And more importantly, happy riddle day.

Today’s riddle: A butcher is 5'10" and wears size 13 shoes. What does he weigh?

Answer is in the tidbit!

The quote
"You’re not seriously asking that question? No, there is no way in hell we’re joining Australia." – New Zealand’s Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon speaking to reporters yesterday after an outgoing New Zealand MP said the country should consider joining Australia. Australian Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce told The Today Show yesterday he is in favour of the idea, but conceded “it’s not going to happen”.

The stat
1.3%
The jump in consumer spending on cafes, restaurants, and takeaway food in July. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said this spending was linked to the Women’s World Cup.

Today in history
2021: The last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, ending its military presence there after nearly 20 years.

Some headlines from this morning:

Federal politicians will receive a 4% pay rise from Friday – their biggest wage increase in ten years.

The decision was made by the Remuneration Tribunal, an independent government body that provides advice on public sector wages.

This means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s wage will increase from $564,356 to $586,930. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was being paid $401,560, but will now see his salary increase to $417,622. The base salary for a federal politician will rise from $217,060 to $225,742.

The pay rise:
The Tribunal said its decision was partly because Australia’s politicians have only seen “conservative” wage increases in the past decade.

Politicians received their first post-pandemic pay rise last year, with an increase of 2.75%. In the nine years prior to that, MPs received four pay rises of 2% each.

The Tribunal also said this year’s 4% pay rise reflected the “responsibilities and experience required” of MPs and would help attract and retain MPs of “calibre”.

The Tribunal also pointed out pay increases in the public sector remained below those in the private sector.

An Australian neurosurgeon has discovered a live worm inside a woman's brain during surgery.

This is the first known case of this specific parasite being found in humans, according to the latest Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

What happened?
The 64-year-old woman from NSW repeatedly sought treatment after noticing symptoms including forgetfulness, depression, abdominal pain, and fever beginning in early 2021.

After an abnormality was picked up on a brain scan, doctors decided to operate in June 2022.

During the procedure, surgeons discovered a live 8cm roundworm lodged in her brain.

The worm, Ophidascaris robertsi, is a type of parasite usually found in pythons, which eat and shed roundworm eggs.

What is a parasite?
Parasites are organisms that live on or in the body of other living things.

A parasite will typically use the host to survive at the host’s expense.

In humans, this can cause sickness ranging from mild illness to severe disease.

Further details:
Doctors say it’s likely the woman unknowingly consumed the parasite via snake faeces, after cooking Warrigal greens, a type of native grass she found near her home.

Her doctors say it’s likely that a local carpet python shed the parasite via its faeces into the grass.

Recovery:
The patient has now recovered from last year’s surgery, but is being regularly monitored for ongoing symptoms.

Doctors gave the patient additional medication after the surgery in case more parasite eggs were living elsewhere in her body.

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

There will be a rare blue supermoon above Australia tonight.

This means a full moon will happen at the same time the moon is closest to Earth, and will therefore appear bigger. It is considered a ‘blue’ moon because it is the second full moon in the calendar month.

Experts say the best time to view the blue supermoon will be at dusk, when the moon is on the horizon.

The genie is out of the bottle! Music legend and pop icon Christina Aguilera is set to grace the stage in Melbourne on Saturday, 25 November. It's the first time the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer is taking the stage in Australia in 15 years. Purchase your tickets here from 12pm AEST today!

Brought to you by Untitled Group, the masterminds behind Beyond the Valley, and in collaboration with Victoria's Always Live program, the night will take you on a nostalgic journey through Christina's greatest iconic hits, like ‘Dirty’, ‘Genie in a Bottle’, and the timeless karaoke classic, ‘Beautiful’.

The mother of the President of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, says she has gone on a hunger strike to protest her son’s temporary suspension.

In case you need a reminder: Rubiales is facing a 90-day suspension from all soccer-related activities after he kissed a player from the Spanish national team without her consent after winning the Women’s World Cup in Sydney.

According to local news, Rubiales’ mother Ángeles Béjar is planning to remain locked up in a Spanish church until the "inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt which [her] son is being subjected to" ends.

“My son does not deserve what they are doing to him,” she added.

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Riddle answer: Meat.

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