🗞️ Circling back

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Good morning. We’re back for 2025.

Whether this is your first day back in the office or you “worked through”, it’s officially time to ‘circle back’ on those items you needlessly postponed in order to prioritise another December-long lunch.

Have a good Monday and good luck.

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Surging costs threaten Australia's café industry

• Australia's $14.2B café sector has suffered a 10% closure rate due to inflation, high coffee costs and reduced consumer spending. LINK

• The Australian dollar has fallen to US62¢, reaching GFC levels as overseas travel and property markets feel the impact. LINK

• Small business restructuring appointments have increased by 200% as struggling companies seek alternatives to insolvency. LINK 

• ANZ and CBA have forecast a February RBA rate cut following softer inflation data. LINK

• Fire and Rescue NSW has contained a brief emergency in Sydney after a garbage truck emitted toxic vapours. LINK

GLOBAL NEWS

The hottest year on record sparks fears of a ‘dangerous new era’

• Record-breaking temperatures have sparked climate warnings about faster wildfires, extreme weather and bigger storms in 2025. LINK

• Airfares are set to rise due to new European sustainable fuel requirements and delayed aircraft deliveries. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

Australia's Telstra brings home satellite tech with Musk's SpaceX

• Telstra has partnered with SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite-to-mobile text messaging services for remote Australian customers with direct sky visibility. LINK

• Star Entertainment faces potential collapse after burning through $107M in Q4 2024, whilst dealing with regulatory fines including a $15M NSW penalty and a looming $150M AUSTRAC fine. LINK

• Swyftx has operated Crypto News Australia as an undisclosed subsidiary since 2022. LINK

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg advocates for more 'masculine energy' in corporate cultures whilst criticising 'culturally neutered' companies. LINK

• Dick Smith has criticised Meta for allowing AI-generated scam advertisements using public figures' images. LINK

• LinkedIn faces concerns about maintaining quality as AI-generated content threatens to overwhelm the platform. LINK

• Tennis Australia has raised $50M to support sports and entertainment startups while using the Australian Open as a testing ground. LINK

• Nine Entertainment is consolidating operations into 4 divisions. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

The world’s most (and least) powerful passports

ONE MORE SCROLL

Editor’s Pick: Is this the largest wave ever surfed at 106 feet?

Draft Pick: The first day of the Australian Open was disrupted by heavy rain and thunderstorms in Melbourne.

Odd Pick: Passenger 'livid' after airline gives their first class seat to dog.

TRIVIA

Country classics

On this day in 1968, Johnny Cash performed his live performance at Folsom Prison, creating one of the most iconic albums in country music history. How well do you know one of the great musicians?

1. What 2005 biographical film chronicles Johnny Cash’s life and career?

   A) "Ring of Fire"

   B) "The Man in Black"

   C) "Walk the Line"

   D) "Hurt"

2. What was the title of Johnny Cash's first big hit, released in 1955?

   A) "Ring of Fire"

   B) "Walk the Line"

   C) "Cry! Cry! Cry!"

   D) "Folsom Prison Blues"

3. What nickname did Johnny Cash famously earn due to his all-black stage attire?

   A) The Black Cowboy

   B) The Dark Wanderer

   C) The Man in Black

   D) The Midnight Rambler
   

4. Johnny Cash was famously married to which fellow country music star?

   A) Patsy Cline

   B) Loretta Lynn

   C) Tammy Wynette

   D) June Carter

5. In the 2000s, Cash gained a new audience with his cover of which Nine Inch Nails song?

   A) "Closer"
   B) "Hurt"

   C) "The Hand That Feeds"

   D) "Head Like a Hole"

Answers below

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ANSWERS

1. C) "Walk the Line"
2. C) "Cry! Cry! Cry!"
3. C) The Man in Black
4. D) June Carter
5. B) "Hurt"

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