☕️ The suspected alcohol poisoning in Fiji

As you’ll see below, on this day in 1967 the Australian Prime Minister at the time, Harold Holt, went for a swim near Portsea in Victoria. But then he disappeared.

From there, one of the largest search operations in Australian history was underway, but he was never found. He was presumed dead, which was a truth much of Australia refused to accept: that the most powerful man in the country could simply vanish without a trace.

“[The company] did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced… this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation.”
Financial regulator AUSTRAC announcing it’s suing Entrain - the parent company of gambling brands Ladbrokes and Neds - over allegations it didn’t do enough to prevent money laundering.

59%
The percentage of Australians estimated to live within one kilometre of an alcohol outlet, according to a new analysis of government data. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) also identified more than 20 alcohol outlets per 1,000 adults across all state capital CBDs, except Perth.

1967
Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach in Victoria. His body was never recovered.

At least six people, including four Australians, were hospitalised over the weekend.

It’s believed the group became sick after drinking cocktails at the Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast on Saturday.

However, just two remain in hospital, according to Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka.

It comes less than a month after six tourists, including two Australian teens, died from a suspected methanol poisoning incident in Laos.

Context

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was providing “assistance to two Australian families in Fiji,” after reports that four Australians had been hospitalised for suspected alcohol poisoning.

During a press conference on Monday, Gavoka confirmed that all guests who fell ill at the resort were now in a stable condition, with most having been discharged from hospital.

“That’s a good indication that it is not as serious as we expected,” he said.

The Fijian Deputy PM said his government was “awaiting the results of ongoing investigations and lab tests.”

DFAT issued an alert via its Smartraveller website on Sunday urging Australians to remain vigilant of the “risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks in Fiji”.

During an update on Monday, Gavoka reassured travellers that the suspected poisoning was “a very isolated incident”.

“This is the only reported case of its kind that we have experienced in memory. We understand the concern, but we want to emphasise the tourism experience in Fiji is typically very safe, and we have acted immediately to try and discover the cause of what made the guests fall ill,” Gavoka said.

The suspected poisoning comes after the deaths of six tourists, including two Australians, in Laos last month.

19-year-olds Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones fell ill after a night out in the tourist town of Vang Vieng. They were taken to separate hospitals in Thailand for treatment, where they later died. Eight men have since been arrested in Laos.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir and Emma Gillespie.

South Korea’s Parliament has voted to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office.

It comes two weeks after Yoon declared a brief period of martial law (military control) in response to escalating tensions with North Korea.

The President is now facing a criminal investigation over the incident.

On Saturday, members of Yoon’s party voted with the opposition to remove (impeach) him from office. However, it could take months for the impeachment to take effect.

South Korea is governed by a democratically elected President and Parliament. The two are separate, but presidential powers are overseen by Parliamentary lawmakers.

President Yoon, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), was elected in 2022.

Despite Yoon’s election, the opposing Democratic Party of Korea (DP) holds a parliamentary majority, making it difficult for the PPP to enact policy.

Recently, the DP and the PPP have disagreed about the federal budget.

The South Korean Constitution states martial law can only be declared during war, armed conflict and similar national emergencies.

Periods of martial law override civil rights like freedom of speech and public gatherings.

Before this month, South Korea had not been under military control since the 1980s.

On 3 December, Yoon made a late-night televised address announcing the country was under martial law — allowing the military to take control of the country.

President Yoon attributed the decision to “the threat of North Korean communist forces” and the opposition, which he described as “anti-state forces”.

The announcement was met with widespread backlash, and MPs gathered to vote to end military law within hours.

Following the incident, the DP proposed a motion to impeach Yoon. The PPP, Yoon’s party, voted against the motion, meaning it didn’t pass.

However, after mounting public protests, the PPP allowed its MPs to participate in a second, secret vote on whether or not to impeach Yoon.

The impeachment motion passed over the weekend 204 votes to 85.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who leads the PPP, has now been appointed Acting President.

Yoon’s impeachment has to be confirmed by South Korea’s Constitutional Court within six months before his removal from office can be finalised.

The court is meant to have nine serving justices — six of whom must vote unanimously to accept or reject an impeachment. However, there are currently only six serving justices (all appointed by Yoon).

The Court’s three vacant positions are yet to be determined by the Parliament, but a vote is expected in the coming weeks.

If the judges approve the impeachment, a new election would be held within two months.

If the judges vote down the impeachment, Yoon would return to office. His current approval rating is 11%.

Yoon is facing a criminal investigation over the martial law declaration. Last week, his defence minister Kim Yong Hyun was arrested for his role in the declaration.

South Korean authorities say they’ve been blocked from investigating Yoon’s office.

Yoon said he would “never give up,” and “do [his] best for the country until the end”.

The DP opposition decided against voting to impeach Acting President Han, despite an investigation into his involvement (as Prime Minister) in Yoon’s martial law declaration.

DP leader Lee Jae-myung has said he’ll work with the PPP government to stabilise the country.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

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🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: random fact, Ironman 70.3 and more…

The first, ‘The Young Parent Project’, is a 16-week course run out of the Hackham Community Centre for parents who are under 25. It combines free childcare, counselling, and programs to help develop parenting skills.

The second project is a new initiative called the Workplace Program, which will provide accommodation to young men leaving custody. The project will be able to support up to 600 people with housing and wrap-around services, targeting the causes of re-offending like unemployment and homelessness. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said: “This is a fantastic opportunity… to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

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

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

Tokyo’s local government is next in line to enjoy a four-day work week. 

While the main push behind this new working model is work-life balance, it’s got an underlying agenda: tackling Japan’s spiraling birth rates.

According to the Japan Times, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is set to bring in a four-day work week for its employees in April. 

Governor Yuriko Koike said women were the focus of this decision, making work more flexible “to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events such as childbirth”. 

In another announcement, Tokyo’s Government introduced the option for working parents to have a slightly lower salary in order to work shorter days.

These government initiatives come after Japan – which has been facing declining birth rates for years – recorded its lowest fertility rate in June.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Over the weekend, the remaining five members of the Bali Nine were returned to Australia after spending nearly two decades in Indonesian jails. Their return to the country wraps up a story that dates back to 2005 and has had far reaching implications for both Australia and Indonesia.

In today's podcast, we explain how a group of Australians ended up in an Indonesian jail for decades, and the story behind their release.