🗞️ Disconnecting on Your Terms

Good morning. Imagine going on an 8-day work trip with one other colleague and coming home 8 months later.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmor, who travelled to the International Space Station on the 5th of June, expected to return after 8 days and are still yet to come home after their spacecraft malfunctioned. One of the solutions is to use a SpaceX aircraft which would get them in back in....2025.

Luckily NASA has confirmed they are "doing great", however the dinnertime chat is now worse than those 30 second elevator rides with that colleague’s name you've forgotten.

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Will workers welcome their right to refuse after hours contact from their boss?

• New "right to disconnect" laws coming into effect on August 26 may lead to up to 70% of Australian workers refusing contact from their employers outside of work hours. LINK

• Australia’s gender pay gap fell to a record low of 11.5% in May. LINK

• The new Sydney Metro line between Chatswood and Sydenham is set to open August 19 (today). LINK

• There is currently a shortage of IV fluid bags in Australia which threatens to delay life-saving surgeries. LINK

• Australian researchers have developed an AI-powered embryo selection tool for IVF that is as effective as human embryologists, but 10 times faster. LINK

• Australian consumers are cutting back on expensive underwear and opting for value packs as cost-of-living pressures strain household budgets. LINK

• Australian passports are now the second most expensive in the world, following a 15% price increase in July, while ranking 5th globally in terms of visa-free access to 189 destinations. LINK

• Women continue to be underrepresented in chair positions on major ASX20 boards, with either no women or only one woman holding such roles over the past year. LINK

• The number of electric vehicles registered in regional areas of SA has jumped from 125 in 2021 to 2,158 today. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

COMPANY NEWS

Westpac warns Meta on Facebook marketplace scams

• Westpac has accused Meta of failing to address a growing scam and fraud problem on its platforms, citing 360 scam incidents reported since October last year. LINK

• Mastercard is cutting its global workforce by 3%, impacting around 1,000 employees, to focus on its core businesses. LINK

• Endeavour is launching a new points-based loyalty program for its 350 pubs with rewards and discounts on food and drinks. LINK

• Nike shares rose nearly 4% following the return of billionaire William Ackman as a stakeholder. LINK

• NAB reported a rise in non-performing loans as higher interest rates and inflation create a challenging environment for borrowers. LINK

• The ASX reported a slight decline in annual profit to $474M, attributed to higher regulatory expenses and ongoing updates to its core systems, including CHESS. LINK

• Charter Hall Retail REIT is seeing a drop in convenience spending and high borrowing costs. LINK

• A Google Assistant chatbot interrupted a Senate hearing on AI, leading to Google being questioned on safety and privacy. LINK

• Domain reported higher profits in FY24, driven by growth in new listings, but noted that growth rates in Sydney and Melbourne have moderated. LINK

• Whitehaven Coal will cut 192 jobs at the Daunia and Blackwater coal mines acquired from BHP. LINK

• A2 Milk shares surged after resolving a long-running dispute with Synlait Milk, allowing the company to manufacture its own infant formula and improve margins. LINK

• Tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft have called for government regulation as they struggle to fully control AI-generated deepfakes. LINK

THE ODD PICK

Woman tries to run boyfriend over with car en route to couples therapy session

• A 30-year-old Minnesota woman was arrested after allegedly attacking her boyfriend with her car following his announcement that he was ending their relationship while on their way to a couples therapy session. LINK

THE HOTSEAT

It’s Game Time

We start the week by giving you the opportunity to win a token of $100,000 fake dollars. Good luck spending all that 'money', assuming you get all three correct of course...

Q1 for $100 fake dollars: What is the smallest country in the world by land area?
A) Monaco
B) Vatican City
C) San Marino
D) Liechtenstein

Q2 for $1,000 fake dollars: Which year did the Berlin Wall fall?
A) 1987
B) 1989
C) 1991
D) 1993

Q3 for $100,000 fake dollars: In the novel "Catch-22", what is the name of the bombardier who struggles to maintain his sanity?
A) John Yossarian
B) Milo Minderbinder
C) Major Major
D) Doc Daneeka

Answers below

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ANSWERS

1. B) Vatican City
2. B) 1989
3. A) John Yossarian