Categories
US

Trump to be deposed by NY AG in civil probe of his business practices

Former President Donald Trump is expected to be deposed by lawyers from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office Wednesday in his probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices, a lawyer for Trump confirmed to NBC News.

It is unclear whether Trump’s deposition will be in person or over a video conference.

James’ office is considering whether to file a civil suit against Trump and his company and has said in court filings that it has “uncovered substantial evidence establishing numerous misrepresentations in Mr. Trump’s financial statements provided to banks, insurers, and the Internal Revenue Service. ”

These statements were inflated by hundreds of millions of dollars and signed off on by the former president, James has alleged.

The former president has denied wrongdoing and has claimed that the probe by James, a Democrat, is politically motivated.

Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he was in New York City and would see the attorney general “for a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in US history! My great company, and myself, are being attacked from all sides. Banana Republic !”

Trump’s two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, recently testified in the civil probe. NBC News reported Trump Jr. was interviewed a couple of weeks ago and Ivanka spoke to investigators last week. Neither of them pleaded the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination. Sources did not confirm whether their testimony took place in person or virtually.

Earlier this week, Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm that appraised several Trump Organization properties, handed over nearly 36,000 documents to the attorney general.

The deposition comes in the wake of the FBI searching Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, with a source familiar with the matter telling NBC News that the search was tied to classified information Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his Palm Beach resort in January 2021.

rebecca shabad contributed.

Categories
Business

McDonald’s Australia: ‘Disgusting’ trend takes off on social media

‘Disgusting’ McDonald’s trend takes off across Australia – but fast-food workers are NOT impressed and it’s ruining their days: ‘Grow up mate, that’s not funny’

  • Disgusting new TikTok trend has emerged with Aussies pranking Maccas staff
  • Prank sees people replace Filet-O-Fish patty with a dead fish
  • Customers then attempt to pass it off as a mistake to McDonald’s workers

A ‘disgusting’ new trend has emerged where young Australians are mocking McDonald’s staff and uploading videos of their encounters to TikTok.

A tradie named Dylan posted a video of himself replacing the processed Filet-O-Fish hoki patty with a dead fish – before attempting to pass it off to McDonald’s staff as their mistake.

The female worker dismisses the attempt, saying she was aware of the viral trend.

‘Yeah, real funny guys. I’ve seen it on TikTok, not tonight,’ she replies.

A disgusting new trend has emerged where young Australians are mocking McDonald's staff by replacing burger patties with fish

A disgusting new trend has emerged where young Australians are mocking McDonald’s staff by replacing burger patties with fish

The clip shows the young man standing in a high-vis vest outside a McDonald’s restaurant, opening the burger to reveal the dead fish inside.

Dylan then walks inside the chain and up to a staff member where he claims to have a complaint.

He again opens the burger for her, before she immediately recognizes what he’s doing.

A tradie named Dylan posted a video of himself replacing a fillet-o-fish protein with a dead fish - before attempting to pass it off to Maccas staff as their mistake

A tradie named Dylan posted a video of himself replacing a fillet-o-fish protein with a dead fish – before attempting to pass it off to Maccas staff as their mistake

‘That’s funny guys, it didn’t come from here,’ she says.

‘It’s real funny, not tonight, we’re busy.’

Australians weren’t impressed with Dylan’s attempted joke and stood up for the hospitality worker.

‘Grow up mate, that’s not funny,’ a man replied.

In a response to Daily Mail Australia, a spokeswoman from McDonald’s said: ‘We can assure our customers, our Filet-O-Fish comes scaled, cooked and delicious.’

Australians slammed for showing no manners at McDonald’s

Australian fast food diners have been slammed for having no manners after leaving a city fast food restaurant littered in rubbish.

A customer waiting for their takeaway order filmed the dining area of ​​the Melbourne city McDonald’s restaurant last month.

Garbage is piled up on the floor and tables – including food wrappers, half-eaten burgers, scattered fries and discarded drinks.

The mess didn’t seem to bother plenty of customers, who took a seat amid the rubbish to eat their food.

‘Melbourne Maccas is something else… They would have to fire me before I cleaned any of this up,’ the uploader wrote.

Australians have slammed the state of a Melbourne McDonald's restaurant left covered with rubbish (pictured)

Australians have slammed the state of a Melbourne McDonald’s restaurant left covered with rubbish (pictured)

Aussies were shocked at the messy surroundings and questioned how people could brazenly throw their rubbish where other customers were eating.

