☕️ Guilty verdict in Mushroom murder trial

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It’s the day the RBA, Australia’s central bank, decides whether it will decrease, maintain, or increase the cash rate, which affects interest rates all over the economy.

The cash rate is currently 3.85%, and most economists are predicting there will be a cut today. The decision comes at 2:30pm. We’ll see you there for the big mooooove.

"I think it's ridiculous to start a third party, we have a tremendous success with the Republican party. The Democrats have lost their way but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties, three parties have never worked, so [Elon Musk] can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous."
Donald Trump to reporters, responding to Elon Musk announcing he’s starting a political party. Musk announced the creation of the ‘America Party’ in a post to X on 4 July.

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The number of Grands Prix (races) it took German driver Nico Hulkenberg to achieve his first Formula 1 podium, after the 37-year-old came third at the British Grand Prix over the weekend. The result ends the Sauber driver's record 5,593-day podium drought.

Apple Music has revealed its most played song ever: Ed Sheeran’s 2017 single ‘Shape of You’. The streaming service revealed the top songs from its 10-year existence over the weekend.

A jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder.

Patterson was charged after she served her estranged husband’s relatives a beef Wellington lunch that included death cap mushrooms.

Prosecutors alleged she put them in the meal intentionally, while the defence argued it was a mistake.

The jury found Patterson murdered her estranged husband’s parents Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson. It found her guilty of attempting to murder Heather’s husband Ian.

It’s not yet known when Patterson will be sentenced. Her lawyers have 28 days to file an appeal.

The next court appearance will involve victim impact statements from the people Patterson’s actions have affected.

For more, listen to today’s podcast here.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

The Northern Territory Coroner has handed down findings from a multi-year inquest into the killing of 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker.

NT Police officer Zachary Rolfe fatally shot Walker in 2019, after he had left a rehab facility for a family funeral.

Rolfe was found not guilty of murder in 2022 but was stood down from the force the following year.

NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found Walker’s death was “preventable”. Armitage also found that Rolfe was a racist, but said she could not definitively find that his racism was a “contributing cause” of Walker’s death.

In November 2019, Kumanjayi Walker left an alcohol rehabilitation facility in Alice Springs to attend a family funeral. Police were instructed to arrest him.

On 9 November, he was found in the remote town of Yuendumu by Rolfe and fellow officer Adam Eberl.

In an altercation, Walker stabbed Rolfe in the shoulder with a pair of surgical scissors. While Eberl was trying to restrain Walker, Rolfe shot him several times.

Walker was taken to Yuendumu police station, where he died.

In the NT, a coronial inquest is held when a person dies in “unexpected, unnatural or violent” circumstances, including “when a person was held in, or immediately before death, was held in care or custody”.

An inquest is not the same as a court hearing. A coroner cannot find someone guilty of a crime.

At the end of an inquest, the coroner may make recommendations to improve public health and safety.

After Rolfe was found not guilty of Walker’s murder, an inquest was called.

The coronial inquest focused on understanding the factors that led to Walker’s death.

In her opening remarks, Armitage said: “There is more to learn from, and more we need to try and understand about, this story.”

The inquest heard from a range of people, including Walker’s family, and Rolfe, who had sought not to appear. He was granted “self-incrimination” protection, meaning he didn’t face legal consequences for certain admissions.

Armitage delivered her findings in Yuendumu.

The inquest heard Walker had hearing issues, and had been exposed to alcohol, cannabis, and petrol sniffing since he was 13. A psychologist who had worked with him told the inquest he had “no capacity for self-regulation” and was dissociated from his body.

Walker’s family life was violent and he was not able to cope with school.

The inquest heard Walker “exhibited controlling and threatening behaviours” towards his partner as a teenager, and assaulted her, for which he was arrested.

The coroner acknowledged Walker’s offending “may have been a product of the domestic violence” he was “exposed to as a child,” but said this did not “make it acceptable”.

Armitage found Walker had “a history of trauma and poor impulse control,” and had spent more than half of his adolescence (13-18) “under some form of restraint,” including bail, court orders, and juvenile detention.

The coroner said these restrictions and detentions did not rehabilitate him or stop him from re-offending.

Armitage said Rolfe had been able to “present his version of events fully and fairly” at the inquest.

She noted that he was an inexperienced officer with a large workload at the time of the shooting. However, she said his behaviour “reflected very poorly on him,” including racist views and a lack of respect for both authority and police in remote communities.

The inquest heard Rolfe applied to four police forces around the country in early 2016. He either lied or failed to disclose important information on each application.

This included previous drug use, and charges related to theft, public nuisance and violent behaviour. When Queensland Police found out he had lied, it blocked him from re-applying for 10 years.

Rolfe underwent a psychological test while applying to the NT Police. It found he was “less likely than many others” to own up to a mistake, was more aggressive than others, and showed the potential to resent authority.

The inquest heard the NT Police force did not check Rolfe’s criminal record and considered him “an excellent candidate”.

Armitage said Rolfe and Walker’s lives were “far removed” from each other.

“That is part of the reason why neither man understood why or how the other would react that day,” she said.

Armitage added that Walker had threatened two police officers with a weapon earlier in the week he was killed, meaning Rolfe and Eberl should have approached the arrest “carefully”.

“The cost of poor planning is the increased risk of using deadly force,” Armitage said.

After Rolfe shot Walker, he and Eberl “dragged him to the car,” the inquest heard. The officers’ treatment of Walker distressed his family and was not in line with police policy.

At the Yuendumu police station, Rolfe gave Walker first aid. The local health clinic was closed and the station did not have supplies to treat him. Walker’s condition soon deteriorated and he died.

A senior Aboriginal community police officer told those inside to lock the station door because some were throwing rocks at the building. Walker’s adopted mother remained at the house where he was shot, while his grandparents who lived nearby were not notified of his death until the next morning.

Armitage made 32 recommendations for NT Police and the Territory Government.

These included reviewing youth services in Yuendumu, and creating programs targeted at young people in the justice system “with a view to reducing offending behaviour.”

She recommended NT Police develop a policy of officers liaising with Aboriginal community officers “in any planned interaction or arrest of an Aboriginal person,” and to intervene with officers who exhibit poor behaviour earlier.

13 YARN: 13 92 76

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

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Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

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The technology works by combining images of lost animals from over 3,000 shelters, as well as those reported by individuals, to create a single database for pet owners.

Abbie Moore from the ‘Petco Love Lost’ organisation said anyone can search the platform for free “by uploading a single photo of the lost or found pet. Our AI technology then instantly compares that photo to photos of all the pets in the database and displays all the potential matches.”

Last month, the organisation celebrated its 100,000th confirmed pet reunion.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

The Seine is out and Parisians can finally swim in the iconic river!

Since 1923, the Seine has been closed to the public for swimming due to pollution.

In the lead up to last year’s Summer Olympics, the French government spent €1.4 billion ($AU2.53 billion) to clean the river, allowing for the marathon swimming and triathlon to take place in the waterway.

Designated swimming areas have been set up along the river, equipped with deck chairs, showers, and lifeguards to oversee the activities.

Local authorities estimate they will see more than 1,000 swimmers every day until the end of the summer.

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

A long-awaited verdict has been handed down in the mushroom murder trial of Erin Patterson. A jury found Patterson guilty of three counts of murder, and one count of attempted murder.

Patterson was charged after she served her estranged husband’s relatives a beef Wellington lunch that included death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Prosecutors alleged she put them in the meal intentionally, while the defence argued it was a mistake.

Today, we’ll take you through the latest on the trial from the verdict to sentencing, what led to this moment and what comes next.