☕️ UK PM facing calls to resign

It’s Wednesday, which means trivia. Here is this week’s question for you:

What is the biggest jewellery company in the world?

Answer is in the titbit!

The quote: “The IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honoured on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.”
Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych in a post to Instagram, confirming an Olympic official "strictly” banned the use of his helmet. Heraskevych's helmet had photos of Ukrainian athletes who were killed during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The stat: 209. The number of jobs that will be axed from Telstra as the telco rolls out new artificial intelligence capabilities.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 62% of you are in a book club, or want to be in one. [2,227 votes].

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia this week and said the temperature needs to come down after protests turned violent on Monday night.

Police and protesters clashed in Sydney on Monday night at a demonstration against the presidential visit. Police used pepper spray against the large crowds and were seen using aggressive tactics to disperse the crowd.

Five members of the public were hospitalised, according to AAP. Nine demonstrators were charged with offences, including resisting police.

On Tuesday, Albanese said in Parliament: "We need to turn the temperature down in this country. We need to turn it right down."

Herzog is currently in Australia, on invitation of the Australian Government, in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Albanese added: "I've consistently said that every life matters, whether Israeli or Palestinian, and the violence that we saw [on Monday night] was devastating. All Australians would have found those scenes very confronting."

Last night, hundreds of people gathered in Sydney’s inner-east to protest the actions of NSW Police from the night before. Palestine Action Group spokesperson Josh Lees said at the rally: “In order to roll out the red carpet for [Herzog], they crushed the rights of the people in this city to protest against him. We absolutely will not be intimidated.”

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, Emma talks to Lucy about the fallout from the Sydney protests against the Israeli President’s visit.

🎿 Sign up to TDA Sport here for the latest from Milano-Cortina.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign, after police launched an investigation into the former UK Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson.

Late last month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released millions of files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including communications with Mandelson.

Two of Starmer’s staff have quit, while the PM issued an apology to Epstein’s victims.

Some MPs have called for Starmer to step down.

Jeffrey Epstein was an American hedge fund manager and convicted sex offender.

In 2008, he served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges related to sex-trafficking minors in a controversial deal.

In 2019, police arrested him again on new federal sex trafficking charges. Epstein was denied bail and died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial.

Epstein was friends with high-profile politicians, celebrities, and the wealthy, some of whom have also been accused of engaging in sexual crimes.

Mandelson has been a senior figure in the UK Labour Party for decades, including serving in the Cabinet in the 2000s. Media outlets reported Mandelson’s links to Epstein on several occasions between 2019 and 2024.

This included images of Mandelson with Epstein before and after he was charged with child sex offences in 2006. Starmer appointed Mandelson as the UK’s Ambassador to the U.S. in February 2025.

In September 2025, correspondence between Mandelson and Epstein became public.

First, the U.S. Congress committee looking into federal investigations of Epstein released a “birthday book” that had been reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier in the year. Epstein’s associate, convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, put the book together for his 50th birthday in 2003.

It included a 10-page message from Mandelson to his “best pal” Epstein, as well as messages from Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

Then, U.S. financial outlet Bloomberg published emails between Mandelson and Epstein from before, during and after Epstein’s prison sentence for sex trafficking in June 2008.

After learning of his sentence, Mandelson said: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.”

Following these publications, the UK Government removed Mandelson from his position. It said the emails showed “the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.”

Last week, London’s Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into Mandelson. It said this was sparked by the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of millions of documents relating to Epstein.

The Met said it received “reports into alleged misconduct in public office,” including from the UK Government. A spokesperson for Mandelson told the BBC he “did not discover the truth about Epstein until after his death,” and is “profoundly sorry that powerless and vulnerable women and girls were not given the protection they deserved.”

In September, Mandelson told The Sun he “never saw the wrongdoing” by Epstein, “perhaps because I am a gay man”.

Last week, Starmer issued an apology to Epstein’s victims following the latest release of files. Starmer said Mandelson “portrayed Epstein as someone he barely knew”.

“When that became clear and it was not true, I sacked him,” Starmer said.

In response to calls for details of Mandelson’s appointment process to be published, Starmer said it is “important that documents are made available to Parliament as soon as possible.”

On Sunday (local time), Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney resigned from his position, taking “full responsibility” for Mandelson’s appointment. The next day, Starmer’s Head of Communications Tim Allan “decided to stand down to allow a new No.10 team to be built,” The Guardian reported. The UK Prime Minister’s office is located at 10 Downing Street in London.

Multiple MPs, including from Starmer’s party, have called on him to resign. Responding to the calls, Starmer told a Labour party meeting that he would not step down and has “won every fight [he has] ever been in,” according to the BBC.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe

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Terry the turtle was badly injured and required a flipper amputation after a fishing line cut off his blood supply. Taronga Zoo’s wildlife hospital helped rehabilitate the three-flippered turtle and cared for him for five weeks in its intensive care ward. After proving he’d bounced back in the zoo’s rehab pool for two and a half weeks, he was released into Sydney Harbour. Taronga said Terry’s injury “was one of the worst cases of fishing‑line entanglement our veterinary team has seen - so this release back to the ocean was especially rewarding and yet another reminder to please clean up after yourselves when fishing.”

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

Can’t seem to quit TikTok? You’re not alone!

TikTok has been warned by the European Commission it needs to overhaul the “addictive design” of its platform or face fines up to 6% of its global annual turnover.

The Commission said features like infinite scroll, autoplay and push notifications could harm the physical and mental wellbeing of users, especially children.

We polled the TDA office and 75% of us are trying to stay off TikTok because of how addictive it is!

Reporting by Lachlan Keller.

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Trivia answer: Pandora.