☕️ Bruce Lehrmann faces court over car theft

It’s National Opposite Day. Or is it? Or isn’t it?

“I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life... The truth is I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I’m inspired by the greats.”
Timothée Chalamet during his winning speech for Best Male Lead in a Film at the 31st SAG Awards, for his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.

$US1.5 billion
The value of Ethereum, one of the world's largest cryptocurrencies, stolen by hackers from crypto exchange platform Bybit. Thieves stole the crypto during a routine movement of funds within the app's ecosystem. The heist is believed to be the biggest digital theft in history.

Your nails usually grow longer in the summer, due to increased blood supply to the fingertips. So as the end of summer nears, we suggest checking in with your nails! And your toes. Never forget your toenails.

The Australian and New Zealand governments are continuing to monitor three Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea. The fleet has taken part in multiple live-fire drills in international waters in recent days.

New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins said the fleet is now located about 500km east of Tasmania, in between Australia and New Zealand. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Australian Navy is resourced to manage the threat.

Activity in the region on Saturday forced commercial airlines to divert passenger flights, as a precaution, after what Defence Minister Richard Marles described as insufficient notice of the drills from Beijing.

In response, China has accused Australia of over-exaggerating, stating "China's actions are in full compliance with international law”.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Content warning: This story contains highly distressing themes including child abuse, rape and suicide.

The largest child abuse trial in French history began yesterday.

Retired surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec is accused of sexually abusing nearly 300 people, mostly children, often while they were under anaesthetic in hospital.

The average age of his alleged victims was 11.

Le Scouarnec is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence over separate child abuse charges.

Le Scouarnec worked as an abdominal surgeon across dozens of French hospitals.

After retiring in 2017, he was charged with raping two of his nieces, as well as a six-year-old girl and another young patient.

Evidence seized from his home in western France included child-sized sex dolls, hundreds of thousands of child abuse images, and 25 years’ worth of Le Scouarnec’s personal diaries. He wrote “I am a paedophile” across several entries.

Across thousands of diary entries, Le Scouarnec appears to describe assaulting several young patients.

The retired doctor denied the charges and said the diaries were “fantasies,” rather than accounts of real events.

He was found guilty of abusing all four children and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2020.

Based on Le Scouarnec’s diary entries, police continued investigating him after the trial concluded.

Investigators gathered the testimonies of hundreds of alleged victims named in Le Scouarnec’s diaries.

He was eventually charged with over 100 counts of rape and 150 sexual assault offences.

It’s alleged the surgeon assaulted or raped 299 patients between 1989 and 2014.

Of the alleged victims, 256 were under 15, including a one-year-old baby. The oldest victim was aged 70 at the time of the alleged incident.

Le Scouarnec is accused of abusing his patients – many of whom were sedated or under anaesthetic – across a dozen hospitals in northwestern France.

Former patients told the BBC they remember the surgeon “touching them under the guise of medical examinations, sometimes even when their parents or other doctors were in the room.”

Lawyer Francesca Satta said that while many victims were too young to remember being abused, she represents “the families of two men who did remember, and who ended up taking their own lives.”

The allegations have raised questions about failures within the French health system.

In 2005, Le Scouarnec was convicted over the possession of child abuse materials, after he was caught accessing illicit images on the dark web. He was handed a four-month suspended sentence, and did not serve any jail time.

Le Scouarnec continued treating young patients. Some of his colleagues called for his resignation. When he refused to stand down, they escalated their concerns to the hospital’s director and a state regulatory body.

The hospital defended Le Scouarnec, who was then promoted to head of surgery. Local authorities didn’t bring any sanctions.

Le Scouarnec moved to another hospital in 2008, where he worked until his retirement. The hospital knew about the 2005 conviction when they hired him.

Le Scouarnec was never barred from practising throughout his career. French advocacy group, The Child’s Voice, called this a “collective failure”.

The group also claims the court that convicted Le Souarnec failed in its legal obligation to notify the national surgery watchdog, under the French Public Health Code.

Le Scouarnec will face trial in a court in Brittany.

Proceedings commence on Monday and are expected to last four months.

According to The New York Times, Le Scouarnec has denied several charges, but he has admitted to the inappropriate touching of some patients.

The 74-year-old is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Demonstrators are expected to gather outside the court to protest “inaction” within the healthcare system on Monday.

A joint statement from several community advocacy groups accused the Order of Physicians, a regulatory body, of “years of silence” and “serious failings”.

“Many assaults and rapes could have been prevented,” it said.

Child protection authorities have called on the French Government to guarantee “the proper functioning of its institutions,” to “prevent these crimes from happening again”.

The National Council of the Order of Physicians said it “sincerely hopes” the trial will “shed full light on the abominable crimes committed,” and deliver justice.

It defended actions taken by the Council in recent years, including “several reforms” to strengthen processes between healthcare providers and law enforcement.

“Today, the Order of Physicians is committed to continuing its work to ensure that the integrity of the medical profession is never compromised and that patients can be treated in complete safety,” it said.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Got an hour to spare? Spend it in a chair! 

Donating blood really is that simple. In the time it takes to watch your favourite TV show, you can save up to three lives - and be rewarded with snacks at the end!  

You can donate if you have tattoos, have been travelling, smoke, vape or take regular medications. To learn more about eligibility, click here.

1 in 3 people need blood or blood products in their lifetime but only 1 in 30 donates, chances are it could be someone you love that needs blood.

So step up - then sit down - and become a blood donor today.  

🍊 The Matildas were beaten by the U.S. in a hard-fought match.
🍊 Rugby union news you might have missed over the weekend.
🍊 Andreeva becomes the youngest ever WTA 1000 winner.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, snowsports and more…

With an estimated population of around 250, the plains-wanderer is one of Australia’s rarest bird species. Zoos Victoria placed dozens of recording devices in grassland habitat where the birds were once thought to have lived.

After analysing thousands of hours of audio, AI software designed by Museums Victoria and QUT identified the bird’s unique call at two locations. Researchers then listened in to confirm the find. It’s the first time the bird has been documented in the region since 1989.

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 New York Yankees – a team in the U.S.’ top professional baseball league – have officially scrapped their ban on facial hair.

Team owner Hal Steinbrenner announced last week that a 49-year ban on beards will be lifted. In a statement, Steinbrenner said: “[The Yankees] will be amending our expectations to allow our players and uniformed personnel to have well-groomed beards moving forward.”

Steinbrenner’s father George created the ban in 1976, mimicking military discipline.

Many Yankees have celebrated this decision including pitchers Devin Williams and CC Sabathia, who told reporters he nearly didn’t sign with the Yankees because of this rule in 2009.

The Yankees haven’t won a first World Series title since 2009 — maybe this season they’ll outgrow the competition.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Whether it’s to get a medicine script or diagnose a cold, we’ve all needed a GP at some point in our lives – but it’s not getting any easier or cheaper.

Bulk billing rates are down, meaning more Australians are paying more to see a GP – and ABS data shows 25 to 34-year-olds are the most likely cohort to delay a doctor’s visit due to cost.

Over the weekend, both major parties committed to a massive investment to encourage more doctors to bulk bill.

The bipartisan push has wide support – but in today’s deep dive we’ll look at why the trip to the doctor might still carry a price tag for a while.