☕️ The world’s new most populous city

In case you missed it, the lights went off in the chamber during Question Time in Parliament yesterday.

If that’s not a metaphor for how we’re all feeling at this time of year, I don’t know what is!

“The freedom and dignity of women is a duty of the State and a responsibility of all.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a post to Instagram ahead of the country’s Parliament passing a law to criminalise femicide (killing women and girls because of their gender).

3.2
Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s popularity at this year’s election, rated out of 10, in the latest Australian Election Study. Peter Dutton’s popularity score is the lowest score in the history of the study. Kevin Rudd in 2007 was the highest-ranked leader of either party in 40 years, scoring 6.3.

“I could have made it for under $90 mil I reckon.”
A comment left on our post about the BoM revealing this week that it spent $96.5 million on its website rebrand, weeks after initially saying it cost $4.1 million.

The UN’s economic office has found Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is the world’s most populous city.

Home to 42 million people, Jakarta outranked Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka (2nd), and Japan’s capital, Tokyo (3rd).

The last time the UN issued this report, Tokyo was in the lead with 37 million people, and Jakarta was in 30th place with 12 million.

Here’s how that happened.

Indonesia has a population of 286 million people, making it the world’s fourth most populous country.

In 2018, the UN found Jakarta had about 10.5 million residents, and predicted it would increase to 12.7 million by 2030.

In its latest report, the UN cited changes in data from Jakarta authorities, which had previously excluded urban areas connected to the city’s centre.

With those areas included, the city’s population was more accurately recorded, landing at 41.9 million people.

In 2019, the Indonesian Government announced plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city currently under construction.

The decision followed international reports that Jakarta was at high risk of sinking under rising sea levels caused by climate change.

The UN defines a megacity as a region with at least 10 million residents.

Since 1975, the number of megacities has increased from eight to 33. The UN projects at least four more will emerge by 2050.

Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are expected to be among the next cities to join the list.

Almost half of the world’s population now lives in major cities, more than double the percentage recorded in 1950.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

🧴 Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide. It’s five simple steps that make a big difference, yet fewer than one in ten young Australians do them all. Find out more.

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The UK Government has proposed allowing English mayors to introduce tourist taxes.

Many countries charge tourists a levy for their visit, usually at the airport or through their accommodation.

Wales and Scotland have already moved to introduce tourist taxes.

Here’s what you need to know.

A tourist tax is a mandatory charge paid to a government body.

The tax could be introduced for a variety of reasons, including to curb over-tourism, invest in tourism infrastructure, or protect landmarks.

Rates vary by country and city, from €0.50 ($AU0.89) across Malta to up to ¥1,000 ($AU9.90) in Kyoto, Japan. These charges are typically per person, per night.

Australia does not have a tourist tax at the federal level.

In January, the Victorian Government’s ‘short stay levy’ came into effect — a charge of 7.5% on visits of less than 28 days in entire houses, apartments or private rooms.

This impacts accommodation booked through sites like Airbnb, but not hotels or motels.

The UK’s plan to allow English mayors to introduce a tourist tax is currently open for public consultation.

If passed, the UK Local Government Ministry said mayors could “introduce a modest charge” to “help fund local projects”.

A 2017 report investigating the possibility of a tourism levy in London estimated a revenue of up to £450 million ($AU914 million), depending on how much visitors are charged.

A tourist tax has been introduced in Scotland.

Local authorities decide whether they impose the levy, and how much to charge.

In Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, tourists are charged 5% tax on the cost of accommodation on the first five nights of their stay.

Councils in Wales will be able to introduce a tourist tax from April 2027.

Some English mayors expressed their support for the tax, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who called it “great news” for the city.

Khan said the tax would “directly support London’s economy”.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it is “a measure we have long called for”.

The tax would fund “keeping our streets clean and enhancing our public transport system,” he added.

UK tourism industry body Tourism Alliance said: “The UK is already one of the least price-competitive destinations globally”.

The group blames this on visa fees, 20% value added tax (similar to GST), high air passenger duties, and no tax-free shopping.

It said a tourist tax would make England “even less attractive” and “risks” the Government’s 50 million annual international visitor target.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

Alright festival heads, listen up:

If you’re not decking out your campsite to feel like home then you’re not doing festival season right. When it comes to camping equipment, Bunnings has got you covered.

From roomy gazebos and comfy camp chairs, to folding carts – because everyone knows you’ll need help lugging all your stuff from the campsite to the festival stage – Bunnings has your staples sorted for the summer festival season.

The 21-year-old conservationist claimed the season 34 title, 10 years after his sister, Bindi, also won the American version of the show. Bindi shared a congratulatory photo of the siblings holding their trophies together, saying “two mirrorballs now call Australia Zoo home”.

After the victory, Robert thanked the show for “changing [his] life”. The finale received a record-breaking 72 million votes, more than double the previous record.

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

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Chinese astronauts have been caught in a game of space tag.

In April, three astronauts departed on a spacecraft called Shenzhou-20 for a six month mission aboard the Chinese Space Station.

After their Shenzhou-20 was damaged and “found unfit for crewed return,” three more astronauts journeyed to the space station on Shenzhou-21, which the original crew used to head back down to Earth.

The second crew is set to depart on Shenzhou-22, which launched uncrewed yesterday (local time). It is now docked at the Chinese Space Station.

China Manned Space Agency official He Yuanjan told state media the “emergency launch is a first for China”.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

For most of the world, Australia included, tomorrow is the biggest shopping event of the year. Black Friday. If you've been feeling overwhelmed by sales emails, targeted ads, and "once-in-a-lifetime" deals flooding your inbox for weeks now, you're definitely not alone. Today, we're unpacking the origins of Black Friday, how it became such a massive phenomenon in Australia, and the sales tactics experts say consumers need to know about.