The Know Daily - Thursday 17 September 2026

_{Read in 4m 03s ∙ Listening to Riley Green ∙}

Did you know that penguins propose by finding the most perfect pebble they can and presenting it to their partner? (Who’s chopping onions? 🥹) Anyway, here’s some more nature-themed titbits to see you through the rest of the week!

⚖️ International Equal Pay Day 

Tomorrow is International Equal Pay Day – a United Nations (UN) endorsed day dedicated to the idea that women and men should be paid the same for work of equal value. 

Tell me more.
According to the UN, women globally earn around 20% less than men on average. That doesn’t mean women are paid 20% less for doing the same job though as the gender pay gap compares women’s and men’s average earnings overall.

The good news is that equal pay has come a long way. The principle was formally recognised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) back in 1951, when it adopted its Equal Remuneration Convention. More than 70 years later, the principle is widely accepted – the challenge now is making sure it happens in practice. 

So why is there still a gap? 
There are several factors at play. Women can be more likely to work in lower-paid occupations and are still underrepresented in some senior roles, while they also do significantly more unpaid care work than men. Looking after children, caring for relatives and running a household can all affect the hours someone works or the opportunities they’re able to take, which can add up over the course of a career. Then there’s the so-called “motherhood penalty”. Having children can affect women’s earnings and career progression, with the impact becoming greater as the number of children increases. 

What about equal pay for the same job? 
That’s actually only part of the story. The principle of equal pay for work of equal value means that two jobs don’t have to be identical to deserve equal remuneration. If different jobs require comparable levels of skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions, they should be valued fairly too. In other words, it’s just as much about how different types of work are valued as asking whether two people have the same job title.

Is anything changing? 
The needle is definitely moving. The global gender pay gap did narrow a little over the last year, according to the World Economic Forum’s latest figures. There’s also a global effort behind the scenes. The Equal Pay International Coalition – led by the ILO, UN Women and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – brings governments, employers, workers and other organisations together to share data, develop policies and tools, and push for better laws and workplace practices around equal pay. So while the global gap hasn’t disappeared, there’s certainly more focus on how to close it.

🌍 Adverts for fast fashion, flights and non-electric cars have been banned in Bristol, the first UK city to do so.

• The bigger story: The new rules cover bus stops, billboards and digital displays owned by Bristol City Council, as part of a wider policy targeting high-carbon products and services. More than 20 UK councils already restrict some advertising for polluting products, but Bristol is the first to introduce restrictions specifically on fast fashion. The council says the changes are intended to promote more sustainable choices.

🤝 Canada has been invited to become the first “associate member” of the European Union, which would allow closer ties across sectors like tech and defence.

🤩 The 23 most beautiful places in the UK for 2026 have been revealed. Did your favourite make the cut?

🏠 Working from home could get a little easier, as new plans will make it harder for British bosses to say no to it. 

🦋 Almost 1.4m common butterflies were counted in this year’s Big Butterfly Count, making it the second-best British butterfly season of the past 16 years. You can use their handy map to see where each type has been spotted. 

🌑 Venus might have swallowed its moon, astrophysicists have proposed as an explanation for why the planet is moonless.

🍊 The vitamin upgrade that every mum group is talking about has made back-to-school that little bit more nutritious.*

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Trivia answer: B) The OVO Hydro will host famous acts like Charli XCX and Stevie Wonder next year.

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