The World Today

Young women at home looking after children represent 'the greatest untapped potential"'in Australia's workforce, according to an OECD report out today. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development also warned the Australian economy would continue to suffer unless mothers are encouraged back to work. But Marian Baird, professor of gender and employment relations at the University of Sydney, says the OECD's advice is not practical for many women.

After scandals involving big companies like 7-11, Caltex and Pizza Hut underpaying their workers, businesses are being put on notice that new penalties are looming. The Federal Government has introduced legislation to impose higher fines and to make franchisors liable for franchisees who short change employees. Natalie James is the Fair Work Ombudsman and speaks to The World Today.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have been accused of failing to address recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Senior members of the organisation have been called to appear before the Commissioners in Sydney.

An international expert on black lung disease is calling for the Queensland government to radically improve testing, after revelations a 20th case has been diagnosed. The deadly disease is caused by breathing excessive levels of coal dust and was thought to have been eradicated from the state 30 years ago. A union is also calling for mining companies to set up a specific compensation fund for workers and their families.

A federal parliamentary committee has recommended foreign donations to political parties be banned. The government members of the committee want to see consideration given to extending the ban to all political actors like GetUp and Greenpeace. But Labor and Greens members of the committee disagree.

A South Australian man is lucky not to have lost his leg or his life, after being infected by a flesh-eating bacteria. The keen fisherman lost 20 per cent of his calf, after wading in shallow water along the River Murray a few weeks ago. Initially doctors were baffled as to what the bacteria was, while the health department says it's very rare, with just a few hundred cases reported world-wide in the past 30 years.

Five US states have launched legal action to challenge President Donald Trump's revised travel ban. They argue that it remains unconstitutional and discriminatory. The new ban is due to come into effect next week.

It's a story about a ruthless successor to a powerful dynasty, the murder of his half-brother and potential rival and now the emergence of a mysterious young claimant to the throne. It could be Game of Thrones. But it's actually the increasingly intriguing real life story about the family that has long ruled the repressive state of North Korea.

Tomorrow marks six years since disaster struck Japan with an earthquake and tsunami that claimed 20 thousand lives. And the next day of course there was the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown. t all forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes and old lives behind and now some of those families say what they've been through amounts to a 'human rights violation'.

As more women break the mould playing male dominated sports like Aussie Rules, pioneers of the game are warning clubs not to get complacent. Since the launch of the AFL women's league last month, attention has turned to equality off the field and whether change rooms are suitable. And that's not the only hurdle women face in sport with the Victorian government pushing the Commonwealth to commit to showing female athletes on television.