Tricky time for lunchboxes: banana shortage hits supermarket shelves after cool weather in Queensland 19. October 2026 (16:00) Dearth of bananas coincides with poor apple harvest and lack of summer stone fruitGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA shortage of Australia’s most popular fruit, bananas, has hit supermarket shelves at a tricky time for lunchboxes, right as apple season winds down after tough growing conditions and summer stone fruit is yet to arrive en masse.Cool weather in key Queensland growing regions has severely slowed banana production, leaving major supermarkets Coles, Woolworths and Aldi with sparse displays or very green stock. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Calls to strengthen workplace privacy in Australia as employers turn to AI to track staff 19. October 2026 (16:00) Monitoring tools common in a range of workplaces, including factories, office jobs, delivery work and in retail – often without employees being informedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEmployers are increasingly using technology, from CCTV to keystroke monitoring, to track workers’ moves and it is being accelerated by the use of AI, the Human Technology Institute has warned.Examples provided to Guardian Australia by the institute include a fast-food restaurant using surveillance cameras to stop workers using their phones, and AI tracking leading to a cashier warned over making a mistake once every 533 scans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albania accused of rushing through Trump-linked resort in formerly protected landscape 19. October 2026 (15:53) Dutch MEP says government is trying to avoid EU environmental rules as protests over luxury development turn violentMEPs have accused Albania of deploying “sneaky” practices to fast-track a proposed Trump-linked luxury resort in the country amid protests that have turned increasingly violent.As the prime minister, Edi Rama, pledged to “listen to the voices of young people” taking to the streets, there was mounting criticism of his failure to address demonstrators who had long opposed the controversial project peacefully. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Canary news website announces closure after ‘vicious campaign against us’ 19. October 2026 (15:52) Leftwing outlet said it had faced ‘multiple attacks’ and ‘malicious lies’ which made its situation unsustainableBusiness live – latest updatesThe leftwing news site the Canary has announced that it is closing indefinitely. Earlier this year the media outlet was blocked from accessing funds and has faced allegations of internal turmoil.The outlet, founded in 2015 at the height of support for the then Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said in a social media post it would be closing “for the foreseeable future”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
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