☕️ The Paralympics begin

The Paralympics are officially underway, with the Opening Ceremony taking place overnight.

Australia has sent 160 Paralympians to Paris, including 61 who are making their debut.

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“The most dangerous place you can possibly be is between [Greens MP] Max Chandler-Mather and a TV camera. It's all about trying to get his profile up, it's about seeking political advantage, and it doesn't seem to matter what the cause is.”
Employment Minister Murray Watt speaking to ABC radio about the Greens MP’s appearance at a rally for the CFMEU, now in administration.

$382 million
The amount Australians lost to scams in the 2023/24 financial year, according to the Federal Police. Around half of this was lost to cryptocurrency scams.

1997
Netflix was founded as a video rental company that mailed DVDs. The following year, netflix.com became the first online DVD rental and sales site.

The Woolworths Group has reported a $1.7 billion net profit (after tax) for the 2023/24 financial year, down 0.6% from the previous year.

The group includes Australian and New Zealand supermarkets and BIG W retail stores.

Net profit is the amount of money left over after paying expenses and taxes.

Woolworths’ financial results come after Coles reported a $1.1 billion net profit in its yearly update this week.

Sales revenue – how much Woolworths made from selling its products or services – increased by 3.7% to $67.9 billion, partly due to increased online sales.

Outgoing CEO Brad Banducci said BIG W and its 185 NZ supermarkets had a “challenging year” impacted by changes in customer spending habits due to the cost of living.

Banducci acknowledged that “customers remain under significant mortgage and rent-related financial stress”.

Customers are expected “to remain cautious with the trading environment expected to be challenging for the rest of the financial year,” he said.

Coles and Woolworths control two-thirds of Australia’s supermarket sector.

Multiple inquiries are currently underway into how supermarkets set their grocery prices, including by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Both Coles and Woolworths have denied allegations of unfair price setting.

An interim report from the ACCC’s inquiry is due to be delivered to the Treasurer by the end of this week.

Reporting by Chloe Christie.

U.S. prosecutors have brought a reworked set of charges against Donald Trump over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Election interference charges were originally brought against the former President in 2023.

However, these charges have been updated in response to a recent Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity.

Trump is facing multiple criminal trials.

After losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump initially refused to concede defeat, alleging election fraud.

Trump was accused of spreading false claims and obstructing the transition of power to President Biden.

On 6 January 2021, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and attempted to block official procedures confirming Biden’s victory. Seven people died as a result of the riots.

Officials launched legal action against Trump for alleged election interference in January 2023.

Prosecutors accused him of “using knowingly false claims of election fraud,” and encouraging his supporters to disrupt official election proceedings.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Charges were also brought against six others, who are accused of trying to help Trump overturn the election. This included an official who worked at the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).

In July, the U.S. Supreme Court found that presidents are immune from criminal wrongdoing while in office.

Individuals who are granted immunity cannot be prosecuted for certain criminal offences.

The court found presidents have “presumptive immunity” for official actions, but not for “unofficial actions” — personal matters and private behaviour.

The decision raised questions about the viability of the criminal trials levelled against Donald Trump.

Prosecutors have now filed a revised version of the election interference charges against Trump.

The re-worked charges – known as a “superseding indictment” – still contain the original allegations of election fraud.

However, the case no longer includes accusations against the DoJ official alleged to have helped Trump.

This is because Trump’s interactions with this official are likely protected under the Supreme Court immunity ruling.

In a post to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described the revised charges as an “act of desperation” in an “effort to resurrect a ‘dead’ Witch Hunt” against him.

It’s unlikely the case will go to trial before the November presidential election.

If Trump wins, he would have presidential powers to have the lawsuit dropped or delayed.

If he loses the election, the trials against him are expected to proceed.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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The climb is around 300 metres high with up to 23 degree steep slopes. The rover will collect samples which could help scientists understand more about what the planet’s climate was like billions of years ago. An update on the rover’s X account said: “My team has a few spots for me to explore along the way”, including an “ancient Martian crust”.

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Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

Naomi Osaka made her triumphant return to the U.S. Open, and some might say she was giving brat.

Osaka wore an outfit she’d created with Nike and AMBUSH designer Yoon Anh featuring big green bows on the back, the shoes, and on her headphones.

The four-time grand slam winner said: “The inspiration that fuelled the look for me… is feeling like a 'magical girl' on the court.” That’s in reference to a genre of anime and manga which includes the series ‘Sailor Moon’.

Osaka, a former world number one, stepped away from tennis to have her first child and returned at the start of the year.

She’s already won her first U.S. Open match and will be hoping to wear bows all the way to the final.

Reporting by Nandini Dhir.

You might’ve seen headlines this week that women in Afghanistan can no longer show their faces or speak in public.

It’s the latest in a long string of restrictions that have been imposed on civilians and in particular women since the Taliban seized power of the country just over three years ago. In today’s deep dive, we explain the latest ban, how it came to be and the broader context of women’s rights in Afghanistan.