‘Who would sit in that cesspit? I would be furious about the state of that,’ one person wrote.

‘How can people be so inconsiderate, just use the bin,’ another said.

‘And Melbourne is one of the top ten most livable cities in the world?’ a third said.

Some commenters tried to provide an explanation for why the restaurant would be that messy.

‘If this is near the clubs on a Friday or Saturday night it’s not that out of the ordinary,’ one person said.

‘The manager probably tolerates it for the amount of business they’re getting,’ added another.

‘If it’s after midnight the employees might be told to just leave it as it’s a health and safety issue,’ a third said.

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Categories
Technology

How to use the Chunk Loaders mod in Minecraft

Minecraft is a survival game at its core. This means that gaining access to large amounts of resources is vital for players in survival worlds. Thankfully, most of the resources in the game can be farmed. Some examples are automated wood farms or the ethically questionable cow crusher.

Unfortunately, these farms only function when the player is nearby, keeping chunks loaded in, which can be incredibly frustrating. However, the community has created the Chunk Loaders mod, which can keep chunks loaded and farms operating no matter where the player goes.

Note: This process assumes that the player has already downloaded and installed either Forge or Fabric, the prerequisite mod loaders needed to play with any mods at all.


The installation and use of Minecraft’s Chunk Loaders mod, detailed

1) Install the Chunk Loaders mod

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The first thing players are going to need to do is install the chunk loader mod. Players should navigate to the Curse Forge website and search for the mod in the Minecraft mods section. Once they find it, players should install the jar file, placing it within the mods folder of their game’s installation directory.


2) Pick a chunk loader

The recipe for the basic chunk loader (Image via Minecraft)
The recipe for the basic chunk loader (Image via Minecraft)

The Chunk Loaders mod offers four kinds of chunk loaders to players. There is a single chunk loader that can load a single chunk, a basic chunk loader that can load a three by three chunk area, an advanced chunk loader that can load an area of ​​chunks that is five by five, and the ultimate chunk loader that will load a seven by seven area of ​​chunks.

Here’s how these chunks are crafted:

  • The single chunk loader is crafted by placing the basic chunk loader into the crafting grid, which will output nine single chunk loaders.
  • The basic chunk Loader is crafted with a single ender pearl, four obsidian, and four iron ingots.
  • The advanced chunk loader is crafted by using a basic chunk loader, adding four gold ingots and four blaze powder.
  • The ultimate chunk loader can be crafted by players using four Redstone, two eyes of ender, two diamonds, and an advanced chunk loader.

3) Place the chunk loader and decide which chunk to keep loaded

The ultimate chunk loader (Image via Minecraft)
The ultimate chunk loader (Image via Minecraft)

Once the player has decided which chunk loader they want to use, they should decide what area they want to keep loaded at all times. This should either be an area that already has farms in it or a flat area that will be easy to build farms on.

Players should place their chunk loader near the chunks they want to keep loaded as the chunk loader interface only shows nearby chunks.


4) Set the chunk loader

The interface for the chunk loaders (Image via Minecraft)
The interface for the chunk loaders (Image via Minecraft)

Once the player has decided which chunk loader they will use and which chunks they will keep loaded, players should right-click the chunk loader.

This will open up a map interface that shows the nearby chunks. Players should right-click on the center chunk they want to remain loaded and then exit the interface. The selected chunks will now remain loaded no matter where the player travels.


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Categories
Sports

Sydney Swans great Josh Kennedy retires

The powerful midfielder began his career as part of a Hawthorn dynasty established by his famous grandfather John Kennedy as a player and the Hawks’ first premiership coach.

Josh’s father John Kennedy jnr was a multiple premiership player with Hawthorn.

Retiring Swans great Josh Kennedy at the SCG on Tuesday with wife Ana, daughter Isabella and son Emilio.

Retiring Swans great Josh Kennedy at the SCG on Tuesday with wife Ana, daughter Isabella and son Emilio. Credit:Phil Hillyard

Josh played 13 games for Hawthorn but was unable to secure a regular place in the team and moved to the Swans to seek greater opportunities. I have played a further 277 games for the Swans, finishing on 290.

