Middle East War Shakes ASX as Oil Surges and Growth Fears Mount
Australian markets face headwinds as Middle East tensions push oil above $90 a barrel, compounding weak jobs data to cap Wall Street's worst week since October.
Darren Ong Article Archive
All articles published by The Daily Perspective from 28 February to 29 March 2026.
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Darren Ong 
Apple's Ultra Gambit: Why Premium Products Make Economic Sense
Apple is preparing at least three new Ultra-class products, including a foldable iPhone priced at $2,000 and advanced AirPods with camera technology. The shift marks a deliberate strategy to serve both budget and premium markets.
Helen Cartwright 
Nepal's Gen Z Uprising Left Shantanu Disfigured. Now Comes the Reckoning.
A school student shot during Nepal's youth-led protests in September faces years of reconstructive surgery with no clear funding. As new elections loom, his case symbolises the unfinished business of the Gen Z uprising.
Aisha Khoury 
When Restaurants Become Victims of Their Own Platforms
An upmarket Sydney restaurant faced furious customers over orders it never took. The culprit: a sophisticated online scam that exploits how delivery platforms operate.
Ella Sullivan 
How Loss Shapes a Life: Matt Okine on Grief, Comedy and Second Chances
Matt Okine was just a child when his mother died. Two decades later, he's learning to transform that pain into art—and purpose.
Ella Sullivan 
Sydney's Density Gamble: When Developer Ambition Outpaces Planning Reality
A proposed development in Concord West that nearly doubled its unit count to 1,300 homes exemplifies how NSW developers are exploiting planning bonuses. The strategy raises questions about whether ambitious housing targets demand unbounded density.
Priya Narayanan 
Autumn brings more water stress to rural Australia despite wet reprieve
Rural Australia is heading into autumn facing below-average rainfall and tighter water supplies. Recent flooding brought temporary relief, but long-term trends remain concerning for farmers and communities.
Bruce Mackinnon Flooded North, Thirsty South: Australia's Water Crisis Splits Down the Map
Melbourne's water storage has tumbled to 75.1 per cent, the steepest annual decline since the Millennium Drought. Meanwhile, Queensland drowns in record floods. The contrast exposes Australia's unequal climate reality.
Meg Hadley The Renewable Energy Jobs Boom Australia Can't Fill
Australia's renewable energy sector needs 85,000 workers by 2030, yet faces chronic shortages of electricians and skilled trades. The question is not whether jobs exist, but whether Australia will find the workers to fill them.
Kate Morrison 
Apple's Next Bet: Can 3D-Printed Aluminum Finally Cut Phone Costs?
Apple is exploring 3D printing for aluminum iPhone and Apple Watch components, aiming to reduce waste and manufacturing costs. The approach builds on successful titanium printing techniques already in use.
Tom Whitfield Ending Energy Bill Rebates Was Right. The Transition Doesn't Have to Hurt This Much.
Universal energy bill rebates ended in January 2026. The policy was economically necessary, but the gap left for vulnerable Australians demands urgent attention.
Liam Gallagher-Walsh 
Streamer Departs Talent Agency Amid Controversy Over Geopolitical Comments
Content creator Zack Hoyt has parted ways with Mythic Talent, the streaming talent agency he co-founded, as the agency faces multiple claims of mismanagement.
Grace Okonkwo 
Dutch Designer Brings Iconic 1979 LEGO Computer Brick to Life as Working Mac Mini
A Dutch industrial designer has transformed a nostalgic LEGO computer brick from 1979 into a fully functional desktop workstation, housing an M4 Mac Mini inside a 3D-printed case.
Mitchell Tan 
OpenAI's Texas Data Centre Expansion Collapses as Reality Bites
OpenAI and Oracle have scrapped plans to expand their flagship Abilene, Texas data centre after financing negotiations failed and demand forecasts shifted. Meta is now eyeing the capacity.
