The World Today

Britain's public broadcaster is under fire for the large discrepancies between what it pays its male and its female employees. The BBC is now required to published a list of all of its journalists, presenters and actors who get paid more than $250,000 a year under new transparency laws. And twice as many men as women make the list.

Poland could become the first country in the European Commission to be stripped of its voting rights. Poland's populist government has pushed through a bill that would restrict the independence of judges. It still requires the Polish President's signature to become law. The European Commission is warning the Polish government not to enact it.

Papua New Guinea's Media Council says there's been a disturbing push to restrict freedom of speech during the country's national elections. The country's Electoral Commissioner has got a court order stopping a well-known blogger from using social media to criticise his handling of the election. And now the media have been banned from taking photos and footage inside Port Moresby's main counting venue. Both moves come after strident criticism of the chaotic elections, which have been plagued by disputes, delays and widespread exclusion of voters.

There are only three Northern White Rhinos left in the wild. There is a male, aged in his 40s, and two females who have reproductive issues. The fate of the species is gloomy, to say the least. Now, scientists are hoping that IVF can help save the species, or at least some of its genetics. Eggs from female Southern White rhinos have been harvested, and are being mixed with the sperm of the last male northern rhino. Scientists say this could be one of the last opportunities to save the species from extinction.

A disability rights advocate says an important opportunity would be lost if a 22-year-old man with cerebral palsy declines the Senate seat he is likely to be awarded. Jordon Steele-John is expected to win the West Australian Senate seat left vacant after Scott Ludlam's shock resignation. But disability advocate Craig Wallace is concerned the young man could be ready to pass up the opportunity in favour of another Greens party member.

The sweeping new powers to be wielded by incoming Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, could be echoed by a powerful new post in the intelligence system. The proposed Director of National Intelligence would oversee a more centralised intelligence community with stronger influence over government decision making.

Jacinta Carroll is the head of the Counter Terrorism Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She says it is unusual for the Government to make a major change to security that is not based on recommendations from an expert review. Ms Carroll says the benefit of the new Home Affairs super-ministry will be better linkages between agencies and a common strategic approach to security.

So how much of Malcolm Turnbull's security super-ministry announcement is about policy and how much of it is about internal politics? Host of the ABC's Insiders program, Barrie Cassidy, says it's both. He says giving Peter Dutton a 'mega-department' to run will keep him happy - a strategy that's worked with him and Mathias Cormann so far. He says the question that ought to be asked is: who is the right person to run this super-agency?

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has announced moves to make all banks safer, with the big four bearing the brunt of increased capital requirements to make them 'unquestionably strong'. Banks may now be tempted to pass on additional costs to customers. Bank shares have soared given the new certainty about their capital buffers that need to be in place by 2020.

Cattle exporters are taking the former agriculture minister to court over the 2011 export ban, with a class action beginning today in Sydney. The snap ban on trade was introduced in response to a Four Corners report on the treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesia. The exporters are now seeking $600 million in compensation. In the lead-up to the case, the cattlemen have been trying to gain access to Joe Ludwig's files to discover what he knew and when he knew it.