🗞️ Run forrest run

Good morning. Whether you're the first person to give someone kudos on Strava or cringe at the thought of uploading your two kilometre shuffle, you might appreciate this 10-month Strava effort.

After 120 runs over practically the same course, Duncan McCabe was able to produce a 30 second video showing a dancing stickman. He even timed the dance moves to the tune of Sofi Tukker’s “Purple Hat”. If you have a spare 30 seconds, the video is here.

All the headlines and more below...

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Australia is now an economic ‘problem child’

• Australia's productivity growth has fallen to 30th among 35 wealthy nations, with business investment at recession levels. LINK

• Jobs and Skills Australia has added accounting, audit and finance roles to its fast-track visa eligibility list for expedited processing. LINK

• ASIC has criticised the insurance industry for significant shortcomings in complaints handling systems, as 1 in 6 customer complaints went unrecognised. LINK

• Small businesses face increasing challenges in balancing risk with growth as payment fraud and cybercrime has risen from $1.2T to $8.2T between 2019 and 2023. LINK

• The plan to publicly disclose beneficial owners of 3 million unlisted Australian companies has been revised to restrict access to regulators and select groups amid privacy concerns. LINK

GLOBAL NEWS

Global investigation dismantles money laundering scheme linked to rich Russians and cybercriminals

• An international investigation has dismantled a $1B money laundering network linked to wealthy Russians and cybercriminals, spanning over 30 countries, resulting in 84 arrests and seizure of nearly $40M in cash and crypto. LINK

• Young people are involved in 20% of Australian terrorism cases. LINK

• Bitcoin has surged past US$100,000 for the first time as investors anticipate favourable US regulatory changes. LINK

• Global business leaders are primarily concerned about recession risks, labour shortages and inflation, alongside increasing concerns about extreme weather events. LINK

• South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol has replaced his defence minister while facing impeachment efforts. LINK

• France faces political uncertainty as a parliamentary no-confidence vote has ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier over his deficit-reduction budget proposal. LINK

• Germany's Christmas markets are adopting creative strategies like all-inclusive tickets and themed events to attract visitors as costs reach record highs. LINK

COMPANY NEWS

Citigroup rolls out a ificial intelligence tools for employees in 8 countries

• Citi Group has rolled out AI tools for employees in 8 countries. LINK

• UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel in a targeted attack. LINK 

• Elon Musk's Starlink has outperformed the National Broadband Network's satellite system, with average latency of 29.8 milliseconds compared to Sky Muster's 664.9 milliseconds. LINK 

• Canva, Cotton On and Atlassian are among the top corporate philanthropists as the top 50 companies have increased their collective donations to $1.5B. LINK

• Amazon is testing its new "Haul" storefront in the US, offering products priced at $20 or less, targeting the growing trend of over-shopping. LINK 

• The Junkyard, a Sydney-based management company for Australian comedians, has entered administration due to insolvency. LINK

CHART OF THE DAY

Illegal fishing is a global problem

ONE MORE SCROLL

Editor’s Pick: The top trending dog names of 2024.

Draft Pick: Australia Women’s cricket team stroll to victory over India in first ODI. Men’s second test against India starts today at 3pm AEST.

Odd Pick: Scientific study proves which horror movie is the scariest of all time.

TRIVIA

National Miners’ Day

It's National Miners’ Day so we provide an opportunity for our FIFO workers to get a guaranteed 5 from 5 in the trivia.

Below are 5 countries and 5 minerals. Match the mineral with the country that produces more of that mineral than any other country.

Minerals:
- Gold
- Silver
- Iron Ore
- Diamonds
- Cobalt

Countries:
- Australia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- China
- Mexico
- Russia

Answers below

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ANSWERS

Gold = China
Silver = Mexico
Iron Ore = Australia
Diamonds = Russia
Cobalt: Democratic Republic of Congo

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