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Happy Monday!
I don’t have much to say after the weekend that was. It seems that whichever corner of the country you found yourself in on Saturday night – be it a lounge room, a pub, or even a plane – we were all glued to the Matildas match on Saturday night.
My heart rate has finally returned to normal and my voice is no longer hoarse…just in time to do it all again on Wednesday.
Go the Tillies!!!
I've got 10 seconds
The quote
"I don’t want to be Captain Killjoy on this… but look, I think business has a point here. It’s easy to call for a national public holiday when someone else is paying for it.” – Nationals Leader David Littleproud on ABC’s Insiders discussing a possible public holiday if the Matildas win the World Cup.
The stat
89
The number of people who have died in the fires in Maui, Hawaii.
Today in history
1947: Pakistan became a sovereign state, marking an end to British rule.
I've got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws has died. McLaws helped guide Australia through the COVID-19 pandemic and was an advisor to the World Health Organisation. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year.
An UberEats delivery driver has died after his bicycle collided with a ute in the second incident of its kind in Sydney in the last month. It is the 13th known transport gig worker to have died on the road in Australia since 2017. The National Secretary of the Transport Workers' Union, Michael Kaine, said: “Life-saving reform to set fair, safe and sustainable standards in transport, including for gig workers, will soon be before federal parliament. This is literally life or death urgency.”
I've got 1 minute
This weekend marked three years since Australian journalist Cheng Lei was imprisoned in China.
Cheng was working for an English-language, Chinese government-run TV station in 2020 when she was arrested on spying charges, which she denies. Cheng's trial was held behind closed doors. The Australian Government is working to secure her release.
To mark the anniversary, Cheng released her first public statement – which she called her "love letter" to Australia – revealing the conditions of life in a Chinese prison.
An excerpt of Cheng Lei's public statement
"This is a love letter to 25 million people and 7 million square kilometres of land, land abundant in nature, beauty and space... It is not the same in here, I haven't seen a tree in three years.
I relive every bushwalk, river, lake, beach with swims and picnics and psychedelic sunsets, sky that is lit up with stars, and the silent and secret symphony of the bush.
I miss the sun. In my cell, the sunlight shines through the window but I can stand in it for only 10 hours a year."
Will Cheng be released?
Successive Australian governments have lobbied the Chinese Government to improve the conditions of Cheng's imprisonment and to secure her release.
In a statement on Friday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong repeated these calls.
"Ms Cheng's message to the public makes clear her deep love for our country. All Australians want to see her reunited with her children," Wong said.
How does The Daily Aus make money?
TDA always gets asked: How do we make money?
The answer is through partnerships - like the ones you see at the top and bottom of this newsletter. But, for the first time, we're asking our audience if they'd be interested in buying something we’ve made.
It's a book, called 'No Silly Questions', and it’s all about explaining how the world works (and why you should care).
Any money we make from the book will go straight back into funding our journalism (and making sure we can keep bringing you these newsletters!).
I've got 2 minutes
A new alcoholic drink is being criticised for appealing to underage drinkers, due to its similar branding, name and taste to an original soft drink.
The recently-launched Hard Solo is sold in cans containing 1.3 standard drinks (4.5% alcohol). The cans feature the same lemon tree branding as the non-alcoholic beverage.
The likeness of the two products has triggered concern from Federal politicians that the product is being marketed to children.
What’s been happening?
As part of a push to increase health and safety, Cancer Council WA said it's made a formal complaint about how Hard Solo was being marketed.
It argued that Hard Solo was appealing to minors because the packaging (including its shape, colours, icon, and font) is too similar to the non-alcoholic version, which is popular among young Australians.
Crossbencher response”
A group of Federal crossbenchers have voiced similar concerns. Independent MP Kylea Tink said on Thursday there were issues with the entire Hard Solo product – including its taste and branding.
Tink and other independents met with alcohol industry members to discuss the issues around Hard Solo.
Government response:
Health Minister Mark Butler told the ABC he was yet to make a judgement on Hard Solo's marketing, but said that any alcohol product "should not be marketed to kids".
Butler said he's asked the Department of Health for further advice, and is "keen" to speak to the independents involved in last week’s discussions.
Solo’s response
CUB Premium Beverages, a subsidiary of Solo's owner Asahi Beverages, said it "strongly refutes claims" that Hard Solo is being marketed to minors, or can be confused with Solo.
It said that adults make up 85% of regular Solo drinkers, and that Hard Solo has a "bitter finish" that differentiates itself from the soft drink.
Hard Solo won't be advertised on social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, or on TV or radio, according to CUB.
Give me some good news
An international group of researchers have created a bacteria that could replace at-home stool tests.
It could detect bowel cancer faster than current methods. Researchers told the ABC it could also be used to detect other cancers.
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A TDA tidbit
Of all the high-profile supporters of the Matildas, we can add a slightly surprising member to the mix - French President Emmanuel Macron.
Before the Australia v France match on Saturday night, Australian PM Anthony Albanese challenged Macron on X (formerly Twitter) to a simple bet - the leader of whichever team lost would vow to support the victors for the rest of the tournament. Sure enough, Emmanuel Macron tweeted after the game: "Nothing personal against our English friends, but a bet is a bet… Good luck Australia for the semi-finals!"
Seems like the submarine issue has been put to bed. Now that's diplomacy!
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The Daily Aus acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.