Snakes may be ten a penny here in Australia but in the UK it's a different story. Britain's rarest reptile, known as the Smooth Snake, is thriving again after conservation efforts were introduced to save it in 2009. But monitoring exactly how many Smooth Snakes there are can be a challenge due to the reptile's reclusive nature.

The Queensland city of Toowoomba has become home to thousands of Yazidi refugees. A local hockey program is aiming to develop confidence and language skills for this community, with the help of retired locals on the field.

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

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Dianne Colledge from Morgans Financial Limited about the days sharemarket action including the opportunites for investors.

This weekend will see the largest annual gathering of Indigenous people in the country at the New South Wales Koori knockout rugby league tournament. It's a sporting competition... but also, so much more.

Israeli naval forces have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, seizing more than 40 civilian boats and hundreds of activists - including Australians. The action has sparked global protests and condemnation, with Israel saying it is necessary for its own security.

A WARNING THAT THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS Two people have been killed and three others seriously hurt after an assailant drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard near a synagogue in Manchester in northern England. Greater Manchester Police say officers shot and killed the suspect, who investigators say attacked just as Jewish communities around the world mark Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in the Jewish calendar.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Callam Pickering about the latest household spending data and what it means for interest rates, plus Henry Jennings from Marcus Today on the days market action.

The coalition are revamping their proposal for nuclear energy, despite suffering an election loss with this policy. The details are yet to be confirmed, but the Opposition Energy Minister says they will adapt their plan to meet developments in the space.