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"This isn't even a real case!”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ lawyer, after Adams became the first sitting NYC Mayor to face criminal charges. Adams has been accused of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and accepting illegal campaign donations. He has pleaded not guilty.

5 months
The length of the mission SpaceX has launched to bring home two astronauts stranded in the International Space Station. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are expected to return to Earth in February 2025, eight months after they were meant to return. Wanna learn more about this story? We covered it in a podcast episode here.

1997
The Gun Buy Back scheme in Australia, under John Howard’s government, comes to an end.

Australian passengers have been warned to expect flight delays ahead of planned pay strikes at airports led by Qantas engineers.

Qantas failed to reach a new pay deal with its employees after the previous agreement expired in June.

Today, more than 1,000 engineers will stop work in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth between 7am and 9am.

Members of Qantas’ Aircraft Maintenance Engineer work group – about 1,100 employees – have planned two weeks of industrial action over ongoing pay disputes.

Strikes began in Melbourne on Thursday, with action expected to spread across all major airports.

Unions (including the Australian Workers’ Union and Electrical Trades Union) are pushing for an immediate 15% pay rise, followed by a 5% pay increase per year going forward.

Electrical Trade Union National Secretary Michael Wright warned Qantas is at risk of losing its skilled workers.

“It’s pretty obvious to see what’s going to happen… And we know Qantas has been struggling to attract new skilled engineers who are flocking to other employers.”

A Qantas spokesperson said: “We’ve held a series of meetings with the unions and made progress on a number of items. We want to reach an agreement that includes pay rises and ensures we have a sustainable business.”

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Federal Government released the Aviation White Paper — a document detailing long-term policies to sustain the industry over the next decades.

It said it wanted to create “a diverse and skilled aviation workforce” with “secure jobs”.

Transport Minister Catherine King said she “encourages all parties to come to an agreement that minimises any disruption for passengers and delivers fair wages and secure jobs.”

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Australia and three other countries have formally accused the Taliban of repressing the rights of Afghan women and girls.

Under international law, countries need to enter formal talks before they can escalate a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, oversees disputes between countries and global organisations.

The action, which includes Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, is believed to be one of the first gender discrimination cases considered by the ICJ.

The Taliban is an extremist Islamist group that held power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. In 2021, it seized power again after the U.S. (and allies including Australia) withdrew troops from Afghanistan.

The Taliban has since imposed several restrictions on women, including banning them from high schools, universities, and most forms of employment.

Senior UN officials have described Afghanistan under Taliban rule as “the most repressive country in the world for women’s rights”.

Last month, the Taliban Government introduced new laws further restricting women’s movements and rights.

Women’s faces and bodies now need to be fully covered in public. They are also prohibited from using their voices outside their homes.

The regime’s “vice and virtue” laws also forbid men and women who aren’t related from looking at each other.

A spokesperson for the Taliban said the laws are “firmly rooted in Islamic teachings.”

Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands have announced they’re taking coordinated international legal action against the Taliban, following meetings at the UN General Assembly.

The four countries are formally accusing the regime of breaching the UN treaty on women’s rights.

The treaty sets out measures to ensure equality between men and women in political, private, and public life.

Afghanistan signed up in 2003, when the country wasn’t under Taliban control.

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong described the measure as “unprecedented”.

She said the regime “has demonstrated contempt for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls... through a campaign of sustained and systematic oppression.”

Her Canadian counterpart Mélanie Joly echoed Wong’s comments, saying: “We will not rest until justice prevails and [Afghan women] see freedom.”

While the countries don’t recognise the Taliban Government, they argue it must “uphold and fulfil the international legal obligations of Afghanistan”.

Wong said the four countries have taken the first step in legal action, which involves attempting to enter negotiations with the Taliban.

If negotiations don’t progress, the UN treaty says the parties can try going through arbitration. That’s where both sides present their cases to an independent assessor (not a judge).

Should that fail, then Australia, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands will be able to take the case to the ICJ.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week, actor Meryl Streep raised the plight of Afghan women under the Taliban.

“A female cat has more freedom than a woman,” Streep said.

“A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today, because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

The must-see destination for all overseas travellers

Though TikTok might be great for discovering hidden spots and unique experiences, Smartraveller should be the first destination for all Australians planning to travel overseas. It provides essential information to help you make sure your trip goes safely and smoothly.

For every type of traveller

Travel has changed a lot in the 21 years since Smartraveller launched, but staying safe overseas is as important as ever. Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or heading overseas for the first time, Smartraveller offers much more than just destination risk ratings. With country-specific advice on over 175 destinations, you can access local travel and cultural tips, health information, visa requirements, and guidance on what to do if you need help overseas.

Visit Smartraveller.gov.au, act on its travel advice, subscribe for free updates, and follow their social media to stay informed.

Within three months of the transplant of cells from within her own body, a 25-year-old woman started to produce insulin. Surgeon and researcher James Shapiro, from the University of Alberta in Canada, said the results have “completely reversed diabetes in the patient”. Prior to the transplant, the 25-year-old needed “substantial amounts of insulin”. The trial, published in the journal Cell, follows a similar study earlier this year which reversed type 2 diabetes in a 59 year old man.

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Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Bet you haven’t heard this name in the headlines for a while, but a new bronze statue is in the works to honour Victoria’s former Premier Daniel Andrews. The statue is designed to commemorate his more than 3,000 days in office and will be erected near the Victorian Parliament House.

Andrews will become the fifth premier to receive a statue.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “I reckon this bloke here deserves a statue in this park because he's been a great representative for more than 3000 days.”

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Last week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused Coles and Woolworths of unlawfully misleading customers through “discount pricing claims”.

The latest Roy Morgan trust data tells us that Coles and Woolies are some of Australian shoppers’ least trusted brands. Yet so many of us can't help but gravitate towards their “special buys”. So, what keeps drawing us in? We explore the answers in today’s podcast.