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Good morning!
You thought last night’s moon was cool? Wait till tonight, when it's the actual full moon.
A fun fact: Moonlight is just reflected sunlight! The Moon doesn’t produce any visible light of its own.
I’ve got 10 seconds
The quote: “We were really vulnerable with each other. We had some conversations together where we probably dropped the body armour a little bit.” Sydney Swans AFLW coach Colin O'Riordan in a press conference, expressing pride at how his players have come together in the wake of last week's allegations of sexual assault involving players in the men's team. No charges have been laid.
The stat: 12%. The proportion of drug samples tested via Victoria’s pill testing service in its first year that contained an unexpected psychoactive substance with the potential to cause serious harm.
The big question:
Yesterday’s results: 52% of you would let your child play contact sport, whilst 33% of you wouldn’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [2,418 votes].
I’ve got 30 seconds
Some headlines from this morning:
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has died at the age of 97. An announcement made on her official website said she died on 14 August. It said: “Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry.” It went on: “She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside her brush.” A major retrospective of Kusama's work was staged at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2024. It was her biggest ever show in Australia.
Qantas has reported a nearly 20% drop in profit due to the impact of the war in the Middle East and higher jet fuel costs. The national airline also announced on Thursday that it would bring forward the retirement of its ageing Airbus A380s, the double-decker jet billed as the world's biggest passenger aircraft. The A380s are no longer in production, and Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said the costs of operating the aircraft will only increase in terms of both maintenance and disruptions.
Together with AAP.
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I’ve got 1 minute
Flash floods have killed at least 390 people in the Himalayan border region between Nepal and Tibet.
It is a rapidly evolving situation and geologists are still working to determine what has happened. One theory is that a landslide crashed into a glacial river, sending a wall of water and debris crashing into villages below.
At least 35 Australians are among the nearly 1,500 people still missing. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said officials are “urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area”.
Landslide
On Wednesday morning, a landslide of ice and rock is believed to have smashed into a river high in the mountains near the Nepal-Tibet border, sending water and debris downstream.
Roads, bridges and entire villages were destroyed. The flooding hit Langtang National Park, a popular spot for international hikers.
What’s next?
An international group of experts has warned a second flood is possible, with a blockage still lodged upstream in a major river on the Nepal-Tibet border.
Search and rescue operations are continuing, with Nepal’s government appealing to neighbouring countries for help.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will update affected families as more information comes through.
Reporting by Elliot Lawry.
Quick hits
🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Billi and Elliot discuss young people using strangulation during sex. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.
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I’ve got 2 minutes
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion ($AU23.8 billion)* to settle a social media addiction lawsuit.
Along with the payment, Meta is required to make changes to its platforms to reduce social media addiction for children and teenagers.
The settlement was announced by attorneys-general from most U.S. states and territories.
It doesn’t require Meta to admit fault, wrongdoing, or liability.
*From this point, all amounts are in USD
Background
In 2023, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. states filed lawsuits against Meta.
They alleged Meta illegally collected and used the data of children under 13, designed its platforms so that it drove excessive usage and put young users at risk, and lied to users, their families and the public about the safety of Facebook and Instagram.
In doing so, the coalition alleged Meta violated several state and federal laws.
Settlement
If approved by a judge, Meta will pay up to $16.7 billion to settle the social media addiction lawsuit.
It will also pay $459 million to settle a separate lawsuit involving a consulting firm called Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data.
Several states have stated that they plan to use their settlement distribution for mental health services.
Meta is valued at $1.47 trillion and generated revenues of $60.8 billion from April to June 2026.
Separately, Meta has settled with Texas for $1 billion. New Mexico won a $942 million court case on 7 August, and Florida is suing Meta separately.
The changes
Meta is required to implement daily time limits and prompts after 15 minutes of use for children across Facebook and Instagram, restricted access for children between 12am and 6am, and silent notifications between 10pm and 7am, no notifications on weekdays between 8am and 3pm, and age assurance measures and age-appropriate content controls.
TDA reached out to Meta, which did not confirm whether these changes would extend beyond the U.S, but said it would monitor the impacts and engage with other governments.
Other cases
Thousands of similar cases against Google, Meta, TikTok, and Snap are due in courts across the U.S. this year.
Earlier in the year, a U.S. jury found YouTube and Meta negligent in their design and operation, which contributed to a 20-year-old woman’s social media addiction and worsened mental health. She was awarded $6 million.
Reporting by Adam Wan.
A message from TDA Finance
Do you know what the average HECS debt in your suburb is?
Almost half of Australia’s total $67.6 billion HECS debt is held within the country’s two largest cities, while the national average HECS balance sits at $28,500. Whether that's news to you or it hits close to home, it's a sign to check out TDA Finance, our newsletter that breaks down all the topics affecting your wallet.
Give me some good news
Aussie Mitchell Starc has become the best Test cricket bowler in the world on the International Cricket Council’s rankings.
Starc's match-winning effort in the Queensland city of Mackay, where he claimed 10 wickets and helped Australia crush Bangladesh in a two-day Test, has been rewarded with the No.1 spot on the ICC's charts. It is the first time the left-armer has ever claimed top spot on the Test bowling rankings, which use a points system based on performances in recent years.
Reporting by George Finlayson.
TDA titbit
A U.S. federal judge has struck down a Texan law that tried to restrict drag shows.
NBC reports that in U.S. District Judge David Hittner’s ruling, he gave some words of wisdom for people who “find such activities described in this case offensive. The solution is relatively simple… just don’t go.”
I’d also like to add that “just don’t go” can also apply to university lectures, morning meetings or coffee catch-ups with people you pretend to like.
Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.
TDA asks