Kennedy spent much of the first half of the season as the medical sub as a new generation of midfielders such as Chad Warner and James Rowbottom continued to assert themselves.

For all the accolades Kennedy collected during his career, including the most contested possessions in the history of the game, Longmire claims it was the powerful midfielder’s ability as a big game player which shone brightest.

“’Joey’ was fortunate enough to play 22 finals. I think in 16 of those, he’s had 15 plus contested possessions. And I think that’s quite unique,” ​​Longmire said.

Josh Kennedy celebrates a goal during the Swans' 2012 grand final win over his former club Hawthorn.

Josh Kennedy celebrates a goal during the Swans’ 2012 grand final win over his former club Hawthorn.Credit:Paul Rovere

“In the 2016 grand finale, when he didn’t get the preparation that he probably would have loved, he came out the next day with 35 possessions and kicked three goals.

“He won our best player in a finals series award four times.

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“So the stats speak for themselves. You knew what you’re going to get out of Josh Kennedy every week during the home-away season, and then you’d go to finals and you knew what you’re going to get, which was another level of game. Very few players can say that.

“He’s been a true epitome of it inside mid[fielder].

“And he’s sat comfortably among some of the all time greats throughout his career, and, he’s as good a player as he is a person.”

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Categories
US

More migrant buses arrive in New York City, days after Mayor Eric Adams scolded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Authorities in New York City were on hand for the arrival of another group of migrants who were bussed from Texas after they crossed into the US from Mexico.

Three migrant buses arrived in NYC early morning Wednesday, following the path of the group of 50 migrants who were bussed to the same area on Friday, August 5.

The buses arrived just days after New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a press conference on Sunday regarding the mass transit of migrant groups out of Texas and into New York.

Texas has sent thousands of migrants from the border state into Washington, DC, New York City, and other areas.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLASTS TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT AFTER SECOND BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES: ‘THIS IS HORRIFIC’

Migrants wave as they depart bus in New York City from Texas.

Migrants wave as they depart bus in New York City from Texas.
(FoxNews)

While awaiting the arrival of the three new buses early Wednesday, NYC’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro accused a “morally corrupt” Abbott of using the bussing of migrants to the Big Apple as a “political ploy” aimed to “foment anti-immigrant sentiment.”

“You cannot take the words of Governor Abbott seriously. He’s demonstrated his moral character with these actions, and they’re disgusting. We do know that people are arriving with a large amount of needs because of the treatment they’ve received in the state of Texas,” Castro said outside The New York Times building in Manhattan. “Again, this must be condemned. This must be looked into. And our federal government will… take steps to hold them accountable.”

“No one is blaming them, but we are condemning this Governor Abbott’s treatment,” he said. “If he wanted to help, he would be bussing them to the actual locations that they need to… meet, to be transported to. But he’s not. He’s transporting people to Washington, DC and to New York City without any communication with us, with the intent of forcing as much harm as possible to our cities.”

Migrants greeted Wednesday morning by volunteers in New York City as they leave bus sent by Texas.

Migrants greeted Wednesday morning by volunteers in New York City as they leave bus sent by Texas.
(FoxNews)

At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams threatened to take a busload of New Yorkers to Texas to door knock and help get Abbott out of office for the “good of America,” before then calling for more federal funding to address the influx of migrants to the Big Apple sanctuary city.

“This is horrific when you think about what the governor is doing,” Adams said.

“We’re finding that some of the families are on the bus that wanted to go to other locations, and they were not allowed to do so,” the New York City mayor added. “They were forced on the bus with the understanding that they were going to other locations that they wanted to go to, and when they tried to explain they were not allowed to do so.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that Adams is calling for federal help because he says 4,000 migrants have arrived in the Big Apple in the last three months.

Melugin pointed out that Texas averages 4,000 migrants crossing its border every day.

FIRST TEXAS BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES IN NYC

Abbott began sending migrants out of his state into liberal cities — thousands of thousands from the US-Mexico border — as a way to bring evidence of the migrant crisis to their doorstep and to bring attention to the issue of illegal immigration in his own state.

“Because of President Biden’s continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, the State of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe,” Abbott said Friday.

Migrants get off bus Wednesday morning in New York City.

Migrants get off bus Wednesday morning in New York City.
(FoxNews)

“In addition to Washington, DC, New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” the Texas governor added. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.”

