Asbestos, Australia Day and Airlines

Australian News

• Australia's top companies like Atlassian and ANZ are offering staff the flexibility to swap Australia Day for employee’s culturally significant days. LINK

• Australia's payments industry is seeing companies fighting for a share of the nearly $80 billion sector as card use rises and cash withdrawals decline. LINK

• A suspected 10 tonnes of material containing asbestos has been found at Rozelle Parklands in Sydney, sparking an emergency response from NSW's environment watchdog. LINK

• Queensland supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths and Aldi are set to face a parliamentary inquiry into grocery pricing. LINK

• Australian states reject IMF criticism of surcharges on foreign property buyers that claim our taxes are meant to raise revenue rather than improve housing affordability. LINK

• Australia's loss of over 65,000 jobs in December was the largest fall since 1993 outside of Covid lockdowns. LINK

• Nearly half the value of Australia's top 100 listed companies, about $1.18 trillion, is unaccounted for due to the varying ways accounting rules classify assets. LINK

• Albanese government's new rules for 'sophisticated' investors may potentially impact angel investors and start-up funding. LINK

• The ATO plans to crack down on tax minimisation schemes used by partners at big four consultancies. LINK

• A study suggests migration surges in Australia contribute to rising house prices but have mixed effects on economic growth, jobs, and wages. LINK

• With increased competition, airline loyalty programs are increasingly offering diverse ways to earn points. LINK

• Queensland homeowners face up to a 12-month wait for storm and flood repairs due to a tradie shortage and potential price increases. LINK

Global News

• An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane made an emergency landing in Miami due to a fire that started shortly after take-off. LINK

• A live export ship carrying sheep and cattle from Australia is in limbo after being diverted from the Red Sea due to security concerns. LINK

• US Gulf Coast’s oil-refining capacity has been significantly impacted by severe winter weather, with about 15% or 1.5 million barrels a day offline. LINK

• Russia becomes China's top crude oil supplier in 2023, shipping a record 107.02 million metric tonnes, defying Western sanctions. LINK

Company News

• Turkish Airlines announces the start of flights to Australia from March 16, initially via Singapore, with plans for non-stop flights in the future. LINK

• Michael Hill International expects a first-half profit drop due to challenging conditions, with plans to reduce costs and close underperforming stores. LINK

• ANZ Bank is allows employees to swap Australia Day for another public holiday. LINK

• Emyria receives approval to expand its MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. LINK

• Qantas faces accusations of intimidation tactics against engineers attempting to unionise at Los Angeles International Airport. LINK

• Members Equity Bank (ME Bank) was fined $820,000 for sending customers inaccurate information about home loan rates due to defective software systems. LINK

• Microsoft reports a hack by a Russian state-sponsored group, affecting a small percentage of corporate email accounts. LINK

• Namoi Cotton announces its acquisition by Singapore-based Louis Dreyfus Company, taking over Australia's largest cotton ginning company. LINK

• Reddit plans to launch its IPO in March, marking the first major social media IPO since Pinterest in 2019. LINK

• Apple offers to open its contactless payment technology to rivals in Europe. LINK

• Mercedes-Benz is open to selling its owned dealerships and workshops in Germany. LINK

• BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF reaches US$1 billion in assets within four days, a first among ETFs tracking spot bitcoin prices. LINK

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