New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani led a new generation of Democrat victories this week with his victory over the old guard and Andrew Cuomo. Mr Mamdani, the first Muslim to be elected mayor of the biggest U.S. city, defeated former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after losing the nomination to Mamdani earlier this year. Mr Cuomo, who resigned as governor four years ago after sexual harassment allegations that he has denied, painted Mr Mamdani as a radical leftist whose proposals were unworkable and dangerous. Mr Mamdani himself has proposed raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for ambitious policies such as rent freezes, free childcare and free city buses. But like other winning candidates from the off-year elections, Mr Mamdani focused intensely on economic issues, particularly the cost of living, an issue that helped propel U.S. President, Donald Trump, to the White House last year but has remained top-of-mind for voters. In this episode of weeke nd omne-on-one, we hear from Eric Gander, who's the chair of the Department of Communications at New York's Baruch College.

One in three Australian households experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months, according to the Foodbank Hunger Report 2025. The report paints a stark picture of widening food insecurity across the nation, debunking the myth that hunger only affects the unemployed or homeless. The report reveals that cost-of-living pressures remain the number one concern for 91% of food-insecure households, followed by housing and the broader economy. Behind the data are the real stories of families forced to skip meals so children can eat, workers going hungry to pay rising rents, and people living with disability or illness struggling to put food on the table. Foodbank Australia CEO Kylea Tink spoke with SBS's Cameron Carr

Spring is historically the time of year that sees the most new listings in the property market - and the highest sales volumes. But with rumours that the RBA is likely to keep interest rates on hold until next year, what effect will that have on sales? Eliza Owen from Cotality (formerly Corelogic) spoke to SBS's Cameron Carr

A new report released this week by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has found the financial cost of the gender pay gap accelerates across a woman’s lifetime, peaking in the late 50s at a difference of $53,000. WGEA’s Ages and Wages report investigates how and why the gender pay gap changes at different stages across a lifetime. It lists key actions employers can take to address it. WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge spoke to SBS On the Money's Stephanie Youssef

The author of the review that triggered the government's environment reforms has fully endorsed Labor's nature legislation. Professor Graeme Samuel has told SBS the bill implements the 'totality' of the recommendations he made in his report, five years after it was delivered. The Greens and Coalition have objected to the bill, with Greens leader Larissa Waters describing it as 1400 pages gift-wrapped for big business. But Professor Samuel says environmental groups and business interests alike had substantial input into his report, and their desires were fully taken into account in the recommendations. He's been talking to SBS chief political correspondent Anna Henderson.

Victoria's First Nations community is celebrating a historic milestone - legislation to establish the first treaty in Australia's history passed through state parliament on Thursday night. It's expected to enter force by the end of the year, after an official signing ceremony and royal assent from Victoria's governor, in the culmination of a whole decade of negotiations. The legislation establishes a permanent Aboriginal advisory and decision-making body, to be known as Gellung Warl, which will remain outside the state's constitution. Aunty Jill Gallagher is the C-E-O of the Victorian Community Controlled Health Organisation, and served as the Treaty Advancement Commissioner in 2018. She's been talking to SBS's Tee Mitchell.

The prospect for an alien invasion of Earth has been flooding the Internet in recent weeks thanks to the object 3-I-ATLAS currently hurtling through our solar system which some have warned may be an alien spacecraft that can attack our planet. Spoiler alert - NASA says it isn't. But even so, the fears of alien invasion are nothing new: in the final years of the nineteenth century, in his novel War of the Worlds, British author H G Wells wrote that 'minds immeasurably greater than our own, across the gulf of space, made their plans against us'. So what is the likelihood of an alien invasion? In this edition of Weekend One on One, Jason Wright, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University and director of the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Centre looks into whether it could happen here.

New data shows Australians experiencing homelessness are more likely to die from overdose, suicide or coronary heart disease, with potentially nine avoidable deaths every day. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that around 43,200 people with a history of homelessness died between 2012 and 2013 alone from these types of causes. The median age was 55 years, far lower than the Australian median life expectancy of 81.1 years for men and 85.1 years for women. For women, gendered violence remains a leading cause of homelessness across Australia, impacting almost 67,000 people every year. Kate Colvin is the CEO of Homelessness Australia and she's been talking to SBS's Cameron Carr.

The civil war in Sudan has been raging for two and a half years and has generated arguably the largest humanitarian crisis on the planet. Often called the forgotten war, the conflict has torn apart the Northeast African country of 50 million people leaving around 12 million displaced from their homes and often with very little access to food, clean water and medicine. Reena Ghelani is the CEO of Plan International - one of the humanitarian organisations seeking to make a difference on the ground.

