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Making news: Kim Kardashian taxed, North Korea attacks, Telstra gets hacked

All the news that's fit to mint. 

Jenna ClarkeEditorial Director
12 min read
4:13PMOctober 03, 2022.
Updated 6:11PMOctober 04, 2022
The Oz

All the news that's fit to mint. 

What's happening in (The) Oz:

🆙 The cash rate has been lifted (again)

💸 Meaning interest rates set to rise again as we won't stop shopping

🇯🇵 Japan was told to expect a missile from North Korea

🕵🏻‍♀️ Optus launches new independent review into old hack, Telstra says 'hold my beer'

📉 Crypto cost renowned money maker Kim Kardashian close to $2 million

🥬 Airfares are at iceberg prices

❣️ These Love Island stars are now brother and sister

🇬🇧 Liz Truss reverse ferrets her tax cuts for the rich

🇧🇷 Brazil's election is like Carnival for nerds

🤠 Form an orderly queue ladies, The Nats are touring for you

🩰 Solange twirls into the history books

🔪 Legit 'Wife Guy' Miles Teller maroons Adam Levine

🙅🏻‍♀️ Em Rata has entered her 'bitch era'

🏆 Amal Clooney and her husband are back in the best possible way

Hello there!

Hope the working week (for those on the eastern seaboard) got off to a great start.

Maybe do make like Rachel Green and cut up the CC just in case you're tempted to book a well-deserved end of year sojourn. Because for that you'll need more than Mastercard's approval, you'll need to dip into your Super too.

New research shows that economy fares as high as $12,000 for Sydney-New York are the new norm for Australian travellers as airlines continue to recover the lost revenue from years of being grounded thanks to Covid and the jump in jet fuel prices.

Government data on domestic fares showed even the cheapest seats were at 15-year highs, while international airline tickets were creeping into five-figure territory on some routes...for economy.

Even domestic is exorbitant. Last week flights for the Christmas period between Sydney and Perth were available for $1200... in economy on Jetstar red eye flights.

“With respect to Covid, you had airlines losing money hand over fist for two years. You also had a situation where for the last 40 years airfares globally went down not only in real dollar terms but in actual dollar number terms,”author of the Tourism Crises and Destination Recovery report David Beirman said. 

“When I first started in the travel industry I was selling airfares from Sydney to Perth for $1000. In 2019 you could get an economy return fare to Perth for $300.”

Happy RBA board meeting day

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted the cash rate by 0.25 of a percentage point to a nine-year high of 2.60%.

The jump was something every economist has predicted - vocally - for the past couple of weeks. You know, since the last time they were hiked a month ago.

It is lower than what of all the big four banks, all except the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, forecast. They were tipping the central bank will raise the cash rate by half a percentage point for the fifth consecutive month to 2.85%.

Tuesdays increase still means the average mortgage holder would be paying about $700 a month more than they were before hikes started in May, according to RateCity.

“While the RBA governor has indicated the board is looking to slow down the size of the hikes in coming months … October is unlikely to be the meeting it takes its foot off the accelerator,” research director Sally Tindall told The Oz on Monday. 

Not that all of this forecasting seems to be troubling us (as I sit here with at least 3 carts of stalled online shopping in other tabs).

Amid a gloomy economic backdrop, with cost-of-living impacts, interest rates and inflation, Australian retail sales have boomed to record levels.

Nearly $35 billion was spent in stores and online in August - an increase of 19.2% on the same time last year. 

"Spending is also up on pre-pandemic levels, telling us that retail has not only been resilient, but has gained strength as a sector, growing to a significant $400 billion in annual economic impact. As we head into the all-important Christmas trading period, retailers will be hoping the upbeat conditions will continue for a few more months and that it’ll be a soft landing for retail sales when the crunch inevitably hits. While consumer spending has gathered pace in Australia, retail sales in the UK are falling at their sharpest levels in eight months, while a recession could be on the cards in the US. Is Australia destined for the same fate?" Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra writes for The Australian today.

But this spending we are doing is troubling the Treasurer.

As we reported on Monday, Jim Chalmers said the situation globally was “dangerous and difficult,” warning Australia may not be spared from another GFC.

"The global situation has deteriorated dramatically in many of the major economies that we monitor most closely. The chance of a recession has edged over from possible to probable," Chalmers said on Monday.

His tone was the same after the rate rise announcement on Tuesday.

"The storm clouds are gathering in respect to the global economy and we are taking that into consideration as we put the finishing touches on the Budget," Chalmers said.

Speaking of, the Budget is three weeks away from being delivered. He told us to expect a "solid and considered" set of books.

He didn't rule in, or rule out amendments to the stage 3 tax cuts due to kick in next year.

"We haven't changed our position," he said.

