☕️ Alleged murderer dies in prison

Today is ANZAC Day, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I.

Now, ANZAC Day serves to commemorate the lives of all Australians and New Zealanders killed in military operations.

If you see ANZAC biscuits around, here’s the origin: friends and families of soldiers would send these biscuits to the front line because they remained edible even after weeks of being in transit (thanks to the recipe having no eggs).

“Hamas has given [Israel] excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages. Sons of dogs, just release whoever you're holding and be done with it.”
Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority (based in the West Bank) speaking to fellow politicians at a meeting on Wednesday.

€700 million ($AU1.2 billion)
The combined amount Apple and Meta were fined by the European Commission for breaches of its laws. The Commission found Apple breached its obligation to allow developers to notify customers of cheaper ways to buy things outside of Apple’s App Store.​ Alternatively, Meta was found to have breached its obligation to give consumers the choice of a service that uses less of their personal data.

We’ve been loving the 'nearly forgot this is what it's all about' trend across TikTok. The wholesome trend has been reminding everyone in the office of what is really important and when to slow down and literally ‘smell the roses’.

A new survey has found masculinity influencers are negatively impacting young men’s mental health and behaviour.

Men’s health charity Movember found that while the influencers were a source of entertainment and motivation, they also led to feelings of worthlessness and sadness.

More than two-thirds of the young men surveyed watch masculinity influencers.

Movember surveyed more than 3,000 young men aged 16 to 25 across Australia, the U.S. and the UK.

It identified fitness, financial success, and relationships as key themes that appealed to young men as sources of entertainment and motivation.

Many young men reported taking influencers’ advice, which they said often generated positive emotions. Three quarters of respondents said acting on this advice made them feel more motivated, and nearly half felt they had a greater sense of purpose.

Movember’s research found a key narrative identified by young men in the content is the importance of self-reliance and emotional control.

Research shows masculinity influencers often present themselves as having “the solution” to life and offer “clear roadmaps” for overcoming challenges.

Reflecting this, 62% of those surveyed who watched masculinity-focused content believed men should solve problems on their own, compared to 39% of those who don’t engage with such content.

Three quarters of young men watching these influencers also believed that men who can’t control their emotions are “weak”.

Despite describing positive responses to masculinity content, the study found young men who engage with these influencers have worse mental health outcomes than young men who did not.

Movember said it was “unclear where these young men were drawn to such content because of such content… or if these patterns were a result of engaging with this content.”

In the lead-up to the federal election on 3 May, both major parties have committed funding to mental health.

On Wednesday, Labor committed $11.3 million to Movember to provide training to health workers and encourage men to visit doctors, if re-elected.

At a press conference, Health Minister Mark Butler said: “Too many blokes put off ­prioritising their health.”

Earlier this month, the Coalition pledged $15 million to continue the National Suicide Prevention Research Fund to address mental health, if elected.

Shadow Minister for Health Anne Ruston said: “Around 3,000 Australians die by suicide every year, and 75% of them are men. We must change this.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

This week, both Labor and the Coalition have announced their policies to reduce the rates of gender-based violence.

According to Counting Dead Women Australia, 14 women have been allegedly murdered due to gender-based violence so far this year.

Last year, the federal and state governments called gender-based violence a “national crisis” and dedicated more than $900 million to frontline services.

Both major parties have committed to continuing an existing 10-year plan to end gendered violence. Here’s what else they are promising.

The Federal Government’s National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children was introduced in November 2022.

It was the second iteration of the plan, first rolled out by the Gillard Government in 2010. The first plan failed in its goal to reduce violence against women.

Since the latest plan was introduced, the rate of gendered violence related deaths has increased each year.

If elected, Labor said it will build on its existing programs, which include increasing funding to frontline services for those fleeing violence, such as crisis accommodation.

$85 million to trial new policing approaches to stop “high-risk perpetrators,” including ankle bracelet monitoring.

It’s also promised to deliver a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Safety Plan “soon,” which it says has been developed in consultation with First Nations communities.

If elected, the Coalition has committed $90 million to “further address” gender-based violence, including setting up a national register of offenders.

It would criminalise using a phone “to cause an intimate partner or family member to fear for their personal safety,” with stronger bail laws.

Additionally, it would launch a Royal Commission into Sexual Abuse in Indigenous communities. Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle said First Nations women are “32% more likely to experience abuse” than non-Indigenous women.

The Greens have put forward a $15 billion plan to tackle domestic violence, most of which would go towards “fully funding” the 10-year national plan.

It would also increase the payment provided to those fleeing partner violence, which is currently $5,000, including $1,500 in cash for everyday essentials.

Set up a national “domestic violence disclosure” register, where anyone who believes they are at risk can find out if their partner has a history of violent offences.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Got a long weekend project in mind?

Whether it’s a garden refresh or finally organising the pantry, OnePass makes it easier to get stuck in without the shopping centre chaos.

With OnePass, you get: 

With perks like these (and no need to brave the crowds), OnePass is a handy little upgrade for your weekend plans.

Start your OnePass free trial today and unlock member benefits here.

🍊 The plan to become the first woman to run a four-minute mile.
🍊 The NRL and AFL’s Anzac Day grudge matches.
🍊 Could the NRL come to Perth?
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: golf, tennis, and more…

Pro tennis tournaments are named after the number of points the overall winner earns towards their world ranking. At the time she won, Joint was 19 years and 5 days old, while Barty was almost 21. The win, which came in the first round of the Madrid Open, is Joint’s first victory at this level. She’s currently ranked at 78, up from 269th this time last year.

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

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

In case you missed it, it was announced this week the Oscars will now require voters to watch all the movies nominated in a category before the final round of voting.

The announcement sparked widespread confusion, with many having assumed this was already a requirement.

In the past, anonymous Oscar voters have told U.S. outlets they have not watched all contenders before voting, raising concerns about potential biases.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Last week, the U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, announced an investigation into what he called the “autism epidemic,” and called the condition a “preventable disease”. Kennedy’s interest in the causes of autism is long-standing, but he’s never had a platform as large as leading the U.S. health department before.

In today’s podcast, we’ll explain Kennedy’s history with autism, the new investigation, and what it might mean for Autistic people in the U.S.