Texas has sent over 5,100 migrants to Washington DC, a surge that caused Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate the District of Columbia National Guard.

TEXAS KEEPS PRESSURE ON DC AS MORE MIGRANT BUSES ARRIVE NEAR US CAPITOL

The last group of migrants was sent to the nation’s capital last week and more can be expected, Abbott suggested.

“Believe me, we have more buses headed their way as we speak right now. But this just shows the hypocrisy of these liberal leaders up in the northeast who think that border crisis created by Joe Biden, that is fine as long as it’s Texas that has to deal with it,” Abbott said.

A fourth migrant bus from Texas arrived in Washington, DC, near the US Capitol, Saturday, April 16, 2022.

A fourth migrant bus from Texas arrived in Washington, DC, near the US Capitol, Saturday, April 16, 2022.
(Caitlin McFall/Fox News Digital)

“But as soon as they have to deal with it the real confidence of the crisis, they are up in arms calling for the national guard as you point out dealing with just a tiny fraction of what we had to deal with every single day,” I have added. “We’re going to keep sending those buses up there until they fully understand and most importantly — until the Biden administration does its job to enforce the laws concerning the border.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Abbott has invited Adams to the border to witness the immigration crisis, but Adams has declined.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Timothy HJ Nerozzi contributed to this report.

Categories
Business

Qantas increases interval between domestic and international from 60 to 90 minutes to reduce baggage mishandling

Qantas has announced a major change impacting passengers catching a domestic flight before jetting off overseas.

The national carrier has been looking at ways to deny issues around staff shortages which has seen the rate of mishandled bags almost doubled to nine in 1000, up from five in 1000 pre-COVID, The Australian reported.

Passengers connecting from Qantas domestic to international flights in Sydney and Melbourne will have their minimum transfer times extended from 60 minutes to 90 minutes from August 21 in a bid to avoid baggage issues.

The additional “buffer” is considered sufficient for the bags to be successfully transferred without being mishandled amid the current staffing shortage and sickness rates which are 50 per cent higher than normal.

Stream more local news with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends October 31, 2022.

Customers with an existing booking where the transition between a domestic flight to an international service is less than 90 minutes will be transferred to an earlier domestic flight without charge.

Passengers who will have their flight changed under the new interval will be notified by the airline which said the “vast majority” of travelers would get a flight on the same day.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the measure was to help improve operational performance which had dipped due to the recent staff shortages.

“While there are lots of good reasons why, the simple fact is our operational performance hasn’t been up to the standard our customers are used to, or that we expect of ourselves,” Mr Joyce said.

“We are taking additional steps to get back to our best, which have been shaped by feedback from our frontline teams who are doing a phenomenal job under tough circumstances.

“Bringing our operations back to pre-COVID standard and maintaining our focus on safety is our absolute priority.”

The decision comes just days after it was reported Qantas asked senior executives and other office workers to fill in as baggage handlers amid the staff shortages.

The Australian reported on Monday that the national carrier had called on at least 100 managers and executives to opt into a short-term arrangement over the next three months.

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Categories
Technology

A complete guide to Tower of Fantasy pre-launch times

Tower of Fantasy is set to launch globally on August 10th. Here is all the info you need on the pre-launch, and when you can play.

We can hear the alarm bells sounding off from here. I’m sure you are keen to start exploring the distant planet of Aida as soon as possible, so let’s get started. First things first, if you want to play Tower of Fantasy when it launches, you will have to preload Tower of Fantasy on PC, Android or iOS devices.

PC users, note that preload is only available through the standalone Windows client. Preload starts on the 9th of August 2022 for mobile devices. Once you have preloaded the game, all you need to do is wait for Tower of Fantasy’s official global launch time. For preloading, check the official website.

Tower of Fantasy launch times
Credit: GamesRadar

Global Launch Times

  • US East – 03:00 (ET) on 11th August.
  • US West – 00:00 (PT) on 11th August.
  • UK – 08:00 (BST) on 11th August.
  • Europe – 09:00 (CEST) on 11th August.
  • Australia – 17:00 (AET) on 11th August.

This is for the Tower of Fantasy mobile versions, both Android and iOS. Steam and Epic Games Store will be launched later than other platforms. So you will need to stay tuned.

For Mobile, head to iOS download here, and Android download here.

