🗞️ Extreme heights

American rock climber Alex Honnold has climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper without any ropes or protective equipment.

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Pick & Scroll News
January 27, 2026

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Good morning. American rock climber Alex Honnold has climbed the Taipei 101 skyscraper without any ropes or protective equipment.


The building has 101 floors, with the risky climb taking 90 minutes and being broadcast live on Netflix.


The four loads of washing you did over the weekend were also a great achievement though!


All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN & GLOBAL NEWS

Australians aged 25-34 who bought property in pandemic era see wealth jump 63%

  • Australians aged 25-34 who bought property during pandemic-era low interest rates saw average net worth jump 63% to $550,000 by 2025 whilst still holding less overall wealth. LINK

  • AI-powered recruitment software are reportedly rejecting candidates within hours of applications as a result of potential algorithmic bias. LINK

  • Australia’s business activity rose in January 2026 as the S&P Global Flash Composite PMI hit 55.5 due to stronger manufacturing and services and a surprise boost in youth employment. LINK 

  • The government is mandating energy retailers to offer 3 hours of free midday electricity daily as the Solar Sharer plan aims to cut household bills by up to $800 yearly. LINK

  • Large-scale batteries are forecast to overtake gas in Australia’s electricity grid by 2027 as costs plunge and renewable energy investment accelerates. LINK

  • Private school fees at elite institutions have surged to $50,000 from nearly $27,000 in 2005, intensifying concerns that working-class families are being priced out. LINK 

  • The Trump administration’s new National Defence Strategy urged allies like Australia to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP as pressure grows to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

TikTok avoids US ban by forming entity backed by Oracle in US$20B deal

  • TikTok has avoided a US ban by forming a US-based entity backed by Oracle and Silver Lake in a US$20.5B deal. LINK 

  • Australian fintech Airwallex, which processes US$1B daily, is under an AUSTRAC audit as authorities suspect it may be aiding the illegal trade of child abuse content. LINK 

  • Wesfarmers has reassured customers that Priceline pharmacies would remain open. LINK 

  • Apple is facing a £1.5B UK class action lawsuit as it allegedly used Apple Pay to block competition and charged hidden fees affecting 50M consumers. LINK 

  • Swipejobs posted $1.3B revenue in 2025 as the Australian AI-driven hiring platform plans to list on the ASX. LINK 

  • Guzman y Gomez signed an exclusive Australian delivery deal with Uber Eats to improve delivery margins while boosting franchisee growth. LINK 

  • Atlassian faced a major AI challenge as Anthropic launched Cowork AI, which has disrupted software development by reducing dependency on traditional dev tools. LINK 

  • Virgin Australia has failed to overturn government rules as public servants will continue to earn Qantas status credits while Qantas keeps 80% of federal flight spending. LINK 

  • Kayo will increase its premium subscription price by 15% to $45.99 in February as new owner Dazn faces rising sports broadcasting costs. LINK  

ONE MORE SCROLL

Editor’s Pick: Is it okay to reuse plastic takeout containers?

Draft Pick: Tien knocks out Medvedev in another Australian Open shock.

Odd Pick: Manhattan Pokémon store says robbers took off with $100,000 in merchandise.

TOGETHER WITH


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TRIVIA


Some True or False questions to start your week:

  1. A litre of petrol is lighter than a litre of water.

  2. Before he was President, George HW Bush was the FBI Director.

  3. Neptune is the planet with the longest day.

  4. Saudi Arabia is the country which produces the most oil.

  5. The UV Index is out of 10.


Answers below

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ANSWERS

1. True
2. False - He was the director of the CIA.
3. False - Venus
4. False - America
5. False - It is an open ended scale.


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