Zara Mitchell Australia's Flu Vaccine Overhaul: What the 2026 Season Holds
Australia's 2026 flu vaccine undergoes its biggest change in years, moving from four-strain to three-strain formulations. The shift reflects lessons from 2025's severe and extended influenza season.
Nadia Souris Twitch Blocked: How Australia's Teen Social Media Ban Is Reshaping Gaming Culture
Australia's ban on social media for under-16s has locked millions out of Twitch. But the policy risks creating worse problems than it solves.
Jake Nguyen 
Bungie acts fast on Marathon monetisation fury, but questions remain
Bungie has moved quickly to address complaints over Marathon's premium currency bundles, raising the $10 package from 1,100 to 1,120 Lux and promising broader changes.
Sophia Vargas 
ModRetro's $1B Gamble: The Economics of Retro Gaming's Hardware Wars
Palmer Luckey's ModRetro is chasing a $1 billion valuation with its upcoming M64 N64 console. But can a retro gaming company really justify that price tag in a crowded market?
Jake Nguyen 
Two-Person Team Ships Wildly Original CRPG After 18 Months in Early Access
Hannah and Joseph Games has released Banquet for Fools from early access, achieving 91 per cent positive reviews on Steam with a deliberately unconventional approach to role-playing games.
Rachel Thornbury 
Housing Authority's 'habitable' verdict clashes with reality of mould-plagued Perth home
A Balga family is living with severe mould and flooding issues that officials have declared safe and habitable, raising questions about housing authority standards and tenant protection in Perth.
Darren Ong 
Chinese SSD Challenge: YMTC Enters PCIe 5.0 Market as Global Supply Crisis Deepens
Yangtze Memory Technologies has launched its first commercial PCIe 5.0 SSD, marking a significant push into high-performance storage. The move comes as a severe global shortage of NAND flash drives up prices and constrains supply.
Yuki Tamura 
Floating wind turbines may soon house AI data centres. Here's why that matters.
Aikido Technologies plans to embed data centres inside floating offshore wind turbines in the North Sea by year's end, combining cheap renewable power with free ocean cooling.
Andrew Marsh 
Norway Exposes the Real Cost of Software Degradation
Norway's consumer council has documented how companies use software updates to degrade products and extract extra revenue. The practice spans cars, games, washing machines, and printers.
Tom Whitfield 
Western Sydney's toll-free motorway opens: The infrastructure bet that promises economic payoff
The M12 motorway opens to traffic, providing a toll-free link to Western Sydney Airport ahead of October passenger flights. The infrastructure is part of a $4.4 billion regional development plan.
Zara Mitchell The Reforms Won't Fix Australia's Rental Crisis: What Actually Will
Australian renters need over $112,000 in household income to afford market rents without stress. State governments are implementing reforms, but the real issue demands a harder conversation.
Riley Fitzgerald 
Your Smart TV Is Watching You Through HDMI. Here's How to Stop It
Modern smart TVs collect viewing data through HDMI-connected devices using a feature called HDMI-CEC. Disabling it is possible but difficult.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
Kennedy's Heroics Can't Save Matildas in Thrilling Asian Cup Draw
In front of the biggest crowd in Women's Asian Cup history, the Matildas led twice but couldn't hold on, finishing second in Group A after drawing 3-3 with Korea Republic.
Jimmy O'Brien 
Why Furby Still Matters: A Toy That Changed How We Think About AI
A generation of children formed attachments to furry robots that sparked national security fears and fundamentally changed expectations around interactive technology.
Mitchell Tan 
Tudhope claims silver as Australia's Winter Paralympic medal arrives
Ben Tudhope has claimed Australia's first medal at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina, winning silver in the men's snowboard cross. However, the nation's campaign faces an immediate setback with teammate Amanda Reid hospitalised after a crash.
Daniel Kovac 
From 1988 to 2026: How one developer is reviving John Romero's forgotten platformer
A solo developer has spent years crafting Haunted Lands, a dark homage to John Romero's 1988 platformer series. The game launches March 10 as indie gaming continues to honour the legends that shaped the industry.
Yuki Tamura