The World Today

According to a report out today, the compulsory superannuation contribution should be frozen at 9.5 per cent to encourage Australians to consider more flexible options to save for retirement. The Grattan Institute says the Federal Government should reconsider lifting the compulsory contribution to 12 per cent warning that a focus on superannuation alone will not necessarily provide an adequate or comfortable retirement. The study says it's a mistake to confuse superannuation with retirement savings given that on average superannuation only accounts for 15 per cent of household wealth.

Job providers say the Federal Government's 'Work for the Dole' scheme that operates in remote parts of Australia is causing more harm than good. Jobs Australia, the peak body for non-profit employment service providers, has prepared a draft report that says job seekers in remote communities face more onerous requirements than those in the rest of the country and that the rate financial penalties in these communities is at around 70 times that of participants in other parts of Australia.

The citizens of Colombia have voted against a peace deal to end over 50 years of civil war. Only a few months ago, Colombians were celebrating in the streets over the agreement which took four years to negotiate. Last week the signing ceremony was attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. But the deal between the Government and the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) needed to be approved by a popular vote - and today's 'no' vote has caught the government unprepared. Eleanor Hall speaks with Professor Fabricio Chagas Bastos from the Political Science Department at the University of the Andes in Colombia, who has spent the day as an international monitor for the election in Bogota.

Syrian regime forces supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power have begun a new push to take the whole of the divided northern city of Aleppo after a ceasefire collapsed last month. The advance comes amid calls by the UN humanitarian chief for urgent medical evacuations from rebel-held Aleppo, as he warned that repeated attacks on hospitals in the east has left the health system there 'on the verge of total collapse'.

Citizens in Hungary have voted against the European Union's mandatory quotas for the settlement of refugees. EU policies require member countries to share in taking in asylum seekers.

Creeks and rivers are rising in the upper reaches of the Onkaparinga Catchment in the Adelaide Hills, as heavy rain dowses the region. A flood advice is in place there, while the Mount Lofty Ranges, mid north and metropolitan area are still under watch.

Fans of the Cronulla Sharks and Western Bulldogs are celebrating long-awaited premiership wins at the weekend. Both clubs broke significant title droughts and defeated more traditionally successful opponents.

Over 50 people have been killed in a stampede at a protest during a cultural festival in Ethiopia, in the country's Oromia region. Oromia has been the centre of recent anti-government protests, as many Ethiopians demand greater freedoms. Ethiopia has been experiencing unprecedented economic development and growth, but frustration over the Government's attitude to dissent has been fuelling unrest. Earlier this year, human rights advocates urged Ethiopia to allow international observers into the restive regions, a request the Government is yet to grant.

A veteran of the aviation industry says the Federal Government should demand that Malaysian authorities release more complete and transparent records on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. A new book claims the Malaysian Government knew it wasn't meeting legal and industry standards on tracking aircraft, a year before the plane went missing. Malaysia Airlines has not denied the existence of the audit report, but it also won't comment on the claim that it has been hiding that information.

Doctors believe the controversial plans of a couple with Down syndrome to have children are unprecedented in Australia. The Queensland couple, Michael Cox and Taylor Anderton say their disability should not hold them back but the couple's parents fear they lack the skills to raise children. Disability advocates argue the pair should have the same rights as others in the community. But Obstetrician and AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon says it's not that simple.