☕️ Spain's flooding disaster

India’s five-day festival of lights, known as Diwali, began yesterday. It celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil.

It’s observed by more than a billion people across the world, and across faiths, including Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.

It is celebrated in several ways including lighting candles, watching fireworks, decorating houses, and visiting friends and family.

Happy Diwali to those who celebrate!

“They all said, ‘Don’t come.’ I said, ‘Why?’ ‘You can’t win New Mexico.’ I said, ‘Look, your votes are rigged. We can win New Mexico’.”
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump at a rally in the U.S. state of New Mexico, which traditionally votes Democratic.

104,861
How many scam complaints the Australian Financial Complaints Authority received in 2023/24, a record high.

1993
The European Union was formed with the Maastricht Treaty, signed by 12 countries. Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, and Portugal were among the first nations in the EU.

North Korea has sent 10,000 soldiers to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This week, international authorities confirmed the troops were training with Russian soldiers, and called on both Russia and North Korea to “cease these actions immediately”.

North Korea is one of very few countries that has openly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has lasted more than two and a half years.

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Since then, it’s estimated hundreds of thousands of troops have been killed. Neither side releases updated death tolls.

The United Nations (UN) has said the invasion has caused a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

In recent months, Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive, entering Russia’s Kursk region on the Ukrainian border.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Western military alliance that includes the U.S. and UK, announced North Korean soldiers have been deployed to the Kursk region.

American defence officials confirmed the number of North Korean troops sent to Russia has tripled from 3,000 to 10,000 in recent days.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea “a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security”.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his troops may end up fighting North Korean soldiers in Europe.

“Moscow is intent on continuing its aggression,“ Zelenskyy said.

U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said Russia’s reliance on foreign troops could flag it’s struggling in its war.

“There’s some serious questions in terms of their ability to continue to sustain their personnel requirements.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

In five days, more than 100 million people in the U.S. are expected to vote for the next President.

The White House race is between the current Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).

Ahead of next week’s vote, TDA is cutting through the noise and breaking down the biggest election issues.

In today's deep dive, we’ll compare Harris and Trump’s plans for the economy.

The U.S. is the world’s biggest economy, and it remains a high-priority issue for voters.

A senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton said the 1992 U.S. election was about “the economy, stupid”. 32 years later, he’s probably still right.

Last month, 81% of voters ranked the economy as a top issue, according to polling by Pew Research Centre. New research from the American Psychological Association this week found 73% of Americans are stressed about the economy.

Like most major economies, the U.S. has seen high annual inflation (rising prices) over the past few years.

It peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 and was consistently high through mid-2023. It fell to 2.4% in the year to September.

The unemployment rate has also been relatively low at 4.1%, down from a pandemic high of nearly 15% in April 2020.

Two weeks ago, the editors of The Economist said the American economy is “bigger and better than ever”.

Harris has promised to develop an “Opportunity Economy”, defined as giving everyone “a chance to compete and a chance to succeed”.

Among her promises are two tax credits (discounts): a $US6,000 ‘Child Tax credit’ for families with newborns and an ‘Earned Income’ credit for low and middle-income earners.

She’s also committed to a $US25,000 grant for first-home-buyers to put down a deposit on a property.

Harris has also promised to push for a national ban on grocery price gouging, where supermarkets unfairly increase the cost of food.

Another planned reform is to lower the cost of medicine. This will require legislation, and depend on the Democrats’ overall success in both houses of Congress.

If Harris wins the Presidency and her party secures a majority in the House of Representatives and Senate, it will be able to pass the law.

At present, Republicans control the House, while Democrats have a majority in the Senate.

Trump has blamed the current Biden-Harris administration for what he describes as “raging inflation”.

He has campaigned with a plan to “defeat inflation, and quickly bring down all prices”. Trump has promised to increase oil and gas production, cut workplace regulations, crack down on “wasteful” government spending, and stop “illegal immigration”.

Trump has also proposed lowering the tax rate from 21% to 15% for companies that “make their product in America”.

Trump says he wants a “fairer deal” for U.S. manufacturers and trade.

During the presidential debate against Harris, he committed to putting “tariffs on other countries”, some of which he said would be “substantial”.

This would mean goods exported and imported from overseas would have significant taxes imposed on them. Many countries, including Australia, have worked towards ‘free trade’ deals with the U.S, where there are no tariffs on imports and exports.

Both Harris and Trump have promised to scrap taxes on hospitality workers’ tips.

Opinion polls taken early last month asked voters who they trust to handle the U.S. economy. Trump polled 10% ahead of Harris.

However, more recent polling has shown the attitudes may have shifted.

Earlier this week, an Associated Press/NORC poll showed 46% of people preferred Harris’ economic policies, compared to 35% for Trump.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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🍊 What does De Minaur need to do to make the ATP Finals? Find out here.
🍊 We interviewed surf legend Laura Enever. Read it.
🍊 English rugby prop Joe Marler has caused a stir. What did he say?
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: basketball, tennis, and more…

Under a new strategy, the sporting organisation’s aim is for soccer to become the most played sport among women and girls in every European country.

UEFA’s managing director of women’s football, Nadine Kessler, said that “enormous investments, improved competition structures, and emerging professional playing opportunities” mean women’s football has “never been in a better place”.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Would you add a dash of olive oil to your morning coffee?

Earlier this year, Starbucks introduced an olive oil coffee over in the U.S. The Oleato coffee was introduced by the beverage chain’s former CEO Howard Schultz.

However, the olive oil concoction was quickly met with distaste.

Now, Starbucks has announced it’s pulling the Oleato from its menus, disappointing the very few who acquired a liking for the oiled coffee.

It’s part of a move to strip back the menu. In a video message shared in October, new CEO Brian Niccol said: “People love Starbucks, but I’ve heard from some customers that we've drifted from our core.”

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

This week, a residential college at the University of Sydney made headlines over a “bullying incident” involving a mock trial and a sex toy.

It’s not the first time colleges at this uni have made headlines over such behaviour – nor is it the first time this specific college, St Paul’s, has been the subject of newspaper investigations. In today’s deep dive, we explain the latest scandal, and the history of these colleges.