If you were forwarded this email (Hi! Welcome!), you can sign up to the newsletter here.

Good morning!

Good morning!

Here is today’s riddle: What is the similarity between 2+2=5 and your left hand?

Answer is in the titbit!

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone. I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don't think there's anything off the cards now.”
UK tennis player Katie Boulter speaking to the BBC about the online abuse she receives, including one person who said they hoped she got cancer.

Stat of the day

1 in 20
The percentage of Australians surveyed by the University of Canberra who get their news from The Daily Aus. Thanks for being one of them 🥳

Word of the day

Inveigle [in-vee-gull]
Definition: to entice or persuade someone to do something via deception.
Used in a sentence: “I tried to inveigle the bouncer to let me in.”

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

  • U.S President Donald Trump has left the G7 summit early, cancelling plans to meet with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced he would leave the high-level meeting in Canada early on Tuesday, citing concerns about the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. Israel carried out a wave of strikes on Iran on Friday, which it said was in response to Iran making progress toward a nuclear bomb. The two nations have since exchanged missile fire, killing 224 people in Iran, including military officials and civilians, and 24 people in Israel, all identified as civilians. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said he understood why Trump was leaving, and said the Government is “very concerned” about the conflict. In response, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Trump’s departure was “understandable but to the detriment of Australia”. She urged the PM to be “more proactive” in securing a meeting, noting concerns about tariffs and AUKUS, which the U.S. Department of Defense is reviewing.

  • Police have confirmed human remains found in Queensland bushland belong to Pheobe Bishop, a 17-year-old who was declared missing last month. Bishop’s housemates, 34-year-old James Wood and a 33-year-old Tanika Bromley, had previously been arrested and charged with her murder. Earlier this month, police found human remains in a national park near the town of Gin Gin, where the group lived. Police have now confirmed these to be Pheobe’s body. Pheobe first went missing in late May, after failing to check into a flight from Bundaberg. Her luggage and her phone have not been found. Police said their investigations into her alleged murder are continuing, with Wood and Bromley due back in court in August.

Good finds

☁️ Ever wondered where your doona actually comes from? Might be time for an upgrade. Meet Bonny. An Aussie startup making ultra-fluffy, hotel-quality doonas using 100% traceable down. They not only feel great, but look great too.

✈️ Still saying “one day” to that dream trip? These all-women, bucket list group adventures are designed by women who actually get it.

Transparency: This is a sponsored section of the newsletter. It's the best way we can keep this newsletter free for you

I’ve got 1 minute

TAB has been fined $4 million for spamming VIP customers

TAB has been fined more than $4 million for sending thousands of marketing messages, breaching Australia’s spam laws.

It follows an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), an independent watchdog.

ACMA’s investigation showed thousands of messages were sent without providing an option to unsubscribe, and/or did not contain “adequate sender information”.

TAB

TAB is an Australian gambling provider.

According to ACMA, its VIP program involves “personalised messages offering incentives such as bonus bets… and offers of tickets to sporting and other events.”

Between February and May 2024, ACMA found that TAB sent almost 2,600 messages to VIP customers without providing an option to unsubscribe, and more than 3,000 messages did not have enough sender information.

Between 15 February and 29 April 2024, TAB sent 11 texts to customers without consent.

TAB has entered into a three-year “court-enforceable” undertaking. This includes reporting to ACMA regularly and an “independent review of its direct marketing systems”.

Comments

ACMA Authority Member Samantha Yorke said in a statement: “The gambling industry needs to understand that spam laws apply to all direct marketing… these types of gambling VIP programs can involve customers who are not well off and are experiencing significant losses.

“It is utterly unacceptable that TAB did not have adequate spam compliance systems in place.”

A TAB spokesperson told TDA that it is “remediating and significantly improving our processes.”

The spokesperson said TAB “assisted ACMA throughout the investigation and will continue to work closely with the regulator to ensure ongoing improved compliance.”

Spam rules

Australia has rules that require telemarketing companies to obtain a person’s consent before making calls and to offer individuals a way to opt out of receiving messages and calls.

Under the Spam Act 2003, businesses are not allowed to send texts without consent, proper sender information and an option to unsubscribe.

ACMA says businesses have been fined almost $17 million for spam breaches over the past 18 months, and that spam rules and gambling safeguards are “current compliance priorities.”

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Four men have been found guilty of a hate crime against football star Vinícius Júnior

Four men have been handed suspended jail sentences after being found guilty of a hate crime against Real Madrid and Brazilian football star Vinícius Júnior.

