☕️ New wage data out

Here is today’s riddle:

If there are 12 fish and half of them drown, how many are left?

Answer is in the tidbit!

“It’s not my dream, it’s their dream. So I’m kind of helping them to make it come true.”
Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, speaking to media about the student protesters who requested he take over the leadership. Bangladesh has been embroiled in violent protests over a jobs quota system. For more context about what is happening in Bangladesh, listen to our podcast on the topic here.

702
How many firefighters are working to control blazes near Athens, Greece.

2016
Usain Bolt became the first man to win gold in the Olympic 100m sprint three times in a row.

Wages grew by 4.1% over the year to June, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The figure means wages held steady from the 4.1% annual growth reported in the last quarter. It follows a 15-year high wage increase of 4.2% reported in December 2023.

In the June quarter, wage growth outpaced the rate of inflation (3.8%). This means ‘real’ wages increased by 0.3%.

The ABS’ Wage Price Index (WPI) tracks changes in the hourly wages earned in a range of jobs selected to represent the whole economy.

Annual wage growth for the year to June 2024 was highest in Tasmania (5.1%), and lowest in Victoria (3.3%).

Workers in the healthcare and social services saw a 5% rise in annual wages — the highest of any industry.

Workers in the retail, food services and administrative industries also saw wages increase above the national average.

Some of the slowest annual wage growth was reported in the real estate industry (3.6%) and arts and recreation (3.3%).

Australia has been in a period of high inflation (rising prices) since 2022. Wages commonly increase during these periods, to meet rising costs.

As part of the latest Federal Budget, the Australian Government projected wage growth to slow over the coming years, as inflation is expected to stabilise following two years of increases.

The Government said it expected wage growth to slow to 3.25% over the next two years, before rising slightly to 3.5% from 2026.

The next ABS wages update will cover the July quarter (Jul-Sept).

It will be the first Wage Price Index (WPI) since minimum wages increased by 3.75% on 1 July, after the Fair Work Commission announced the change in June.

Both the ‘national minimum wage’, which affects 1% of the workforce, and minimum award wages, which cover 2.6 million Australians, are covered by this increase.

This increase could lead to a spike in the next WPI (out in November), despite longer-term predictions of slowing wages.

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Russia’s war with Ukraine has entered a new phase this week, after Ukrainian forces launched a surprise offensive into Russian territory at the northern border.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian soldiers now control up to 1,000km² of Russian territory — a marked shift from the way the war began.

It comes as both sides have blamed each other for a fire at a nuclear power plant.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he considers Ukraine to be part of Russia. In 2014, he signed documents legally transferring the Crimean peninsula, in Ukraine’s south-east, to Russian control.

On 24 February 2022, Putin announced a “special military operation” into Ukraine. Russian troops crossed the border and fired missiles into cities.

Zelenskyy said the country would defend itself. While Ukraine retook large chunks of its territory in 2022, its counter-offensive then stalled.

Ukraine launched a surprise attack in the past week, pushing across its northern border into the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod.

It’s the biggest attack on Russian soil since World War II. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate.

Zelenskyy ordered the Ukrainian army to advance into these regions because he said they have been used as a launch site for thousands of missile attacks. He said: “It is only fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are.”

Putin responded by accusing Ukraine of attacking Russia’s civilians, while also “pursuing the destruction of [its] own citizens”.

The Russian President added that Ukraine will “undoubtedly face a strong response, and all the objectives we have set will certainly be achieved”.

Russia has not been able to take back the land from Ukraine in the days since.

Military experts have suggested Ukraine’s northern border attack is a way to distract Russian forces from the frontline of the war, in the east. Putin also said he believes this was the reason for Ukraine’s invasion.

Prior to Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russia’s military had been slowly advancing west, from the frontline in the east.

Over the weekend, there was also a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The United Nations considers the plant to be in Ukrainian territory. It’s been under Russian control since March 2022.

Russian authorities say the fire was caused by a Ukrainian attack, while Zelenskyy accused “Russian occupiers” of starting the fire.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it couldn’t yet figure out what had caused the fire. It said there was currently no increase in nuclear radiation in the area.

UN data shows last month was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since October 2022. At least 219 civilians were killed and over 1,000 were injured, according to data cited by the United Nations.

Neither country has provided updated overall military death tolls, but international estimates suggest both sides have lost tens of thousands of soldiers.

Earlier this year, the UK Ministry of Defence estimated that half a million Russian soldiers had been killed or injured.

This week, Putin has also repeated his claim that Western powers are using Ukraine to fight Russia indirectly.

At the centre of this claim is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is a Western military alliance that includes the U.S. and UK.

Last month, NATO agreed to give Ukraine’s war effort €40 billion ($AU64 billion), calling Russia a “direct threat”.

Ukraine has long wanted to join NATO, which Russia has long opposed, and was part of why Russia initially invaded.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

Ever wondered what it takes to build a sustainable business from the ground up?

Check out this doco about Aussie brand Zorali. Revolutionising outdoor gear with a focus on sustainability and durability, Zorali was founded by Cam and Elise Greenwood. They’re dedicated to creating high-quality products that can stand up to adventure while minimising their environmental footprint.

Further Together is their new documentary that delves into the highs and lows of building a business, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create a brand that’s as good for the planet as it is for outdoor enthusiasts!

Watch the documentary on YouTube here.

A pocket of liquid with “large volumes of water” was found up to 20km deep in the rocky outer crust of the planet, where it’s believed to have been for more than 3 billion years. Scientists have found water on Mars before, but it was previously in a frozen or vapour state.

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

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Dublin Zoo has tried a new approach to encourage an orangutan mother to breastfeed her newborn. The zoo brought in 30 human mothers who volunteered to breastfeed their babies in front of the orangutan, Mujur, to help her learn.

After Mujur watched the women breastfeed through the glass, she started to show more maternal qualities. Mujur had lost two babies in the past, and because orangutan births are so rare, the zoo wanted to make sure this baby survived.

Bringing together these mothers for the endangered orangutan had a positive outcome — Mujur cared for her newborn after giving birth, although she still needed some help from zookeepers.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

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Riddle answer: 12. Fish don’t drown.

WA Senator Linda Reynolds is suing former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins for defamation.

It’s the latest in a long string of lawsuits that have been unfolding since Higgins first came out publicly with allegations against her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann.

In today’s deep dive, we explain why a Senator is suing her former staffer, what the case has heard so far and what could happen next.