☕️ Australian woman killed in Gaza

Good morning.

We’re back to regular riddles for Wednesdays.

Here is today’s riddle: A man goes upstairs, turns off the light and goes to bed. In the middle of the night he hears a loud crash. He turns on the light and sees that he is responsible for the crash and that he is going to jail. Where does he live?

Answer is in today’s tidbit!

And don’t forget, if you want more riddles, you can play our daily emoji riddle game.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“My sons absolutely hated [Barbie]. They felt that it was emasculating. And I agree, to a certain extent. I’m raising two boys. I want ’em to feel powerful too [while] respecting women.”
Singer Shakira on the Barbie movie in an interview with Allure magazine. A Barbie doll was made of the singer in the early 2000s.

Stat of the day

5,396
How many complaints relating to financial hardship the Australian Financial Complaints Authority received last year, up 25% from 2022. ACFA warned that some home loan providers are ignoring hardship assistance requests.

Today in history

1973
The first phone call was made on a mobile phone. It was made by a Motorola engineer, Martin Cooper, in New York, using a prototype that was over a kilogram.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• An Australian woman is among several international aid workers who have been killed by an Israeli air strike. The workers were part of the World Central Kitchen charity located in northern Gaza. The charity said in a post to X: “Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should NEVER be a target.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the reports “very concerning” in comments to the ABC. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded, saying: “Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry.”

• National house prices increased by an average of around $12,000 (or 1.6%) in the first three months of 2024, according to the latest findings from property data firm CoreLogic. It’s also the 14th consecutive month property values have risen. Rents were up 2.8% in the last three months, with unit rent prices rising faster than housing rents across the capital cities.

I’ve got 1 minute

Half of Australian artists made less than $6,000 from the music industry last year

Half of Australian musicians earned less than $6,000 from the music industry last year, according to new data from the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance.

MEAA surveyed 550 musicians and found two-thirds of artists took on work outside the music industry during the 2023 financial year.

It said one in two artists earned around 15% of the national minimum wage from music.

MEAA Campaigns Director Paul Davies said musicians "are expected to get by on extraordinarily low incomes, inconsistent and often unpaid work," and "rarely receive superannuation".

"A sustainable music industry must support musicians as well as good music businesses," Davies said.

It comes after the Government announced a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s live music industry last week.

I’ve got 2 minutes

Iran has accused Israel of striking its embassy complex in Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Iran says seven people, including three senior commanders, were killed in the strike. Israel has not commented on the reports yet.

Israel’s war in Gaza has sparked broader regional tensions between Israel and Iran-backed forces.

Iran v Israel

Iran and Israel are long-term enemies in the Middle East.

Since the 1979 revolution which installed a conservative Muslim dictatorship, Iran has questioned the legitimacy of a Jewish state, and called for its destruction.

Since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on 7 October, to which Israel responded by declaring war, tensions with other forces have also increased.

Israeli forces have been clashing with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group that controls southern Lebanon, which borders the north of Israel.

Hezbollah is listed by Australia as a terrorist organisation.

In response to Iran’s influence in the region, Israel has launched a number of strikes against Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East, based in places like Syria.

Syria

Iran has an official presence in Syria through its embassy complex in the capital city, Damascus.

Like Hezbollah, Syria’s current regime relies on support from Iranian forces. The country is embroiled in a long-running civil war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebel opponents.

Embassy strike

The Iranian foreign ministry condemned the attack, describing it as “brutal aggression” and blaming Israel.

In a statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has lost his mental balance”.

Amir-Abdhollahian called for a “serious response” against Israel.

According to Iranian officials, seven officers were killed in the strike.

One of the officers killed was a senior Iranian commander, Mohamed Reda Zahdy. He was a leader of Iranian forces spread across Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.

International reaction

Israel has not acknowledged the attack, with a military spokesperson saying it doesn’t comment on reports in foreign media.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the Biden government was aware of the strike. He did not comment specifically on the Syria attack, but said the U.S. is “worried about escalation” of conflict in the Middle East.

Several countries, including nearby Qatar and Pakistan, have condemned the attack as a violation of international law.

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This week, the federal government released a draft strategy aimed at improving the lives of Australians with Autism. It comes after a 2022 inquiry found that outcomes for Autistic people in Australia were “unacceptably poor”.

So what does the strategy recommend, and how could it improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australians? In today's podcast, we speak to the CEO of Autism Awareness Australia to find out more.

Give me some good news

Free flu shots are now available in Queensland ahead of the flu season.

Queenslanders above six months old will be able to access the vaccine at local GPs and pharmacies.

State Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said that “nearly all people presenting to hospital with the flu last year had not been vaccinated” and that offering free vaccines will aim to reduce the number of people hospitalised.

TDA tidbit

Did you know it’s a legal requirement for married couples in Japan to have the same surname?

And apparently, in 500 years time, everyone will have the same last name unless the laws change.

According to research from Tohoku University, “Sato” is currently the most common surname, which belongs to around 1.5% of the country’s population, and is on track to be everyone’s last name in 500 years time.

A director at the university, Naho Ida said: “The diversity of Japanese surnames may be lost.”

Professor Hiroshi Yoshida said the country’s ageing population and dwindling birth rate could also be impacting the number of people with the surname “Sato”.

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Riddle answer: At a lighthouse.

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