Hi there. It's Tuesday, January 4 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of the news you need to know about.
One thing you should know
A previously confidential settlement agreement between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre has been made public as part of a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew.
The agreement between Epstein and Ms Giuffre contains a liability release for "any other person or entity" who could have been a defendant against claims by Ms Giuffre, the filing in federal court in Manhattan shows.
Ms Giuffre sued Prince Andrew last year, accusing him of forcing her to have sex more than two decades ago when she was under 18 at the London home of former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew, 61, has denied Ms Giuffre's assertions and has moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing Ms Giuffre is seeking a "payday" from her accusations against Epstein and his associates.
One thing you’ll be hearing about today
Unsurprisingly, it's COVID-related — but medical workers are calling for the conversation to shift to the pressure that's crushing our health systems right now.
An emergency doctor working at several Sydney hospitals has challenged the NSW Premier to spend a week in an emergency department to get a glimpse of what life is really like on the COVID-19 frontline.
- The senior doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, says Dominic Perrottet's repeated assertion that hospitals are in a "strong position" is "out of touch with reality"
- She says the real picture is one of overworked doctors and nurses who are having to take extra shifts and cancelling their leave to help
- Mr Perrottet doubled down on his comments about the readiness of the NSW health system in response to the doctor, saying "our state is standing strong"
There were 20,794 new cases reported yesterday in NSW alone from 96,765 official tests — a positivity rate of more than 21 per cent.
News while you snoozed
- South Australia's opposition leader Peter Malinauskas is isolating at home after testing positive to COVID. The state's police commissioner, Grant Stevens, has also tested positive
- New York's attorney-general has subpoenaed two of Donald Trump's adult children, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump, as part of a civil probe into the former US president's business practices and namesake company
What Australia has been searching for online
- Antonio Brown. The NFL player was dropped from his team after stripping off his jersey mid-game, throwing it into the crowd and walking off the field
- Emma Roberts. Eagle-eyed Harry Potter fans say a picture of the 30-year-old actor appeared in a montage of childhood photos in the 20-year reunion of the films — in a segment about Emma Watson, who plays Hermione
One more thing
Conventional wisdom says it is wise to keep your work and private life separate. But, in Japan — with loneliness at an all-time high due to the pandemic — more than 800 companies have signed up for an AI-powered dating app in the hope of helping their employees find love.
With almost two years of COVID-19 limiting the opportunity for young Japanese to interact in person, the app — known as Aill goen — guides courting couples in their text-message chats by suggesting questions to keep the conversation flowing.
It also tells the user the right moment to ask the other person out on a date as the chats progress.
Its success rate is pretty impressive so far, with 76 per cent of users who had used the app ending up going on dates.
You're up to date
Stick with us for more news updates and alerts throughout the day.
ABC/wires