Liz Truss is better at gymnastics than economics

Speaking of tax cuts. UK PM Liz Truss has attempted a stunning backflip and has abolished one part of her disastrous "mini Budget" in putting the idea of giving high income earners tax relief.

The abolition of the 45% rate has become a distraction from our mission to get Britain moving," Truss said on Monday night.

The UK Treasurer Kwasi Kwarteng went full Optus and published a lengthy sorry letter online.

He also fronted the media on Monday night and admitted he hosted a little "champagne reception" on the eve of announcing the mini Budget last week.

"With hindsight, it probably wasn't the best day to go," he said.

The internet has responded accordingly.

The Economist - the publication which has long been the enemy of "privilege, pomposity and predictability" - continues to go hard.

Speaking of Optus...

The telco has launched an "independent review" into the massive cyber breach. Deloitte will conduct the deep dive but the findings will not be made public.

At least the company is consistent.

Speaking on Monday, Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin also denied there is beef between the company and the federal government and said Optus is co-operating "fully" with all investigations.

Her comments come after significant criticism from several senior Albanese government ministers - like Bill Shorten and the minister responsible for cyber security Clare O'Neil - at the weekend. They suggested Optus was not being forthcoming about the extent of the data stolen in a massive cyber breach.

As Telstra says 'hold my beer'

Telstra - seemingly learning nothing from the past two weeks - has been caught up in its own cybersecurity drama.

The names and emails of staff and former employees being more exposed than a Paris Fashion Week model.

Get this, 30,000 of them have been impacted and the details were shared on Saturday (!) to the same forum in which the Optus breach came to light. 

Telstra communications chief Alex Badenoch said the data breach came from a third party related to a rewards program for staff.

"We understand this may cause some anxiety to our people, particularly in the current climate of heightened awareness around cyber security," Badenoch said in a note to staff on Saturday.

"If you wish to find out more about the breach, or to find out if your email address was exposed, please contact our cyber team ... in the meantime, we remind you as always to remain vigilant about any unexpected communications."

On Tuesday, Telstra confirmed staff info from 2017 had been leaked to the dark web, and said it's now "working with authorities".

"To be clear, it was not a breach of any Telstra systems. The data released is very basic in nature - limited to full names and email addresses used to sign up to the platform. No customer account information was included. We believe it’s been made available now in an attempt to profit from the Optus breach," a spokesperson said.

"The relevant authorities have been notified, we've let current employees know, and while the data is of minimal risk to former employees, we will attempt to notify them too."

Japan told to set an alarm for a missile

Imagine hearing this upon waking...

Which is how some people in Japan heard at about 7.20am on Tuesday when North Korea fired a suspected missile over the country. 

The ballistic missile travelled about 4500km before falling into the Pacific Ocean - far enough to hit the US island of Guam if it took another trajectory.

It is the first North Korean missile launch over Japan since 2017 and experts and politicians say is a "deliberate escalation" to get the attention of Tokyo and Washington.

The launch saw Japan issue a rare alert to some citizens to take cover. Some people were sent text messages that read: "North Korea appears to have launched a missile. Please evacuate into buildings or underground."

While the PM Fumio Kishida described the launch as "violent behaviour" and "outrageous".

The US posted this blunt message:

Kim pays real money for fake money stuff up

Kim Kardashian has forked out close to $2 million to settle allegations by the Security and Exchange Commission in the US that she failed to disclose money she got paid for promoting crypto tokens to potential investors on Instagram.

Kardashian was paid about $382,000 for one Instagram post that included a swipe up option for people to buy direct.

"This case is a reminder that, when celebrities or influencers endorse investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean that those investment products are right for all investors," the SEC Chair Gary Gensler said. "We encourage investors to consider an investment’s potential risks and opportunities in light of their own financial goals."

Or be like Kim and find yourself a 'momager' like Kris Jenner instead.

This Love Island plot is better than anything the producers could whip up

Love Island UK stars George and Mollie are now step-siblings.

The two bombshells entered the villa to find love but instead their parents did.

While George and Mollie didn't find love on the show, their folks met behind-the-scenes at the reunion show and got married a month later. 

George had to clear up rumours he and Mollie had partnered up and explained the bizarre situation to his Instagram followers during a Live.

"So basically, absolute madness, my mum has married Mollie's dad. So now we are stepbrother and stepsister, which is mad," he said. "They met at the reunion about a month ago and since then got engaged and got married."

It was also a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride on the show too for old George and Mollie.

The pair had "connections" with the season 8 winners Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti.

George shared a bed with Ekin-Su while Mollie had a pash with Davide before they ditched the new siblings and hooked up before going on to win the season.

The Clooneys launch their own award

Leading human rights barrister Amal Clooney and her husband, Nespresso spokesperson George, have launched the humanitarian version of the Oscars. 

