Runnin' up that hill 🏃‍♀️

Morning all. With run clubs surging in popularity, and us all having that mate training for a half marathon, Strava has become a big deal. While you may have your suspicions that certain folks in your feed are artificially inflating their performances, it is no match for our favourite story of the week.

Camille Herron, a world record holder for multiple ultramarathon distances has been dropped by her primary sponsor Lululemon. The reason? Wikipedia edits. Camille and her husband/coach have been accused of editing the Wikipedia pages of rival athletes and boosting her own, deleting lines such as “widely regarded as the best trail runners ever” from the competition, a line which then appeared on Camille’s own page.

Pausing your Strava at a crossing is one thing, undertaking a whole Wikipedia campaign is another!

MARKETS

Data: Google Finance, 7-day Market Close

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PROJECT WATCH

🏭 Eni secure funding for UK carbon capture & storage. Read more

🌊 Consultation begins on Mersey Tidal Power worth £6bn. Read more

🛢️ COSL move to start production on next well in the North Sea. Read more 

ECONOMY & FINANCE

Rightmove price too much for Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch’s REA Group has decided against pursuing Rightmove, sparing the iconic British property website from becoming just another feather in the billionaire media titan's cap. A feeling experienced by many Rightmove users, the numbers were just too high to justify - after a bid of £5.6bn was knocked back, an increased bid of £5.9bn met the same fate.

For now, the British property portal gets to remain anchored on its domestic shores, much to the relief of those who might fear it being turned into a conglomerate's playground. In any case, it seems the media mogul's plate is already quite full, with a main course of saucy tabloids and a side of sensational news programming.

From coal to carbon capture
Old Blighty has kissed goodbye to coal, with the last power station turning off its lights this past week. As we unlatch the windows to let in that proverbial fresh air, Britain's bags are packed for the future, and we're ready to dive headlong into the carbon capture age. Ed Miliband, our energy secretary, has announced a £22bn fund aimed at launching this new wave of clean energy tech, promising more than just hot air.

As coal slips into the shadows, concern brews over the loss of sustainable jobs. However, the government assures us there's light at the end of this eco-friendly tunnel. They're betting big on carbon capture—a technology hailed as essential by experts worldwide, from the Climate Change Committee to the International Energy Agency.

Merseyside and Teesside are set to become new economic hubs, attracting private investment like bees to honey. It's a masterstroke—putting the North Sea's geology to work by storing carbon emissions 200 years into the future. This strategic repositioning could support up to 50,000 jobs by the 2030s, reviving communities once left in the lurch by deindustrialisation.

The global race for clean energy is well underway, and Britain seems to have finally dusted off its trainers. Gather your reusable shopping bags and stock up on solar panels—it appears we're not just hopping on the green bandwagon, but aiming to drive it.

POLITICS

New legislation begins on tips
Our favourite eateries must now pass on tips directly to their hardworking staff—no skimming allowed! This fresh bit of legislation is set to pocket two million workers an extra £200 million annually that would've otherwise been gobbled up by the management. Whether it’s your local chippy or that posh place that uses slates instead of plates, all are subject to these rules starting last Tuesday.

So, what's the fine print? Employers are now legally bound to distribute tips fairly, hold a written record, and deal transparently—though, knowing some business types, "transparent" might mean "invisible ink." Staff can now also demand a peek at these records to ensure their fair share's not just a piping hot pie in the sky.

Card tips now join cash in the protected pool, sidestepping those sneaky service charges that leave tips high and dry. This perhaps explains the sneaky few month delay from its July start. Fear not, it's finally the mandatory main course..

Sue Gray Resigns: A Gray Day for Starmer?
It seems Keir Starmer is losing one of his top hands as Sue Gray, former Downing Street chief of staff and well-known partygate investigator, has called it quits. Gray, who had been in the spotlight recently, decided to step aside after a flurry of speculation and power struggles within the Labour ranks. Leaked details of her £170k salary didn’t help matters either, overshadowing Labour’s recent party conference in Liverpool.

Replacing her is Morgan McSweeney, who’s no stranger to the job—he was Starmer’s chief of staff back in 2020 before moving into campaign roles. Gray’s new gig? She’ll become Starmer’s envoy for nations and regions. Starmer, of course, thanked her for her "vital role" but also faces the challenge of steadying his government after this very public reshuffle.

