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Developer halts new Victorian retail investment over soaring crime concerns
Chris Garnaut, founder of major property developer Fawkner Property, has refused further retail investments in Victoria and branded the state a “criminal’s dream”, citing soaring retail crime as the primary concern. His comments come as retail giants call on Victorian Premier Ben Carroll to strengthen legislation against shop crime, with the issue set to feature…
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UK consumer mood improves, but inflation threatens recovery
UK consumer confidence has reached a two-year high, with the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer rising to -13 in September, marking three consecutive months of improvement and exceeding forecasts. However, the momentum behind this recovery appears to be weakening, as rising inflation and energy costs threaten to undermine consumer sentiment and spending behaviour. The September reading…
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Gaussian Scout, Pixentinel Take Top Prizes at San Sebastián’s Zinemaldia Startup Challenge
Finland’s Gaussian Scout and Spain’s Pixentinel won the top prizes at the 2026 Zinemaldia Startup Challenge, the San Sebastián Festival’s flagship technology competition. Gaussian Scout, a browser-based virtual location scouting platform, secured the Best European Project award (€10,000) plus a Special Mention for Entrepreneurship (€3,000), whilst Spanish streaming-operations startup Pixentinel took the €30,000 Best Spanish…
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Trump and Xi extend trade truce as major disputes remain unresolved
President Xi Jinping’s White House visit showcased ceremonial pomp but yielded limited substantive progress on fundamental disputes. The trade truce between Washington and Beijing was extended only until January rather than the year-long agreement China sought, signalling that the US intends to extract greater concessions before offering longer-term stability. This compressed timeline is particularly significant…
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Chancellor weighs further capital gains tax rise for budget
Chancellor John Healey is considering raising capital gains tax (CGT) as a revenue source for next month’s budget. The proposal has broad support within Labour and from left-leaning thinktanks, who argue that taxing investment gains more heavily than earned income is fairer and would shift the tax burden away from work. However, business groups warn…
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Trump hosts Xi at White House; UK AI supercomputer delayed
President Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the White House with full military ceremony, tensions simmering beneath the pageantry. Britain’s flagship AI supercomputer project faces years of delays owing to power supply problems.
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Former Australian Woman of the Year admits stealing $197,495 from employer
Julie McKinnery, a former Australian “Woman of the Year” recognised for breast cancer fundraising, pleaded guilty to stealing $197,494.73 from her employer, Paragon Plumbing. She allegedly diverted supplier payments into her own accounts while working as a bookkeeper, and the fraud was uncovered in September 2025 after an overdue supplier payment was noticed. Police said…
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Melbourne councillor seeks return of official Australia Day celebrations
Melbourne City Council is facing a renewed dispute over Australia Day after Councillor Philip Le Liu proposed restoring official celebrations on 26 January. The motion argues that changing the date is the federal government’s responsibility and would require the council to consider community activities, promotions and a possible return of the Australia Day Parade. The…
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FreeBSD desktop images arrive on AWS with Windows-style access
Colin Percival, a FreeBSD maintainer, has announced the availability of FreeBSD as a desktop operating system through Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) on AWS. The development is significant because it removes a major barrier to entry for new users who typically associate FreeBSD with server environments only. By packaging the OS with a graphical interface and…
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Disney Legal Chief Warns Of “Hard Choices” & “Much Smaller Organization” Coming As Company Layoffs Loom
Disney’s Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez has issued a memo warning staff that significant layoffs are imminent as part of a “transformation process” centred on automation and technological restructuring. The message, which circulated widely among the company’s employees on 18 September, indicates that the Legal and Global Affairs department will become “much…