Madagascar just dropped new frogs 🐸 🖖

Morning all. Huge news for all frog and Star Trek enthusiasts around the world last week. Deep in the forests of Madagascar, seven new species of frogs have been discovered. What was originally thought to have been one, singular, existing species has now been proven to be eight different ones (seven new, one existing).

The futuristic squeaks and whistles made by the frogs, reminded researchers so much of the special effect sounds of Star Trek, that they named each of the new species after captains from different series of the show.

Enjoy the week, and may the force be with you 🖖 (yes, yes, I know).

MARKETS

Data: Google Finance, 7-day Market Close

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PROJECT WATCH

🏗️ DP World set to invest £1bn in London Gateway port facility. Read more

🚢 £7m shore power project underway for Cammel Laird. Read more

☢️ Big Carl lifts final liner ring into place at Hinkely Point C, Unit 2. Read more 

ECONOMY & FINANCE

International Investment Summit delivers the goods
Bake Off might be on everyone's screens right now, but the government's been whipping up its very own grand economic soufflé. At the International Investment Summit, a rather incredible £63bn in private investment was announced, promising to create nearly 38,000 new jobs across the UK. That's enough dough to even make Paul Hollywood crack a smile!

These investments, doubling last year's figure at the Global Investment Summit, span across tech and infrastructure. Four US tech behemoths have pledged £6.3bn for UK data centres, fuelling their testy relationship with AI.

Associated British Ports (ABP) will be dredging £200m in partnership with Stena Line for a shiny new freight ferry terminal at the Port of Immingham, circa 900 new jobs which might just add some gusto to our trade ties with Europe.

Imperial College London announced a £150m investment to crank up the heat in West London’s deep tech scene. Their aim: to churn out an innovative R&D campus called the WestTech Corridor, feeding into Britain’s insatiable hunger for jobs and economic growth.

As global powerhouses like Amazon Web Services and Orsted haul in billions to the UK, these ventures not only bolster our green infrastructure but our economic optimism for the future too. Whether it's AI, or offshore wind farms, the UK seems poised to be a delightful pudding mix of innovation and growth.

Inflation takes a breather
Inflation in the UK has tumbled to a three-year low, reaching a modest 1.7% in September, a drop from August's 2.2%. This unexpected dip has economists buzzing about the possibility of the Bank of England (BoE) slashing interest rates next month. While this might sound as thrilling as watching paint dry, it's certainly good news for anyone with a mortgage.

With inflation plummeting due to cheaper flights and falling petrol prices, thanks, in part, to a less chaotic international scene, people are now wondering if this trend might become the new norm. Meanwhile, the first upward nudge in food prices in over a year adds a twist, ensuring that grocery shopping continues to be an expensive pastime.

Investment bigwigs are biting their nails in anticipation, with November likely seeing a cut in interest rates. With energy prices stabilising and a steadying labour market, Richard Flax of Moneyfarm posits that the road is paved for the BoE to step in with a 25-basis point rate cut.

POLITICS

Weight loss jabs, wearable tech, and Lords reform
We’ve discussed weight loss jabs before, but they’ve made a double comeback this week. First, new research reveals that drugs like Ozempic—designed for type 2 diabetes and weight loss—might help people battling alcohol and opioid addictions. The study, out of Loyola University Chicago, found that these drugs cut alcohol intoxication by half and lowered opioid overdose rates by 40%. With their potential to tackle both obesity and addiction, these drugs are fast becoming a political hot topic.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is front and centre of this debate, defending the government’s plan to offer weight loss jabs to unemployed people with obesity. The trial in Greater Manchester aims to see whether helping people shed pounds can get them healthier and back to work while easing the NHS’s obesity-related costs, which are an eye-watering £11bn a year. Critics, however, have branded the scheme “dystopian”, claiming it reduces people to their economic value. Streeting insists it’s part of a broader healthcare plan, but the ethical debate is already sizzling like a low-calorie fry-up.

Wearable tech to save the NHS?
Speaking of health plans, Labour has unveiled a high-tech vision for the future of the NHS. In its new 10-year plan, millions of people could soon be sporting health-monitoring smartwatches, designed to track everything from blood pressure to glucose levels. Smart rings may also help cancer patients monitor vital signs, all in the name of creating a more personalised and proactive healthcare system.

These gadgets will feed into a single health record, viewable via the NHS app, allowing patients to keep a closer eye on their well-being. It’s all part of a broader push to transform the NHS into what Wes Streeting calls a “neighbourhood health service,” bringing GPs, nurses, and other care workers closer to home. This approach, he says, will keep patients out of overstretched hospitals while slashing wait times.

Following up on Lords reform
As we touched on last week, Labour’s push to abolish hereditary peers is moving forward, with the bill clearing another hurdle in Parliament. The plan to rid the upper house of these unelected members is part of the largest constitutional reform in decades.

ACROSS THE POND

Musk bets big on Trump campaign
In a move that could power a Tesla or two, Billionaire Elon Musk has redirected $75m towards Donald Trump's presidential campaign efforts. This hefty lump sum finds itself nestled comfortably in the coffers of America PAC, the political action committee Musk founded to endorse Trump's run for office.

Over the summer, these financial boosts have fuelled canvassing missions across the United States in hopes of converting votes faster than Musk's Starship accelerates—a mere £58m being spent to knock on doors and spread the Trumpian gospel.

It seems like the PAC is encountering some labour issues though, having parted ways with two main contractors since July. However, not one to shy from a challenge, Musk continues to apply his scientific mind, proclaiming the PAC's mission to represent "common sense, centrist values". That should keep the boat afloat—or at least idling in neutral.