The Conservatives, never missing a beat, described Labour’s internal struggles as "chaos", claiming Starmer’s government is stumbling just 100 days in. There’s a lot riding on McSweeney’s return, with hopes he can stabilise the ship before it hits any more political icebergs.

Keir’s Bad Swiftonomics
The gift that keeps on giving—quite literally! Keir Starmer has paid back over £6,000 worth of gifts following a media storm over donations. Among the freebies were Taylor Swift concert tickets, Doncaster Races hospitality, and a designer rental outfit for Lady Starmer. Starmer's decision to repay these came as he faced mounting criticism about transparency.

As for Labour, the opposition’s row over donations has rumbled on since the election. Starmer has committed to tightening the rules around gifts, hospitality, and ministerial conduct, with a refreshed ministerial code on the horizon.

ACROSS THE POND

Last week, Jimmy Carter became the first US president to celebrate his 100th birthday. Fun fact, this means he has lived through 40% of America’s existence as a country.

Zillow’s on fire, homebuyers are terrified
Zillow, “the American Rightmove”, is now bringing climate risks front and centre in its listings across the US. In a move that feels like something even Attenborough might nod at grimly, Zillow has teamed up with climate risk bods, First Street. Through their partnership, they’re adding climate risk data to their apps and website. Reports reveal that in August, nearly 17% of new listings were in areas with wildfire risks, and almost 13% in flood zones.

This nifty feature won’t just prompt buyers to scrutinise nature's wrath—it’ll have them reconsider how deep their pockets—and basements—are. As forecasts become less about rain and more about market deflation fears, real estate values, especially in flood-prone regions, may well go down faster than a proverbial lead balloon. Meanwhile, the savvy shopper's new mantra is 'location, location, elevation'.

Dockworkers drop anchor on strikes
In a twist as welcome as hot tea on a rainy day, a striking revelation emerged from the ports across the pond—a tentative agreement that puts a lid on a dockworker strike that gripped the US East Coast. After a mere four days of protests, the dockworkers struck a deal with employers, promising a 62% wage bump over the next six years. Unions could almost hear the cash registers chiming as they clink their cups in relief.

This little portside furore threatened to make quite the splash, with potential economic losses measuring anywhere from a rather eye-watering £1.7bn to £6.1bn each week if the strike rumbled on. Amidst the clamour, the expired contract causing the bother has been patched up temporarily till January 2025. Democrats, fearing this bout of dockside disgruntlement might cost them union support in upcoming elections, will be breathing easier.

Automation, that digital spectre haunting our times like an unseen poltergeist, remains on the docks' 'to negotiate' list. With job security still making waves, the International Longshoremen’s Association isn’t ready to sink their ship just yet, grappling with fears of job loss to machinery.

TECH

Mapping a future for turtles – one satellite ping at a time
Our shelled friends may not have the internet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep tabs on their adventures. Scientists are tracking marine turtles with satellites, especially during their “lost years”—those mysterious oceanic gaps where their movements were a guessing game. Take Donna Shello, a leatherback turtle casually competing in her version of the Olympics (or, as we call it, the "Tour de Turtles"). She’s already clocked up over 5,500 kilometres of ocean! I mean, if there were a gold medal for swimming, she’d have it in the bag.

But this isn’t just a race for distance. It’s a race against extinction. Leatherbacks, like other turtle species, play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, from munching jellyfish to transporting nutrients. Sadly, all sea turtle species are either endangered or critically endangered. Enter satellites—essentially turtle trackers—allowing researchers to create marine protected areas, combat climate change effects, and recommend regulations. Without these, Donna’s marathon swims could turn into a survival sprint.

Meta's movie gen – lights, camera, AI(-tion)
Now onto something a little less “green” and a lot more screen. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has introduced “Movie Gen,” an AI model that can create 16-second video clips complete with sound as if it were a Hollywood director after just one cappuccino. Whether it’s generating animals surfing or turning the Sahara into a splashing puddle, Meta promises some seriously realistic video creations.

It’s not all smooth sailing though—AI-generated content is causing quite the Hollywood headache. With actors like Scarlett Johansson raising concerns about the uncanny use of AI, the film industry is caught between creative collaboration and the perils of deepfakes. No one wants to watch a blockbuster featuring an AI doppelgänger of themselves without a royalty cheque.

