☕️ Women experience more pain than men, report finds

Here is today’s trivia question: Which country has the world’s only national flag that isn’t a rectangle or square?

Answer is at the end of the titbit!

The quote: “This sad incident is a terrible reminder of what families take on when their loved one bravely puts on our nation’s uniform.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the death of a 28-year-old Australian soldier during a training exercise in the Northern Territory on Monday, which also left five others injured. The death comes months after Special Air Service Regiment operator Lachlan Muddle was killed during a training exercise in Jervis Bay.

The stat: 27,000 feet (about 8,230 metres). The altitude a British Airways flight dropped, according to flight-tracking data, while flying to Chicago. The aircraft then flew in circles for hours before returning to Heathrow. In a statement to NBC News, British Airways said: “The aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue.”

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 43% of you said you have no unread emails, while 18% said you have more than 1,000. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [3,004 votes].

Together with AAP.

Anyma is bringing his immersive live electronic concert ÆDEN to The Domain on Saturday 17 October, for a one-off show where sound and digital design collide.

Grab tickets through TDA's discount link to save now!

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

A major international study of more than six million people has found women consistently report more pain than men across the body.

The research, which looked at people aged five to more than 100 years old across 118 countries, also found some types of pain peak much earlier in life than previously thought.

Australian researcher Dr Tiê Yamato told TDA the findings show “we need to think about pain prevention much earlier” in young people.

Here’s what you need to know.

This week, a global team of researchers published a study analysing pain data collected between 1990 and 2025.

The study looked at 6.1 million people aged five to over 100 from 118 countries.

Researchers categorised pain across 11 “anatomical sites”, including the head, back, stomach or abdomen, hip and knee.

All participants self-reported their pain.

Researchers found that across all 11 anatomical sites, women reported more pain than men.

The gap between men and women was largest for facial pain, headaches and stomach or abdominal pain.

Women also reported higher rates of “generalised”, high-intensity and “any” bodily pain.

Age* at peak prevalence:

While pain in some areas, including the knee, back and hip, became more common with age, pain in other areas peaked earlier in life before declining.

People under 35 had the highest prevalence of headaches and stomach or abdominal pain.

Dr Yamato is also coordinating a University of Sydney study called the Pain Smart Trial, which will investigate pain among secondary school-aged Australians.

The trial aims to better understand how pain can be managed and prevented in young people, so it does not disrupt school, sport or everyday activities.

“Chronic pain is often thought of as something that happens later in life, but our research shows pain can begin much earlier,” Dr Yamato said.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, we talk about the Manchester City corruption dramas. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

🎾 Want the latest on women’s and men’s sports? Sign up to TDA Sport here for a full run-down in your inbox at 4.30pm.

The Coalition has announced it would cut net overseas migration to 100,000 people in its first year in government if elected.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor unveiled the proposal on Tuesday, calling it “the biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country”.

It comes after One Nation and Labor shared their own migration policies last month.

Here’s how the plan would work.

Net overseas migration is the number of people who arrive in Australia and stay for at least 12 months, minus the number who leave and stay overseas for at least 12 months.

The latest ABS data, released last month, shows net overseas migration was around 292,000 people in the year to March 2026, down 5.6 per cent from the previous year.

2025 temporary visa types:

*Excludes visitor visas. Source: ABS, June 2026.

In April, Angus Taylor first introduced the Coalition’s ‘Australian Values Migration Plan’, which included extra funding for law enforcement to deport unlawful non-citizens and more stringent visa screening processes to “put Australian values first”.

On Tuesday, he announced the next stage of the Coalition’s proposed plan, which would see net overseas migration cut to 100,000 people a year initially, before rising to around 160,000 a year after four years.

Taylor also announced the proposed abolition of Temporary Graduate Visas and a cut to international student commencements to 240,000 people.

The humanitarian intake would also be halved to 10,000 places a year – half the 20,000 visas granted in 2024-25, including about 9,500 refugee visas.

If the Coalition wins the next federal election, which is due by 2028, the plan would be rolled out over four years.

“We need skilled migration, not mass migration. We will prioritise migrants with the skills Australia needs, who share our values and are committed to contributing to our country.”

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announcing the Coalition immigration policy platform.

Last month, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the Government would cut net overseas migration by 75,000 people by 2028, for a total of around 225,000 people.

The working holiday visa would be significantly cut, with a new ballot system introduced for people applying to extend it to a second and third year.

Burke announced a requirement where temporary student visa graduates can only be granted a new student visa for a more advanced level of education.

Their family members would also no longer be granted visas to move to Australia.

Also last month, One Nation shared its migration plan, with leader Pauline Hanson saying the party would seek “net-negative” overseas migration levels.

This means more people are leaving the country than arriving.

One Nation would aim to remove 750,000 people on temporary visas over three years, including a cut to international student numbers.

They also proposed capping net overseas migration at 130,000 people a year.

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre deputy CEO Jana Favero criticised the Coalition’s proposal to halve Australia’s refugee intake, saying it would have a significant impact on refugees and their families.

“Halving the refugee intake would be disastrous for people seeking safety and their families,” she said.

Favero also accused the Coalition of focusing on migration rather than cost-of-living pressures, arguing the policy could have economic consequences.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

Did you know fewer than 1% of TDA readers contribute?

It's true, and we're not mad about it. We make TDA free to read on purpose, because we think every Aussie deserves to understand the news. Our advertisers help make that possible, and so does the small group of readers who contribute through TDA+U. But imagine what we could do if that number got to 3%.

That could mean more of the stories you tell us you want to see. If you've ever forwarded TDA to a friend or quoted us at dinner, you're already part of the club. Contribute what you can, once or monthly, and make it official.

From 2027, that will include tournaments in Rome, Montreal/Toronto and Cincinnati. Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chair Valerie Camillo said the organisation is “stepping up to deliver more for players and tournaments”. These tournaments will join Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, as well as the United Cup and all four Grand Slams, in offering equal prize money. The WTA will also launch a new Tournament Investment Fund to provide financial support to select tournaments.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

A train safety press conference had an almost too-perfect demonstration.

As Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick spoke at a level crossing in Auckland, a car narrowly avoided an oncoming train.

“That is case in point of why we need to remove these level crossings,” Swarbrick said.

You couldn’t have timed it better.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

Trivia answer: Nepal.