🗞️ Eye spy

Good morning. In an unsettling experiment, two Harvard students combined Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses with facial recognition software, allowing the glasses to instantly identify people and retrieve personal details like home addresses and phone numbers.

Though the students aren't releasing this technology, they aimed to demonstrate its potential dangers. If two students can achieve this, the implications of what corporations with vast resources could develop are even more alarming.

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

NRL grand final between Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm pulls national TV audience of 3.42 million

• The NRL grand final between Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm drew 3.42 million TV viewers, slightly higher than last year. LINK

• Grocery expenses are now the most stressful household cost, with food prices jumping 33% in the past 6 months. LINK

• The number of wheelchair accessible taxis in NSW has declined. LINK

• Housing investors in Australia are borrowing at the highest levels in over 2 years, with loans rising 1.4% to $11.7B in August, while first-home buyers struggle with high borrowing costs. LINK

• As grocery prices rise, consumers are considering home brand products as cheaper alternatives to name brands. LINK

• Apartment prices are expected to rise by 23% by 2026 due to lower interest rates, strong demand and a supply shortage. LINK

• Power prices surged in Q3 as coal output increased and large-scale solar plants were edged out by rooftop solar. LINK

• Middle manager jobs are disappearing as companies, including Amazon, cut layers of bureaucracy to reduce costs in a trend dubbed the "great unbossing." LINK

• Melbourne has lost its title as Australia's conference capital, with Sydney and Queensland now capturing a larger share of the $20B corporate event market. LINK

• New research suggests older Australians could help ease the housing crisis by renting out some of the 13 million spare bedrooms available across the country. LINK

• QLD opens its first solar panel recycling plant, capable of recycling 240,000 panels annually. LINK

GLOBAL NEWS

Thousands around the world protest war on eve of anniversary

• Thousands of protesters gathered in cities around the world, including London, Paris and New York, calling for an end to violence in Gaza. LINK

• Rising tensions in the Middle East have caused oil prices to spike, potentially raising petrol prices by 50¢ per litre in Australia, reaching levels last seen during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. LINK

• Chinese authorities are requiring schoolteachers and public sector employees to hand in their passports, allowing the government to control and monitor their travel abroad. LINK

• A New Zealand Navy ship ran aground and sank off Samoa during a reef survey, but all 75 people on board were safely rescued. LINK

• Britain has closed its last coal-fired plant. LINK

• A cocoa crisis is set to cause a sharp rise in chocolate prices by early 2025, with cocoa prices reaching all-time highs and businesses preparing to pass costs on to consumers. LINK

• The EU top court has ruled against Meta in a privacy dispute, restricting the use of Facebook data for targeted ads. LINK

• New Zealand plans to fast-track 149 projects across housing, infrastructure and renewable energy to revive its slowing economy. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

Qantas Frequent Flyer customers caught in major cyber theft

• Qantas Frequent Flyer customers have been caught in a major cyber theft involving contractors in India who accessed and altered bookings. LINK

• Swiss footwear brand On opened its first store in Melbourne, marking a push to grow in the Asia-Pacific market and strengthen its presence in the premium performance footwear space. LINK

• Qantas faced an embarrassing situation when an inappropriate film was accidentally played for all passengers on a flight to Tokyo. LINK

• Canva is adjusting its management approach to attract younger workers, focusing on purpose-driven work as millennials and Gen Z increasingly prioritise values over perks in their job decisions. LINK

• Aldi and IGA are benefitting from increased foot traffic amid Coles and Woolworths' price inflation controversy. LINK

• Hisense has introduced a mini projector for cinema-like home viewing, with toddler safety features included. LINK

• McDonald’s Australia and its franchisees received $72M from the government to support trainees and apprentices. LINK

• Crown Resorts was denied approval to buy poker machines in NSW to offset its loss of international high-rollers. LINK

• AustralianSuper is expanding in the US, doubling its New York staff to 120 by 2026 as part of its aggressive expansion into private equity and credit markets. LINK

• ANZ will pay $68M to settle 2 class actions over alleged flex commission arrangements that inflated car loan interest rates. LINK

• Woodside has joined Origin and Fortescue in scaling back its green hydrogen projects in Tasmania and New Zealand, while maintaining plans for the US and Perth. LINK

• Toyota has revived its iconic "Bugger" advertising slogan with a new campaign for the HiLux. LINK

• JPMorgan has acquired a 5.47% stake in Star Entertainment, which has been struggling amid liquidity issues and stock price declines. LINK

• Texas has sued TikTok, accusing the platform of violating children's privacy by sharing personal information without parental consent. LINK

• The eSafety Commissioner has won a Federal Court case against X over the platform's failure to comply with online safety expectations. LINK

• The Royal Flying Doctor Service has opened a $30M Aeromedical Training Academy in QLD, to attract pilots amid a global shortage. LINK

• Samsung's Q3 profit is expected to jump four-fold from a year earlier, driven by a recovery in chip demand, although growth in AI-related chips has slowed. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

Global Income vs Cost of Living

ONE MORE SCROLL

Editor’s Pick: Gourmet Traveller's best restaurants in Australia right now.

Draft Pick: Nick Kyrgios hints at Australian Open return.

Odd Pick: Man amputates ______ with an axe after consuming mushrooms.

TRIVIA

Throwback Tuesday

Simon Cowell turned 65 yesterday so we thought we would go into the music reality TV world for today’s trivia.

Did the below artist/band come from The X Factor or American Idol?

1. One Direction

2. Kelly Clarkson

3. Leona Lewis

4. James Arthur

5. Adam Lambert

Answers below

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ANSWERS

1. The X Factor
2. American Idol
3. The X Factor
4. The X Factor
5. American Idol

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