The billionaire musketeer, whose wallet weighs in at a staggering £191bn according to Forbes, has shifted allegiances across the pond—once a Democratic supporter, he now dons a Make Mars Great Again cap and hits the road with Trump. What a time to be alive, eh?

The US click-to-cancel revolution begins
In a significant victory for self-preserving procrastinators, a new "click-to-cancel" regulation in the United States promises to make cancelling unwanted subscriptions as effortless as getting on to one. In what must be relief to those who’ve faced the Sisyphean task of ending memberships—or perhaps just a regretful gym subscription—the rule ensures that businesses can no longer string consumers along through webs of confusion and excessive charges.

With a startling 16,000 comments received during this regulatory process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has introduced stipulations requiring companies to secure explicit consent before charging for the likes of auto-renewals and memberships. Evidently, the pandemic brought more than Zoom quizzes and sourdough challenges; it spotlighted just how tricky cancelling services could become when traditional touchpoints like in-person visits were off the table.

TECH

Pollution's dirty secret
Meanwhile, back in the lab, UK scientists are turning their attention to air pollution and its surprising link to dementia. The Francis Crick Institute has launched the Rapid project to study how those sneaky PM2.5 particles—tiny bits of pollution smaller than a human hair—could be affecting our brains. We know pollution is bad for our lungs, but researchers are now focused on whether these particles are helping to kickstart neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

AI meets nuclear power
Google is taking a nuclear-powered leap forward. The tech giant has ordered a fleet of small nuclear reactors to power its AI-heavy data centres. Yes, you read that right – nuclear reactors! These mini power plants, which are as futuristic as they sound, promise to provide reliable, low-carbon energy to feed Google’s ravenous AI operations. It’s a move that sets the stage for a low-carbon tech future, but also raises the question: will nuclear be the next big thing for the energy-hungry world of AI, or is just another nuclear debate waiting to happen?

A tiger’s tale
For anyone who thinks Jurassic Park was just fiction, Tasmanian tigers are making a comeback—or at least their DNA might be. Scientists in Australia and the US have managed to reconstruct 99.9% of the thylacine’s genome. It’s like a puzzle where almost every piece is in place. With a little help from gene editing, they hope to use the closest living relative, a dunnart, to bring this marsupial back from the dead.

WORLD

North Korea sends troops to Russia
In a troubling development for global security, North Korea has reportedly begun sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. South Korea’s intelligence agency claims that 1,500 North Korean soldiers have already arrived in Russia, with reports suggesting the number could climb to 12,000. This comes on the heels of recent evidence that North Korea is also supplying Russia with ammunition, including millions of shells and missiles, reinforcing the deepening ties between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. In fact, just last week, Kim referred to Putin as his "closest comrade" while celebrating the Russian leader’s birthday.

Adding to the growing tension, North Korea has officially revised its constitution, declaring South Korea a "hostile state". This constitutional amendment formalises what Kim Jong Un has been hinting at since late last year: the complete renouncement of reunification with the South. North Korea has even destroyed roads and railways connecting the two countries, further severing ties.

South Korean couple welcomes quintuplets amid national birth rate crisis
A South Korean couple has received widespread congratulations—and nearly £100,000 in childbirth grants—after the rare birth of quintuplets. Parents Kim Joon-yeong and Sagong Hye-ran, from Gyeonggi province, welcomed three boys and two girls on 20 September, marking the country’s first natural quintuplet birth.

President Yoon Suk Yeol personally congratulated the couple, sending gifts, including baby clothes in five different colours and traditional postpartum foods. The family will also receive substantial financial support, part of South Korea’s efforts to encourage childbirth amid the country’s ongoing demographic crisis. With a fertility rate of just 0.78—the lowest in the world—South Korea is offering a range of incentives, including cash vouchers and monthly allowances, in a bid to reverse the population decline.

Japan’s quitting crisis
A growing number of young workers are turning to resignation agencies to quit their jobs, as they struggle to escape toxic workplaces in a country where quitting is seen as a social taboo. These agencies submit resignations on behalf of employees who feel unable to face their bosses, often due to harassment, overwork, or fear of backlash.

With Japan’s corporate culture still rooted in postwar values of lifetime employment and loyalty, younger generations are pushing back. The rise of proxy resignation services highlights a significant shift in attitudes towards work-life balance, especially post-pandemic.

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Cuppa Chat Cheat Sheet

🎸🏆 Ozzy Osbourne, Birmingham's "Prince of Darkness," was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, receiving a standing ovation in Cleveland, Ohio.

⛵️🏆 New Zealand triumphs in the America's Cup for the third consecutive time, defeating Great Britain with a 7-2 series win. This victory marks their unprecedented achievement since the USA's winning streak from 1987 to 1992.

🚫🐱 UK experts caution against purchasing 'XL bully cats,' a new breed with short legs and severe health issues, bred to resemble XL bully dogs. The hybrid breed, derived from sphynx and munchkin cats, faces a significantly reduced life expectancy and challenges with communication, navigation, and mobility.

⚽️🔴 Liverpool edges out Chelsea 2-1 at Anfield with goals by Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones. Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson equalised briefly, but Liverpool's win helps them bid to reclaim the Premier League top spot.

🌐👁️ Worldcoin, now rebranded as World Network, launches a new iris-scanning device with enhanced features, amidst scrutiny over data collection. The orb provides a "digital passport".

🎮🧘‍♂️ Cosy gaming, featuring games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, is helping people manage mental health issues, offering a relaxing form of mindfulness and community engagement.

🐸🤐 The new frog species found mentioned in the intro have been named: Boophis archeri, Boophis burnhamae, Boophis janewayae, Boophis kirki, Boophis picardi, Boophis pikei, and Boophis siskoi.