According to Real Madrid, 14 people have now been convicted for the racial abuse of its players. Here’s what to know.

Incident

Vinícius Júnior debuted for Real Madrid in 2018 and has made 316 appearances for the club since then. He was the winner of the 2024 FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award.

In January 2023, four men were charged over hanging an effigy of Vinícius from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground, in the lead-up to a domestic quarter-final between the team and crosstown rival Atletico Madrid.

A banner on the bridge read: “Madrid hates Real”. In that phrase, Madrid refers to Atletico Madrid.

Consequences

Three of the men received 14-month prison sentences for their involvement in the act. One other received a 22-month sentence because he had distributed images online.

All four of the men’s sentences were suspended after they signed an apology to Vinícius and the relevant sporting organisations involved.

The club said in a statement: “This criminal conviction comes in addition to the several already handed down in recent months for racist insults received by Real Madrid players.”

Racism

Racism has been a persistent problem for LaLiga, Spain’s top professional soccer league, particularly regarding Vinícius.

Overall, Real Madrid has said 14 people in total have been convicted for the racial abuse of its players.

In June last year, three fans of the team Valencia were sentenced to eight months in jail after Vinícius called them out in the stands for racially abusing him before and during the game.

It was a landmark case in Spain, as it was the first conviction issued by a court for racism at a sporting event.

At the time, he said: “I’m not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It’s for all black people.”

In March this year, Vinícius broke down during a press conference because he has continued to face racial abuse since calling out the now-convicted Valencia fans.

Then, in May, another group of fans, this time of the team Valladolid, were handed suspended sentences for an incident of racial abuse against Vinícius in December 2022.

LaLiga

In 2023, LaLiga launched an initiative called ‘LaLiga VS’ which “aims to eradicate hatred inside and outside football by promoting a respectful and inclusive society on all levels.”

It has also launched the Monitor for the Observation of Hate in Sport (M.O.O.D.).

In 2024, M.O.O.D. monitored over 21 million social media conversations and found a 90% drop in racist conversations about LaLiga football, compared to when the tool first came into use.

Reporting by George Finlayson.

A message from Normal

This EOFY, Normal is offering a different kind of return on investment

With 50% off their range of classics, spicy sets, and conversation cards, there’s never been a better time to really treat yourself or someone else.

Plus the more you spend, the more complimentary gifts you receive:

Spend $100 and get free shipping
Spend $200 and get free shipping + kink kit
Spend $300 and get free shipping + kink kit + Piper

Normal’s EOFY sale is here to turn your end-of-year into a very happy ending.

🍊The competitive eating GOAT returns. More details here.
🍊 Rugby Australia has launched a new competition. It kicks off in September.
🍊 Ellyse Perry has extended her contract with the Sydney Sixers. Read more.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: NRL, athletics, and more…

Give me some good news

More regions of the ocean will receive special protection, following commitments made at a UN Ocean Conference last week.

Spain has announced five new marine protection areas, while France pledged to protect 5 million square kilometres around its Pacific territory French Polynesia, creating the largest marine protected area in the world. Overall, the European Commission announced it will invest one billion euros in ocean conservation efforts. For Australia’s part, it and 96 other countries have committed to ramping up efforts to limit plastic pollution in the ocean, with Environment Minister Murray Watt saying “there isn’t a moment to lose”.

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

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

TDA titbit

Museum melodrama?

The Louvre closed on Monday, with staff spontaneously striking during an internal meeting, the Associated Press (AP) reports, leaving long lines and irritable tourists.

Staff reportedly said the number of tourists was unmanageable as the summer season is in full swing. It comes amid other protests against over-tourism in Europe, particularly in Spain. 

Earlier this year, the French Government announced it would renovate the iconic museum, including a new dedicated entrance for tourists who only want to see the Mona Lisa. 

Louvre staff told the AP they can’t wait for renovations to be completed, and need change now. 

Yesterday, the official Louvre website showed a message saying: “On Monday, June 16, 2025 the museum may open later. We thank you for your understanding.” 

While it is routine for it to be closed on Tuesdays, the real question is if it will be open on Wednesday. 

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

*

*

*

*

Answer: Neither are right.

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

Over the past week, you might have seen some commentary around sunscreens online.

This is all because of some research consumer advocacy group Choice did, where it did testing on 20 different sunscreens to check if their claimed SPF matches their actual SPF.

The results indicated that many sunscreens allegedly don’t deliver on their SPF rating.

But are those results accurate? It’s led to a lot of back and forth, with one brand in particular, that we’re going to explain today!

TDA asks

Keep Reading