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Morning!

Happy Succession Finale Day to all those who celebrate.

May it be less disappointing than the Game of Thrones finale.

I've got 10 seconds

The quote
"Strike Force detectives can confirm that three boys, one aged 12 and two aged 13… are assisting with inquiries… no charges have been laid.” - NSW Police, in a statement released over the weekend relating to ongoing investigations into the huge blaze in Sydney’s Surry Hills on Thursday.

The stat
1,579
The number of climate activists arrested by Dutch police after protesters blocked a major highway in The Hague. 40 people are expected to be prosecuted.

Today in history
1999: The first space shuttle docked at the International Space Station.

I've got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

  • A short but powerful earthquake has rocked parts of Melbourne overnight. Geoscience Australia reported a 3.8-magnitude quake had struck 3 kilometres deep in the suburb of Sunbury on Melbourne’s north-west fringe. Residents across the city said they felt tremors.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have reached an “in principle” agreement on a deal to raise the debt ceiling for two years. The debt ceiling refers to the legal limit the U.S. Government has on its debt. Announcing the agreement, President Biden said: “The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. That’s the responsibility of governing.”

I've got 1 minute

Australians will now be warned if a new film contains bullying, self-harm, or suicide after the Federal Government announced new classification guidelines. The new classifications will also extend to films depicting horror, blood, and gore.

The decision follows from a Government survey completed by 2,000 Australians last year. Many respondents called for classification information to be revised to reflect current community standards and expectations, including around distressing content.

The new classifications will require any triggering or distressing content to be included in film warnings. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said it would ensure there are "no surprises" over the content in films. Additionally, the classification scheme will only apply to newly released films, and not be retrospectively applied to films released before the update.

Here are some of the new themes that Australians will now be warned about in movies:

  • Blood and gore

  • Strong animal cruelty

  • Strong mental health themes

  • Strong suicide scenes

  • High-impact bullying themes

  • Strong self-harm

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I've got 2 minutes

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is at the centre of a scandal following allegations one of its key leaders used confidential government information to help clients avoid tax.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has now launched a criminal investigation, specifically focusing on the sharing of confidential information by Peter Collins, the former Head of International Tax at PwC.

What is PwC?
PwC is one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, employing nearly 330,000 people worldwide. They made about $AU77 billion in gross revenue in the last financial year.

PwC has nine offices in Australia, with a team of over 8,000 people.

PwC Australia is led by a Board of Partners that consists of the CEO and a group of elected partners.

The issue:
The scandal dates back to 2014, when PwC's Head of International Tax Peter Collins was advising the government on how to stop big multinational companies from dodging tax.

To carry out his work, Collins signed confidentiality agreements on multiple occasions over a few years.

It's since been alleged that Collins shared this confidential information with some of his colleagues, who then leaked it to several multinational corporations who were clients of PwC. This was done to help the corporations avoid the new rules (meaning they would have been able to dodge tax even further).

Internal communications found that Collins knew the confidential information would be used to benefit their clients.

The fallout:
In December of last year, the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) deregistered Collins as a tax agent for two years after investigating these allegations.

Earlier this month, the TPB tabled evidence in Parliament about the "significant extent" of misconduct and confirmed there were a "wide range of individuals within PwC" who had accessed the confidential information.

A few days later, PwC CEO Tom Seymour stepped down from his position, effective immediately.

Soon after, PwC announced it would conduct an independent review of its culture, accountability, and governance.

This week, the AFP announced it had commenced a criminal investigation into the matter after it was asked to by the Treasury.

I’ve got 10 minutes

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

Give me some good news

New Zealand pop artist Benee has created a song designed to ease anxious feelings.

Benee created the song, called Bagels, with neuroscientists from the Auckland University of Technology, and uses musical elements proven to reduce anxiety. The music video was also designed with visual elements designed to relax viewers. You can listen to the song (and watch the video) here.

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A TDA tidbit

A passenger on board an Asiana Airlines flight has been arrested for opening the door while the plane was still in the air.

According to reports, the man was “uncomfortable” and was stressed after losing his job recently.

Nine passengers were reportedly sent to the hospital with breathing issues.

Terrifying.

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.

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