🗞️ Merry Venezuelan Christmas

Good morning. Merry Christmas to our Venezuelan subscriber base.

Last month, the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, made the announcement that Christmas would begin on the 1st of October, instead of the traditional December Christmas.

Maduro’s decision to claim victory in July’s presidential election without providing proof has angered residents while his main political rival had to flee the country to escape arrest.

Maybe he should have gone with an Octoberfest party instead…

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

The AFL Grand Final between Brisbane and Sydney drew the highest audience since 2016

• The AFL Grand Final between Brisbane and Sydney drew 4.024 million viewers, the largest audience since 2016. LINK

• Labor members are pushing for negative gearing reforms as part of an ambitious housing plan, targeting 75% homeownership by 2035. LINK

• Income tax has reached a 25-year high driven by employment growth and bracket creep. LINK

• CFMEU delegates are under investigation for allegedly stealing more than $10,000 worth of steel from a government project at Westmead Hospital. LINK

• The Nurses and Midwives' Association has accepted a 3% wage increase from NSW Health, temporarily halting industrial action, as both parties enter four weeks of negotiations. LINK

• Thousands of Sydney commuters are using replacement buses as the T3 Bankstown Line is closed for at least a year to accommodate the development of the Sydney Metro extension. LINK

• More than half of Australian tech companies are losing staff to competitors offering WFH options, as flexible work becomes key to talent retention. LINK

• Australia has revised down its forecast for resource and energy export earnings, expecting revenue to fall 10% due to lower commodity prices and a stronger currency. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

Open banking limps to life with ANZ customers seeking full picture

• ANZ has launched open banking capabilities for 15,000 customers, allowing them to view accounts from multiple banks in its app. LINK

• Macquarie Bank is leading the end-of-year mortgage scramble, growing its loan book at 4 times the rate of its big-bank rivals, fuelled by competitive pricing and cash incentives. LINK

• Coles and Woolworths have dropped in consumer trust rankings following legal action by the ACCC over misleading pricing claims, with many consumers viewing them as prioritising profits over customer welfare. LINK

• Star Entertainment auditors have raised concerns over liquidity amid cost overruns and delays in the $3.6B Queen’s Wharf project. LINK

• Two months into Rex’s voluntary administration, no buyers have emerged, though assets such as a Boeing 737 flight simulator have been sold to provide some cash flow. LINK

• Mosaic Brands bondholders have agreed to new payment terms while it exits certain brands amid tough conditions. LINK

• Great Southern Bank increased its first-home lending book to $1.3B, issuing $4.2B in new or additional home loans last FY despite cost-of-living pressures. LINK

• Fonterra is focusing on South-East Asia as a key growth market, as the region's café and bakery scene grows, although it will retain its Australian dairy arm for now. LINK

• Meta has been fined $147M by the Irish Data Protection Commission over the improper storage of user passwords in plain text. LINK

• ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is developing a new AI model using Huawei chips as it pivots toward domestic suppliers amid US restrictions on AI chips. LINK

• A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has arrived at the International Space Station to retrieve 2 astronauts stranded on the station after a Boeing Starliner capsule was deemed unfit to return them to Earth. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

Growth efficiency in software companies declined by half from 2021 to 2023

ONE MORE SCROLL

Odd Pick: US military posts warning to Iran on Tinder, surprising Lebanese users.

Editor’s Pick: This Red Bull biking stunt on a moving train is very impressive.

Draft Pick: WADA appeals tennis world number 1 doping decision.

TRIVIA

How much do you know?

It's Tuesday so you get to prove that you are smarter than a 10-year-old. We've removed the multiple choice options because no one likes multi-choice when you know all the answers without them.....

1. What colour are sapphires most commonly?

2. In which country would you find Giza, home to one of the 7 wonders of the world?

3. In which country did Joan of Arc lead an army?

4. What are the 3 primary colours?

5. What is the largest country in Scandinavia?

Answers below

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Looking for a collab? Shoot us an email here.

OUR SOCIALS

ANSWERS

1. Blue
2. Egypt
3. France
4. Blue, Red, Yellow
5. Sweden

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here