The inaugural Albies are the brainchild of the Clooneys - the co-founders of the The Clooney Foundation for Justice. The awards honour the defenders of justice across the globe, from advocates to politicians to journalists.

“The awards are shining a light on justice champions who are doing amazing work in their communities, from Belarus to Kenya to South Africa to Manila - but they’re doing it at great risk,” Amal, (wearing an incredible Versace gold dress) said. 

“They’re either facing imprisonment or potential physical harm. We wanted to put them on a stage for the night, so people know what they’re doing, and shine a protective light on them so they can continue their work and hopefully stay safe.” 

“We always say that justice, like war, has to be waged. It’s not something that’s just going to happen. We have to fight for it and continuously pour all of our energy into it. This [event] is an effort to shine a light on these people who are risking everything to fight for justice,” George, wearing a suit by sponsor Armani, added.

Another day, another bonkers election

This time in Brazil where the race to become the next President is so close it will end up in a run-off style vote count at the end of the month as no candidate achieved 50% of the vote. Yet.

The two contesting the final race are:

  • The incumbent Jair Bolsonaro - the 67-year-old leftist
  • Frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - the 76-year-old former leader taking another tilt

Bolsanaro finished better than expected in the legislative and general elections in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend against Lula. 

Lula is an ex-metalworker who rose from destitute poverty to become the most popular president in Brazilian history from 2003-2010. He's now seeking to stage a return after falling spectacularly from grace and spending 18-months in jail.

Call it a comeback as his convictions for being involved in a corruption scheme were annulled last year, clearing the way for him to seek office again.

Meanwhile his opponent, Bolsonaro, who swept to power in 2018 on a wave of anti-establishment outrage, has lost support from the political centre with his "pugnacious political style" according to AFP, and his performance on the weak economy, surging Amazon rainforest destruction and the carnage of Covid.

But he still has the die-hard backing of his “Bibles, bullets and beef” base – Evangelical Christians, security hardliners and the powerful agribusiness sector.

Most commentators called the weekend result: "A good night for Brazil’s far-right".

The Nationals are going on a 'listening' tour

The Country Party is hitting the road. 

Nationals leader David Littlepoud said on Monday his party is taking responsibility for failing to address female voters’ concerns as it prepares to win them back with a tour of the country starting now.

The Nationals’ mission, dubbed the "regional listening tour", will kick off in Mildura in Victoria on Tuesday before moving up to NSW and Queensland.

The Nationals also hope to cross to WA as female voters  left them “in droves” there at the federal election, despite the WA opposition leader being the Nats WA leader, Mia Davies.

“This is about listening, learning, understanding and facing up to what happened in the election. We've got to be honest with ourselves,” Littleproud said.

“There is strong evidence to suggest through our own polling post election, that women from 18 to 54-year-olds left us in droves. 

“To understand why, we actually have to engage at a grassroots level. There is no silver bullet to this.

“There are worrying signs and unless we're genuine about listening, then there is no reason for them to come back.”

Littleproud said women felt a coalition government was out of touch with their key concerns.

Solange is en pointe

Talent in the Knowles gene pool is incredible deep. Solange - as well as being an incredible writer and singer - has also added composer to her resume.

The Losing You star premiered her original score for the New York City Ballet last week. She is only the second Black woman to do so. 

Beyonce quoted Cozy in a perfect shout out to her sis on Instagram.

Miles Teller tells it how it is

The Top Gun star hosted the season premiere of the new season of SNL over the weekend and in a sketch that absolutely smashed the soft boi behaviour of Adam Levine. 

DEEP DIVE: Miles Teller has finally achieved Super Stud status

Teller played the quizmaster on a mock show called Say Something Normal, "America’s easiest game show. To win, male contestants must refrain from sending cooked messages to women online."

"Fellas, if you send a normal DM, you win $100 million," Teller said.

"Now, let’s meet our first contestant Adam Levine. We all know why you’re here Adam."

Em Rata is a film critic now

And we're not mad.

The author, model and advocate took to TikTok to review the new Marilyn Monroe flick, Blonde.

HERE'S WHAT THE OZ THINKS: Blonde is a compelling, imperfect film

Ratajkowski said, despite not having seen the movie, she is sick of"fetishising female pain" for the sake of entertainment and has drawn a line saying enough of the gross treatment of girls on film.

"I have a proposal. I think we all need to be a little more pissed off. I’m gonna be in my bitch era - 2022, baby, is my bitch era. This is, I think we should all be in our bitch era," she said.

@emrata

So done with the fetishization of female pain and suffering. Bitch Era 2022

♬ original sound - Emrata
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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-oz/news/making-news-em-rata-announces-her-bitch-era-as-the-economy-and-airfares-get-nasty/news-story/73edf1b9a4fcf3b218cdce1eefd7cf61