 people have died in tropical storms across Asia in recent days.

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency on Saturday, after over 300 people died in extreme floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia also experienced severe flooding and landslides, which killed hundreds of people and displaced millions.

Here’s what you need to know.

Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka on Friday (local time). A state of emergency was declared the following day.

Hundreds of people died during floods and landslides, 200 people have since been reported missing, and 20,000 homes have been destroyed.

International media report a third of the country is without electricity or running water.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged the Government to “unite and serve the people.”

Elsewhere in the region, Typhoon Koto blew through the Philippines towards Cambodia over the weekend.

At the same time, Cyclone Senyar developed in the Malacca Strait between Indonesia and Malaysia.

The two storms occurring at the same time has contributed to extreme weather across the region, causing more than 600 deaths across Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

The Indonesian island Sumatra faced extreme flooding over the last week. Across the country, more than 400 people are dead and another 400 have been reported missing.

At least 170 people have died in flooding in Thailand, especially in the southern Songkhla province.

Malaysia reported two deaths in the northern Perlis region. Thousands of people have sought shelter in evacuation centres.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

⛱️ 74% of young Australians believe they’re unlikely to get skin cancer, yet two in three will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Proper sun protection really does make a difference. Find out more.

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CW: Suicide

Australia’s medicine regulator has issued a safety alert for Ozempic and similar drugs on Monday over a potential risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) cited concerns people taking Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Trulicity, and Mounjaro risk depression, suicidal thoughts and “unusual changes in mood”.

The regulator also said it “couldn’t rule out” the possibility that Mounjaro could make the contraceptive pill less effective in some cases.

Ozempic is the brand name of an injectable medication, originally developed to treat diabetes. It’s a ‘semaglutide’ and belongs to a family of drugs called GLP-1s.

Other GLP-1s also include Wegovy, Saxenda, Trulicity, and Mounjaro, though not all are semaglutides.

Dr Michael Bonning from the Australian Medical Association told TDA earlier this year that GLP-1s “slow gastric emptying, so you feel fuller, faster... You ended up with people losing significant amounts of weight.“

Bonning told TDA the side effect of weight loss means “these drugs have become increasingly popular for an indication that they weren’t originally put on the market for.”

Other common side effects associated with GLP-1s include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea — but many users reported more serious side effects in a callout to TDA’s Instagram earlier this year.

Examples include gastrointestinal issues, emergency gallbladder removal surgeries, and severe mental health side effects.

On Monday, the TGA said patients taking these medications “should tell their health professional if they experience new or worsening depression, suicidal thoughts or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour.”

Labels on GLP-1s will now note the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours.

The TGA already tracks reports of negative side effects associated with the use of these drugs. This year, suicidal ideation was included in 3% of all reports to the TGA database related to weight-loss medications.

In the two years to January 2025, there were three reports of attempted suicide, and separately, two deaths by suicide associated with the use of GLP-1s.

Ozempic was the only product “suspected to be related” to both deaths.

There were also four Ozempic-related poisoning deaths due to misuse, overdose or accident during this period.

However, this does not mean the TGA has determined these deaths are related to GLP-1s.

The TGA also said it couldn’t rule out whether Mounjaro reduced the strength of oral contraception when first taken or a dosage is increased.

The TGA advises patients to use non-oral contraception for four weeks when starting Mounjaro and four weeks after increasing their dosage.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

We don't know about you, but when it’s hot outside, we’re craving food that’s fresh, delicious and satisfying. Luckily, Betty’s Burgers has you covered this summer.

From burgers to bowls, Betty’s uses real ingredients, made to order, leaving you ready to enjoy the sunshine and make the most of the summer.

Plus, they’ve just launched a couple of new additions that are perfect for the warmer weather: a Rustic White Bun that’s soft and bakery style, and Sweet Potato Fries that are crispy, golden, and made with QLD-grown sweet potatoes.

Head to Betty’s Burgers to try today or skip the queue and order via the Betty’s app here.

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🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, soccer, and more…

A team of scientists from Hong Kong, Macau, the U.S. and Switzerland assessed 200 people in Hong Kong with chronic insomnia. Half were given Tai chi as a treatment, and the other half were given cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I.) While the study, published in the British Medical Journal, showed that CBT-I was more effective than Tai chi after three months, the difference was much smaller after 15 months of treatment. Researchers said this finding “supports the use of tai chi as an alternative approach” to manage chronic insomnia in adults long-term. They added that CBT-I’s accessibility was “often limited” because of high costs and limited therapists, while Tai chi is “inexpensive, easily accessible” and can be widely implemented.

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Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and we don’t mean Christmas. 

Instead, it’s that special time when dictionary companies announce the word they believe defined the year. 

Oxford University Press has announced that its word of the year for 2025 is ‘rage bait’, defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage… to increase engagement”. 

Other contenders were ‘biohack’ and ‘aurafarming’. 

Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year is ‘parasocial’, Macquarie Dictionary’s is ‘AI slop’, and Dictionary.com’s word is ‘six-seven’.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

On Sunday, NSW Police arrested 141 people associated with a climate protest in Newcastle. It came after thousands of people took out kayaks and inflatable rafts in an attempt to block coal ships entering the world’s biggest coal port. In today’s podcast, we’ll break down what the protesters were aiming to do, how NSW Police responded and what comes next.