☕️ Zelenskyy ready for an election

Ok fine, I'll tell you about my latest gripe. On Tuesday, Zara and I recorded a podcast about Netflix's proposed takeover of Warner Bros.

Pause. When you just read 'Warner Bros' - did you read it in your head as 'Bros' or 'Brothers'?

You see, when Zara and I did the podcast, we pronounced it 'Bros' because... well... that is how it is written.

Cue hundreds of comments telling us it should be 'Brothers' when saying it out loud.

My question is: When did you all learn this? And how many other things are written one way but pronounced entirely differently? Like, what if we told you that the 'Aus' in the 'The Daily Aus' was actually pronounced 'Australia'? That would not be ok?

Anyhoo. Gripe over. See you tomorrow, bros.

“A tiny minority commands unprecedented financial power, while billions remain excluded from even basic economic stability.”
The authors of a new report looking at global wealth, which found 0.001% of people hold three times as much money as half of the rest of the world combined.

20%
The percentage of PepsiCo products that the beverage and chip manufacturer will cut over the coming months. The company, which makes Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Doritos, Lay's chips, said it will also cut prices for customers across its remaining product range. The company says this decision is designed to reignite organic revenue growth.

“Oh finally, it’s just us… so what is 6 7 guys? Did we ever figure it out 😭”
A comment left on our post about the under 16s social media ban.

Around 11 million Australians are concerned about how they will afford Christmas this year, according to a new report from The Salvation Army.

Its national survey found one in five respondents expect to go without medical help, including GP visits, to cover costs this festive season.

An estimated 4.2 million Australians will go without food.

The report’s authors called the results “extremely troubling”, saying they reflect the “extreme pressures people are facing”.

Almost half of Australians said they feel pressure to spend more money than they can afford during the Christmas period.

One respondent said their biggest challenge was “feeling bad” that they “can’t afford to buy everyone gifts”.

One in four people say they will struggle to pay their utility bills, and one in ten fear their children “will miss out on basic living necessities” this Christmas.

The report found that 21% of Aussies fear their kids will miss out on gifts this Christmas, with 5% reporting they will not be speaking to their children about the holiday.

More than half of Aussies say they will be forced to use either credit cards or buy-now, pay-later schemes to cover expenses this season.

A quarter of respondents said they will not be able to see friends or family “due to financial concerns”.

The Salvation Army Commissioner Mark Campbell called the national findings “heartbreaking”.

“Everyday Aussies [are] having to choose between medication, utilities, food or having a special Christmas for themselves and their children.”

“These statistics are extremely troubling. It is important to remember that behind every number is a real person, with a real story,” Campbell added.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced Ukraine could be ready to hold an election within “60 to 90 days”, if it has security assurances from other nations.

It follows comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting Ukraine’s Government was using the war to postpone holding elections, saying: “It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Earlier this year, Zelenskyy said he would not run again once the war ends, telling U.S. outlet Axios that his “goal is to finish the war.”

Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. UN data shows more than 14,000 civilians have been killed since then. Neither side releases data on the number of soldiers killed.

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion.

Martial law is a legal state of emergency that gives the military and government extra powers, such as pausing elections.

Zelenskyy was elected as President in May 2019, before the invasion. Ukrainian presidential terms are five years, meaning he would have been up for election in 2024 in normal circumstances.

In an interview with Politico on Tuesday (local time), Trump suggested Zelenskyy was “using war not to hold an election… It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Also on Tuesday, Zelenskyy told reporters he would ask Ukraine’s Parliament to draft legislation that could allow for an election during martial law. It is the first time he has suggested a timeline for resuming democratic processes. He said: “I ask… that the U.S. help me, maybe together with European colleagues, to ensure the security of an election.”

A February 2025 poll of 2,000 people by the Sociological Centre SOCIS suggested most Ukrainians oppose holding elections during wartime, but may want new political faces once peace returns.

Today, Russia controls at least one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Since being sworn in as President in January, Trump has engaged with Ukraine and Russia to strike a peace deal, which is currently stalled.

The U.S. has proposed Ukraine cede territory to Russia, including Crimea.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The proposal states that the U.S. would recognise this territory as “de facto Russian,” along with Luhansk and Donetsk. Ukraine has previously said it will not hand over any of its territory to Russia.

Trump’s peace negotiations followed his election promise to end the war within “24 hours”.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

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Capture your moments with the 50MP camera, and play around with the Glyph Matrix, featuring fun toys like battery indicator, spin the bottle, and a magic 8 ball.

Save big this Boxing Day at JB Hi-Fi or online, with up to $440 off starting from 16 December.

The society says efforts at the 3,000 hectare site will involve restoring the Box Gum Woodland tree, planting one million seedlings, that will also help maintain habitat and wildlife corridors. As the trees grow on the land, they will become a habitat for animals including koalas and spotted-tail quolls. Taronga also said the site will be planned and restored in partnership with the local First Nations community, and is being supported by $16 million in state government funding. CEO Cameron Kerr said: “Animals and wildlife [are] at the core of everything we do… [This] is the next natural step, a commitment to not just protect species, but to reverse biodiversity loss”.

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

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

There’s something in the air today, and it’s not festive spirit. 

Today is believed to be the most common day of the year for relationship breakups.

The idea comes from a 2008 analysis of Facebook relationship status updates, finding they peaked two weeks before Christmas. 

There might be an actual reason for the season: clinical psychologist Rachel Harker says the festive season can drive breakups due to the added family and financial pressure. 

She also says people break up before the holidays “because they feel like they cannot carry the emotional weight through… a demanding time”. 

Good luck out there today.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Last week, a jury in Victoria found a man guilty of raping a woman twice in 2024. Despite this guilty verdict, a suppression order remains in place, meaning media outlets have been unable to publish his name. The case comes amid growing criticism of the widespread use of suppression orders in Victoria’s court system. In today’s episode we’re going to break down what happened in this case, what exactly a suppression order is and why a court would use one.