Once you download and install the preload version of the game, you can go ahead and build your custom character using the avatar tools. Start with the game’s tutorial with the default character, by saving and then loading a custom preset, you can go ahead and swap to your own custom-built avatar.

Tower of Fantasy has a lot of pre-registration giveaways to mark the launch. As long as you log in and create an account before February 6 of 2023, you can unlock the game rewards, by clearing the ‘Ecological Station Intruders’ story mission, and claim cosmetics, currency, and black and gold nuclei.

Keen for more game inspo? Check out The 25 best video game soundtracks of all time.

Categories
US

More migrant buses arrive in New York City, days after Mayor Eric Adams scolded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Authorities in New York City were on hand for the arrival of another group of migrants who were bussed from Texas after they crossed into the US from Mexico.

Three migrant buses arrived in NYC early morning Wednesday, following the path of the group of 50 migrants who were bussed to the same area on Friday, August 5.

The buses arrived just days after New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a press conference on Sunday regarding the mass transit of migrant groups out of Texas and into New York.

Texas has sent thousands of migrants from the border state into Washington, DC, New York City, and other areas.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLASTS TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT AFTER SECOND BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES: ‘THIS IS HORRIFIC’

Migrants wave as they depart bus in New York City from Texas.

Migrants wave as they depart bus in New York City from Texas.
(FoxNews)

While awaiting the arrival of the three new buses early Wednesday, NYC’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro accused a “morally corrupt” Abbott of using the bussing of migrants to the Big Apple as a “political ploy” aimed to “foment anti-immigrant sentiment.”

“You cannot take the words of Governor Abbott seriously. He’s demonstrated his moral character with these actions, and they’re disgusting. We do know that people are arriving with a large amount of needs because of the treatment they’ve received in the state of Texas,” Castro said outside The New York Times building in Manhattan. “Again, this must be condemned. This must be looked into. And our federal government will… take steps to hold them accountable.”

“No one is blaming them, but we are condemning this Governor Abbott’s treatment,” he said. “If he wanted to help, he would be bussing them to the actual locations that they need to… meet, to be transported to. But he’s not. He’s transporting people to Washington, DC and to New York City without any communication with us, with the intent of forcing as much harm as possible to our cities.”

Migrants greeted Wednesday morning by volunteers in New York City as they leave bus sent by Texas.

Migrants greeted Wednesday morning by volunteers in New York City as they leave bus sent by Texas.
(FoxNews)

At a press conference on Tuesday, Adams threatened to take a busload of New Yorkers to Texas to door knock and help get Abbott out of office for the “good of America,” before then calling for more federal funding to address the influx of migrants to the Big Apple sanctuary city.

“This is horrific when you think about what the governor is doing,” Adams said.

“We’re finding that some of the families are on the bus that wanted to go to other locations, and they were not allowed to do so,” the New York City mayor added. “They were forced on the bus with the understanding that they were going to other locations that they wanted to go to, and when they tried to explain they were not allowed to do so.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that Adams is calling for federal help because he says 4,000 migrants have arrived in the Big Apple in the last three months.

Melugin pointed out that Texas averages 4,000 migrants crossing its border every day.

FIRST TEXAS BUS OF MIGRANTS ARRIVES IN NYC

Abbott began sending migrants out of his state into liberal cities — thousands of thousands from the US-Mexico border — as a way to bring evidence of the migrant crisis to their doorstep and to bring attention to the issue of illegal immigration in his own state.

“Because of President Biden’s continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, the State of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe,” Abbott said Friday.

Migrants get off bus Wednesday morning in New York City.

Migrants get off bus Wednesday morning in New York City.
(FoxNews)

“In addition to Washington, DC, New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” the Texas governor added. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.”

Texas has sent over 5,100 migrants to Washington DC, a surge that caused Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate the District of Columbia National Guard.

TEXAS KEEPS PRESSURE ON DC AS MORE MIGRANT BUSES ARRIVE NEAR US CAPITOL

The last group of migrants was sent to the nation’s capital last week and more can be expected, Abbott suggested.

“Believe me, we have more buses headed their way as we speak right now. But this just shows the hypocrisy of these liberal leaders up in the northeast who think that border crisis created by Joe Biden, that is fine as long as it’s Texas that has to deal with it,” Abbott said.