US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed on the first phase of a peace framework that will allow for the release of all hostages. In a post on social media, he said the release of hostages is imminent, adding that "All Parties will be treated fairly!". The exchange of the remaining hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners could happen within 72 hours of the deal's implementation. Dr Eyal Mayroz is a lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, and he gave SBS's Cameron Carr his reaction to the agreement

The new Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police says her leadership will be characterised by a focus on social cohesion. Krissy Barrett, the first woman to lead the A-F-P, has amended the agency's mission statement to include "defend" and protect Australia from domestic and global security threats. In a wide ranging interview with SBS's Sara Tomevska, Commissioner Barrett says the agency will have a laser focus on disrupting crimes that impact Australia's sovereignty, democracy and social cohesion.

Scary movies, haunted houses and trick or treating, October is the unofficial start to “spooky season” - at least, that's what you would think judging by what's on the shelves in our local shops. Sarah Kollat, teaching professor of psychology at Penn State University in the US, says there are lots of reasons people like to be scared. At a chemical level, our brains and bodies are reacting to the jump scares in a movie and “surviving” a haunted house. But psychologists also say getting scared in a safe environment prepares us for real danger.

Nearly two years after the failed referendum saw a First Nations voice to parliament shot down, some NGOs and state governments have been taking the initiative to follow the wishes of the majority of Indigenous communities in Australia who voted for this special representation. Australia's principal non-government organisation for public health, the Public Health Association of Australia, has announced they will be instituting an Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islander voice to help guide their work after a near unanimous vote by their members. SBS spoke to Dr Summer May Finlay, a Yorta Yorta woman, an Associate Professor at the University of Wollongong and the Vice President (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) of the Public Health Association about the importance of a First Nations voice in helping to Close the Gap on healthcare outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Israeli military personnel have intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver medicine and food to Gaza and boarded its boats as it approached the area. The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. The organisers say they are trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back. The United Nations last month ruled that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a claim Israel denies. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and they claim it is a legal part of the action they are taking against Hamas. They've accused the flotilla of having connections to Hamas - which the organisers strongly deny, while other critics accuse them of grandstanding. Judy Patterson's son, Hamish, is the captain of the Wahoo, one of the ships taking part in the action, and she spoke to SBS's Tee Mitchell.

The U.S. federal government has entered a shutdown, a few hours after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a short-term spending bill on Tuesday night US East Coast time. It's the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. The last and also the longest federal government shutdown occurred from late 2018 to early 2019 during President Trump's first term when Democrats opposed funding the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The result was a shutdown lasting over five weeks, during which some 800,000 federal employees were forced to work without pay or take unpaid leave. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced to take unpaid leave this time too, with some public services potentially suspended or delayed, and the release of economic data possibly impacted as well. Bruce Wolpe is a senior fellow at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre and has served on the Democratic staff in the US Congress. He's been speaking to SBS's Virginia Langeberg about the impact of the shutdown.

Palau, an independent island nation in the western Pacific Ocean, consists of more than 300 islands in Micronesia. It's a popular destination for divers and ecotourists and visitors are required to take the "Palau Pledge" to protect its ecosystems. But Palau is already facing the immediate reality of climate change, with rising sea levels, coral bleaching, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss. Surangel Whipps Junior, the President of Palau, has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and wants to see the COP31 global climate conference held in the Pacific region rather than in Turkiye, because this is where climate change is already having devastating impacts. He's been talking to SBS Senior International Correspondent Ben Lewis, and told him that Palau and Australia are family - and the two countries need to work together.

Fandi Ahmad is more than just a footballer; has been described as a national legend in Singapore. He was the first Singaporean footballer to play in Europe, the first Singaporean millionaire sportsperson and the first Singaporean sportsperson to have a published biography. As a young child, his family lived in a two-room public housing flat, Fandi was obsessed with football and spent much of his time kicking a ball. He became arguably Asia's best known footballer. He's shared the pitch with Diego Maradona, and was picked to play for Dutch football giant Ajax - an offer he subsequently turned down. Fandi's Muslim faith is central to his life. He avoids scandals, does not smoke or drink, and has been described as humble, filial, and compassionate. In this extended edition of Weekend One on One, he talks to SBS's Christopher Tan

More than 100 states have signed an Australian-led declaration to protect aid workers. Australian Red Cross CEO Andrew Colvin explains what the declaration is aiming to achieve.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the upcoming meeting between Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump will seek to advance areas of co-operation but also underline issues of sovereignty.

A new Aged Care Act is weeks away from coming into effect, but there are aspects that has the Inspector-General of Aged Care concerned.