Smart glasses...or surveillance shades?
At Harvard, a couple of cheeky students have taken Meta’s smart Ray-Bans and paired them with facial recognition software to identify strangers faster than you can say “privacy breach”. Think instant look-ups of names, phone numbers, and addresses—yikes. Their project was less about playing Sherlock and more about sounding the alarm on the dangers of such tech in our everyday lives.

Meta, of course, reassured us that their smart glasses don’t come with facial recognition features… yet. But the students’ little experiment shows just how easily today’s tech can cross into stalker territory. Student policing maybe?

WORLD

New Zealand navy hits rough seas
It’s not every day the Royal New Zealand Navy loses a ship at sea, but this weekend brought the first naval loss since WWII. The unfortunate victim? HMNZS Manawanui, a specialist diving and ocean-imaging vessel. While surveying a reef off the coast of Samoa, the ship ran aground, caught fire, and ultimately decided to call it a day by capsizing. All 75 people aboard were rescued—kudos to the professionalism of the crew—but the ship now rests below the Pacific, a sombre addition to the region’s undersea landscape. Officials will investigate the grounding, though rough weather has been suggested as a culprit.

Scaling the heights and braving the lows in the Himalayas
Over in the Himalayas, British alpinist Fay Manners and her American partner, Michelle Dvorak, faced disaster— at 20,000 feet. Their climbing trip on Chaukhamba mountain in northern India took a harrowing turn when a rock sliced through the rope carrying all their gear, leaving them stranded without food, a tent, or even the tools to make a safe descent.

After a couple of days huddled together on a ledge, sharing their only sleeping bag in freezing conditions, the pair’s SOS messages finally reached rescuers. While a helicopter spotted them on day one, it couldn't land due to terrible weather, forcing them to endure another brutal night before a team of climbers came to their aid. When they were finally found, Ms. Manners understandably wept with relief. The dramatic rescue highlights not only their determination but also how unforgiving high-altitude climbing can be. After surviving such an ordeal, the pair are celebrating with some well-deserved local cuisine—nothing quite like a post-rescue curry to warm the soul!

South Korea’s dog days of demographic crisis
Now, if you thought prams were strictly for babies, South Korea might have you rethinking that. For the first time, sales of strollers for pets have surpassed those for babies, a reflection of the country's plummeting birth rate, which hit a record low of 0.78 in 2022. That's the lowest globally, by the way. As fewer children are born, more Koreans are opting for four-legged companions, with over 6 million households now housing pets—an increase from 3.6 million in 2012.

With fewer prams gracing the streets and more people pushing their dogs around, South Korea’s demographic crisis continues to escalate, prompting the government to create a "Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counterplanning". Despite financial incentives aimed at reversing the trend, a combination of high living costs and a reluctance to marry seems to be keeping the country’s population growth in a downward spiral.

In the land where it’s increasingly dogs over diapers, South Korea faces a long road ahead in tackling its demographic woes. Meanwhile, Fido’s getting a first-class ride to the park.

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Cuppa Chat Cheat Sheet

📦🛍️ eBay has scrapped fees for private sellers in the UK, except for vehicles, to compete with rivals like Depop and Vinted. This change has already led to a surge in fashion listings, aiming to promote sustainability and resale income potential.

🎤🌪️ Dolly Parton announces a $1 million donation to aid recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated the southeast US. The cyclone is the deadliest on the mainland US since Katrina, leaving over 225 dead and causing severe damage.

🗣️❌ Facilitated communication, a method allowing non-verbal individuals to communicate, is under scrutiny due to evidence suggesting facilitators may influence messages. Recent studies and court cases revealed facilitators, not communicators, might author the messages, sparking debates on its efficacy and ethical implications.

🏏🇵🇰 England's cricket team, led by Brendon McCullum, faces a challenging tour against Pakistan in Multan without their captain Ben Stokes. Despite previous success and Pakistan's recent poor home record, the English squad braces for tough conditions and high temperatures.

🎉🇨🇳 As China marks its 75th anniversary, President Xi Jinping launched economic measures to revitalise the property and stock markets amid growth concerns. Economists remain sceptical, cautioning that structural reforms are essential for long-term stability.