A fourth migrant bus from Texas arrived in Washington, DC, near the US Capitol, Saturday, April 16, 2022.

A fourth migrant bus from Texas arrived in Washington, DC, near the US Capitol, Saturday, April 16, 2022.
(Caitlin McFall/Fox News Digital)

“But as soon as they have to deal with it the real confidence of the crisis, they are up in arms calling for the national guard as you point out dealing with just a tiny fraction of what we had to deal with every single day,” I have added. “We’re going to keep sending those buses up there until they fully understand and most importantly — until the Biden administration does its job to enforce the laws concerning the border.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Abbott has invited Adams to the border to witness the immigration crisis, but Adams has declined.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Timothy HJ Nerozzi contributed to this report.

Categories
Business

Why CBA boss is alert but not alarmed about financially stressed borrowers

For instance, about 40 per cent of borrowers is on low fixed interest rates. Only a small portion of these loans will come to term this year. The bulk of these fixed loans roll off in a year to 18 months, which is when these customers will feel the full onslaught of higher rates. And there remains a sizable rump that rolls off in 2024 – by which time there is a likelihood the RBA would have begun easing rates again.

Add to this the fact that 78 per cent of home loan borrowers are ahead with their payments and a third of customers are two years ahead.

But there is also 26 per cent who are less than three months ahead – a buffer that could be quickly eroded with rates rising.

In total, CBA mortgage customers have $64 billion sitting in offset accounts – $19 billion more than there was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past year, the bank has also increased its serviceability buffers such that new borrowers will need to demonstrate an ability to service a loan with an 8.3 per cent interest rate.

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In addition, the average home-loan size has fallen from almost $400,000 to $375,000 in the space of six months.

That said, the proportion of applicants borrowing at capacity has risen slightly but remains at a relatively low 8.7 per cent. The remainder have additional capacity to borrow.

And the biggest group of home loan borrowers are those earning between $200,000 and $500,000, and within that band, more was slow to investors than owner-occupiers.

At June 2022, 0.4 per cent of the combined value of all mortgages was in negative equity – which means the amount of the loan is greater than the value of the property it is secured against. Most of these come from Western Australia.

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While this has been falling and, as such, is a positive, the continued decline in house prices, expected to be about 15 per cent from peak to trough, will result in an increase in negative equity. And more than half of the value of home loans are sitting at a loan-to-value ratio of less than 60 per cent, which means borrowers have a comfortable equity buffer.

This explains why the level of arrears has been trending down over the past two years.

That said, the numbers provided by CBA are a snapshot of where it is today.

By the time we reach peak rates, the picture won’t look as rosy for borrowers.

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CBA said it has provisions to deal with what it anticipates will be the most likely scenarios around rates, economic growth, the decline in the value of housing and an increase in unemployment.

Over the coming months, the economic picture will become clearer as will the degree of fallout from higher rates and a slower economy.

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.

Categories
Technology

Less than 1 per cent of Netflix’s 221million subscribers play its games

According to data, fewer than one per cent of Netflix’s subscribers are playing the games included with the TV and film streaming service.

Since last year, Netflix has offered a number of games with its streaming service – which will reportedly increase to 50 by the end of this year – that can be downloaded separately at no extra cost.

Data from CNBC and Apptopia indicates that of Netflix’s 221million subscribers, the games have been downloaded 23.3million times and average daily users of around 1.7million – or less than one per cent of the service’s subscribers.

With more streaming services creating competition for Netflix, this strategy of mobile games is undoubtedly being used to set itself apart from other services. That said, Netflix lost around 1million subscribers earlier this year, which was less than its projected loss of 2million.

Lucky Moon. Credit: Netflix Games

Whilst Netflix is ​​adding the likes of Spiritfarer and a number of titles from Devolver Digital to its games service, there are also some original titles based on actual Netflix series’ on the way as well. A narrative RPG based on shadow and bone is coming, alongside The Queen’s Gambit Chessbased on the hit original series.

The core of Netflix’s video game strategy is still somewhat vague, via CNBC. Back in June the company’s head of external games, Leanne Loombe, said: “We’re still intentionally keeping things a little bit quiet because we’re still learning and experimenting and trying to figure out what things are going to actually resonate with our members , what games people want to play.”

In other news, YouTube: Game On is a new show coming to the platform later this month, which will let viewers interact with and make choices in games being played by creators.