☕️ Biden 'pardons' his son, Hunter

Is anyone playing Whamageddon? It’s an international game where players try to go as long as possible without hearing the Christmas classic “Last Christmas” by WHAM. It starts on 1 December and runs through till 24 December. You’re out as soon as you hear and recognise the song.

My tip: Ask other people to do your shopping for you so you can avoid grocery stores. Simple!

“I was mistaken that she was ‘convicted’ because it was a civil case. Sorry about that Pauline!”
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe in a post to X clarifying her comments last week calling fellow Senator Pauline Hanson a “convicted racist”. Another Senator, Mehreen Faruqi, successfully sued Hanson for racial vilification. Hanson has lodged an appeal.

140%
The percentage that reports of forced labour have increased from 2018 to 2023/24, according to the Australian Federal Police.

1967
The first human heart transplant was conducted by Christiaan Barnard. A 53-year-old man received the transplant in South Africa from a 25-year-old woman who had died due to injuries from a car crash.

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☀️Summer sips! FELLR’s latest creation will be a fresh side kick for any summer sipping - think BBQ’s and beach days (18+ only, of course).

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored section of the newsletter. It's the best way we can keep this newsletter free for you.}

For the first time in more than 30 years, the Federal Government has announced a new subsidy for an endometriosis treatment.

Endometriosis (or endo) is a medical condition in which tissue similar to the lining of a uterus grows elsewhere in the body.

On Sunday, the Government added a medication called dienogest – sold as Visanne – to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

It will now cost around $32 for 28 pills.

More than one million Australians have endometriosis, which can cause debilitating pain in the pelvic region, and can be associated with infertility.

Around 40,000 hospital admissions in Australia each year are due to endometriosis.

When a medication is listed on the PBS, the Government subsidises the cost to make it more affordable and accessible to patients. No new endometriosis medications have been added to the PBS in 30 years.

Dienogest, aka Visanne, shrinks endometrial tissue. It can be prescribed by a GP.

Under the PBS, Visanne now costs $31.60 per box of 28 pills. For the average patient, Visanne will cost $412 a year, compared to $750 a year without the subsidy.

Health Minister Mark Butler said for patients with concession cards, the medication could now cost “as little as $7” per box.

Butler said endo “is a condition that impacts... maybe one in seven women and teenage girls, and for too long too many women have been made to suffer in silence”.

Co-founder of endometriosis advocacy group EndoActive Syl Freedman said Visanne’s PBS listing is “wonderful news for endo patients.”

Visanne is manufactured by multi-national pharmaceutical company Bayer. Its Australia/New Zealand CEO

Manoj Saxena said the PBS listing “is an important step towards addressing inequalities in women’s health access”.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Rebel forces have taken control of Syria’s second largest city, in a major escalation of the country’s 13-year-long civil war.

A coalition of armed anti-government groups have seized control of the city of Aleppo, located in northern Syria, for the first time since 2016.

The forces are opposed to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who’s ruled the country since 2000.

The conflict has drawn in multiple other countries, including Russia and Iran.

Assad became President in 2000, succeeding his father Hafez Assad, who had ruled for 29 years. His Government receives military support from Iran and Russia.

Following peaceful protests against Assad’s government in 2011, known as the ‘Arab Spring’, the regime killed protesters and other civilians.

In response, then-U.S. President Barack Obama imposed financial sanctions on Assad’s government. The Arab League, a powerful regional bloc, removed Syria as a member.

The crackdown on protests expanded into widespread, years-long fighting between the Syrian military and anti-government forces.

The United Nations estimates that over 300,000 civilians were killed during the first 10 years of the conflict, and 12 million Syrians have been displaced. Other estimates suggest as many as 600,000 civilians have been killed.

Until this week, anti-government forces controlled some parts of north-western Syria. The main group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is classified by Australia as a terrorist organisation.

Fighting in recent years had largely stalled in Syria. Over the weekend, however, a coalition of anti-government forces launched a surprise offensive, clashing violently with Assad-backed forces. The anti-government forces moved into Aleppo, capturing the airport, and Assad’s troops withdrew from the city.

In response, Russia conducted airstrikes on the city for the first time since 2016, in coordination with Syria’s military.

Russian and Syrian air attacks have also targeted the north-western rebel stronghold of Idlib, and Hama, closer to the capital city of Damascus in the south-west.

Syria’s defence ministry said it had reinforced its defensive positions near Aleppo as part of its preparations for a counter-attack.

The independent UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates more than 412 people have been killed in this outbreak of fighting. The death toll includes around 60 civilians.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula said he was “gravely alarmed and concerned” about the escalation of violence in Aleppo.

More than 16.7 million people need humanitarian aid in Syria — roughly two-thirds of the population.

Abdelmoula said the attack over recent days “adds even more lives that now need to be urgently saved.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

TDA Volunteer Profile: Meet Carrie Wu, a volunteer at The Bread and Butter Project.

I volunteer as a graphic designer for The Bread and Butter Project, creating product flyers and marketing materials. Volunteering is as important as every other experience in life - it draws communities together, creating a sense of camaraderie that’s hard to find in our digital world.

🍊 The schoolteacher from Bendigo who set a marathon record.
🍊 What is a Yell Leader? Find out here.
🍊 The Kangaroos won the AFLW Grand Final. More details here.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: cricket, rugby, and more…

Guide Dogs NSW and ACT worked with the Australian landmark for International Day of People with Disability as an example of how public venues can become more inclusive and accessible for people with low vision, and who may have a guide dog. The Opera House has also invited Guide Dogs clients to take an audio and “tactile” tour of the building. Guide Dogs said there are “very simple changes or training that can be implemented… to ensure no one is excluded.”

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Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

POV: You unwrap a Mars bar only to find it’s completely smooth, with no signature chocolate swirl.

Would you eat it? Or would you contact the manufacturers to investigate?

UK man Harry Seager was so surprised by his smooth Mars bar that he posted it to the Facebook group ‘Dull Men’s Club’. His post soon attracted thousands of comments from fellow ‘dull men’ who were intrigued by the lack of swirl.

Seager told the BBC that he then emailed Mars “because I was interested in what might have caused it to happen.”

In response, the 34-year-old received a £2 ($AU3.90) voucher as compensation.

“I think £2 is great, it will be two free Mars bars. Maybe they could have sent me more but I’m not being ungrateful,” Seager said.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced he will issue a pardon for his son Hunter Biden, who has been convicted of federal tax evasion and illegal gun possession. 

With just a matter of weeks left before there is a peaceful transfer of power, the President said he was pardoning his son because of a miscarriage of justice. We'll explain what you need to know in today's deep dive.