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Good morning!

I hope you had a lovely weekend, which likely included a conversation about the Coldplay kiss cam affair.

There’s a lot of chatter about whether kiss cams should be used at concerts. Regardless of where you stand on it, we want to reassure you that you can read this newsletter with whoever you like – we won’t be starting an inbox kiss cam any time soon.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”
Tech company Astronomer, in a statement posted to LinkedIn after its CEO, Andy Byron, and Chief People Office, Kristen Cabot, were filmed in an embrace at the aforementioned Coldplay concert in Boston last week. Astronomer said Byron had “tendered his resignation” over the weekend.

Stat of the day

1
The number of days that the Trump Administration is asking for a former Kentucky police officer, who was connected with Breonna Taylor's death, to serve in prison. Her death, along with others such as George Floyd, sparked the resurgence the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Today in history

2024
Then-U.S. President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee, going on to lose the election to Donald Trump.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

  • At least 34 people have died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam’s Halong Bay region. The Wonder Sea boat, carrying 48 passengers and five crew, was on a sightseeing trip when a sudden thunderstorm with strong winds caused the boat to overturn. According to local media, rescue workers saved 11 people, while eight passengers still missing. VNExpress reports that most of the passengers were tourists from Hanoi, the country’s capital, including 20 children. Vietnam’s Prime Minister has ordered the country’s Defence and Public Security Ministries to support search efforts and commence an investigation into the ship.

  • The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that more than 1,000 people have been killed over the past week in Syria, including hundreds of government and opposing Druze forces. The body also said 194 civilians have been “executed in Al-Suwaidaa” by gunmen affiliated with the current Syrian government, and up to 18 killed by Israeli airstrikes across the country. The figures have not been independently verified. On Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced a ceasefire, with U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack stating: “Syria stands at a critical juncture - peace and dialogue must prevail - and prevail now.”

Recommendation of the day

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I’ve got 1 minute

The snap Tasmanian election has failed to result in a clear decision

There is no clear winner from Tasmania’s state election, after both the Liberal and Labor parties look to secure the same number of seats they won when the state last went to the polls 16 months ago.

How we got here

A no-confidence motion against the current Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff triggered the state’s second early election in just over a year.

A proposed AFL stadium, growing debt, and the Spirit of Tasmania ferries have dominated the campaign.

The Liberal Party has been in power in Tasmania since 2014. Polls suggest the state is likely to return another minority government.

The results

The major parties will need to secure a coalition of 18 seats to win, as they will not reach the number of seats required to govern independently.

At the moment, the ABC projects the Liberals are on track to win 14 seats, Labor with nine, the Greens with five, four seats held by Independents, and four seats still to be called.

Current Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter confirmed they have begun discussions with crossbench MPs to try to form a minority government. Rockliff told reporters on Sunday he is in the best position to secure control of the chamber.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Trump has been diagnosed with a vein condition. Here’s what it means.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a non-life-threatening vein condition called chronic venous insufficiency.

White House officials have described the condition as “benign and common”.

Recent photos of Trump appeared to show bruising on his hands and swelling in his legs, raising questions about the 79-year-old’s health.

Here’s the latest.

Trump’s health

In January, Trump became the oldest person to be sworn in as U.S. President, at the age of 78 years and 7 months.

His predecessor, Joe Biden, was around 78 years and 2 months old when he was sworn in — making him the second-oldest person to become President.

Trump has previously claimed he’s the “healthiest President that’s ever lived,” and continues to insist he’s in “excellent” health.

Doctor’s memo

Recent photos and videos of Trump show what looks like bruising and discolouration on his hand.

During a White House visit by Bahrain’s Crown Prince, zoomed-in footage also showed swelling around Trump’s ankles.

On Thursday, the White House published a memo from the ‘Physician to the President’ (Trump’s White House doctor) confirming he has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).

CVI

The condition is marked by damaged leg veins, making it harder for blood in the legs to circulate back to the heart.

CVI is less severe than other conditions like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or heart disease.

The doctor’s memo said the President’s condition is “benign and common”, while noting all his other heart and blood tests returned normal results.

“President Trump remains in excellent health,” it said.

Biden

Trump’s CVI diagnosis comes amid an ongoing probe into Former President Joe Biden’s health during his time in office.

Trump signed an order in June claiming Biden’s aides concealed his “serious cognitive decline”, accusing them of using an “autopen” to forge the President’s signature on official documents, including pardons and laws.

An autopen is a machine used to duplicate a signature and has long been used in the White House.

Congress has since tasked a committee to look into the matter.

Democrats have dismissed the Republican-led committee as “armchair diagnosing”, staging walk-outs of hearings in protest.

It followed publication of ‘Original Sin’ earlier this year, a book detailing an alleged cover-up of Biden’s deteriorating physical and mental health before he dropped out of the presidential race last year.

Co-authors – journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson – interviewed more than 200 people, including White House staff and Biden’s close advisers.

The book was published days after Biden’s cancer announcement earlier this year.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

A message from Blackmores

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Dissolving rapidly on the tongue, the Blackmores Rapi-Melt range is perfect for those on-the-go moments - and those who struggle to swallow pills.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. 

Give me some good news

New scientific analysis shows the world is making significant progress in reducing deaths from cancer.

Findings from The Economist also attribute rising case numbers to population growth, not an actual spike in the prevalence of the disease. By stripping out the effects of population growth, researchers said “the rate of deaths from cancer has actually fallen markedly over the past 30 years or so”. With scientists’ “fast-improving understanding of the disease,” expected to lead to further advances in the years to come, cancer “will almost certainly be much less deadly than it is today,” in another 30 years time.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Want more from The Daily Aus? Listen to our podcast!

The British Government has announced it will lower the voting age to 16 for all elections across the UK, fulfilling a key election promise made by the centre-left Labour Party during last year's campaign.

The new voting age is set to come into effect by the next general election in 2029.

Today we're breaking down what this means for British democracy and how it compares to Australia's approach to youth voting.

TDA asks

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