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🗞️ Til next year
Today is our last email for the year. Whether you've been with us since the start of the year or joined along the way, thank you for subscribing, it's great to have you on board.
Pick & Scroll News
December 18, 2024
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Good morning. Today is our last email for the year. Whether you've been with us since the start of the year or joined along the way, thank you for subscribing, it's great to have you on board.
If you have any comments, feedback or changes you would like for 2025, you're welcome to reply to this email at any time. And if you're one of the 43 billionaires announced in Australia, donations are also welcome.
We wish you all a great holiday season and we'll see you in your inbox on the 13th of January.
All the headlines and more below...
AUSTRALIAN NEWS
One million Australians are negatively gearing, new tax figures show
Nearly half of Australian landlords (1 million) are utilising negative gearing, with the highest earners receiving the largest share of $75B in capital gains tax concessions and $51B in super tax concessions. LINK
Australian consumer sentiment has declined 2% in December. LINK
Sydney's sewage by-products used as fertilisers have been found to contain elevated levels of PFAS 'forever chemicals'. LINK
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has allocated $14.1M in funding to Ampol and GrainCorp for sustainable aviation fuel projects. LINK
A Kiama NSW fun park owner has been ordered to dismantle dozens of rides at Granties Maze after a court found them 'materially unsafe' and lacking council approval. LINK
The ACCC is investigating retailers over potentially misleading Black Friday advertising practices. LINK
GLOBAL NEWS
Major damage, deaths feared after earthquake strikes Vanuatu
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has struck near Vanuatu's Efate island, causing significant damage in Port Vila. LINK
Germany has entered a political crisis as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government has collapsed following a confidence vote loss. LINK
Bitcoin has surged past US$107,000 amid Donald Trump's proposal for a US Bitcoin strategic reserve and MicroStrategy's addition to the Nasdaq-100. LINK
COMPANY NEWS
Meta adds live translation, AI video to Ray-Ban smart glasses
Meta has updated its Ray-Ban smart glasses with AI-powered features including real-time translation and video capabilities. LINK
Qantas Airways has agreed to pay $76M to 3 former ground handlers in a settlement with the Transport Workers Union. LINK
Meta has agreed to pay $50M to settle with Australia's Information Commissioner over the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach, affecting 311,000 Australian Facebook users. LINK
Amazon's warehouse safety practices have been criticised in a US Senate Committee investigation, revealing that the company's focus on speed contributes to high injury rates while discouraging outside medical care. LINK
SPC is returning to the stock exchange while promoting local products against imported Italian tomatoes. LINK
The ACCC has initiated legal action against Mobil Oil Australia over allegedly misleading claims about engine protection benefits of its 'Mobil Synergy' fuel in Queensland service stations. LINK
Google is facing a Federal Court class action lawsuit filed by Piper Alderman on behalf of Australian publishers over alleged ad tech market power misuse. LINK
TikTok has appealed to the US Supreme Court to block a law requiring ByteDance to divest the app by January 19. LINK
Alibaba Group has announced the sale of its Intime department store unit at a US$1.3B loss as it refocuses on core e-commerce operations. LINK
Chevron Australia has signed a deal to supply 130 petajoules of gas to Alcoa over 10 years starting 2028. LINK
ONE MORE SCROLL
Editor’s Pick: Typing game where you can race other people.
Odd Pick: Holding your pee can have dangerous health risks, experts say.
Draft Pick: Tennis stars Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic are partnering for a doubles match ahead of the Australian Open. LINK AFR
TRIVIA
See you next year
It's our final email for the year so we thought we should end on some Christmas trivia. Feel free to use question 5 for some small talk around the Christmas dinner table this year.
In Home Alone, where are the McCallisters going on vacation when they leave Kevin behind?
Do they celebrate Christmas in China?
What are the names of Santa Claus’ reindeer? (Name 5 or more for a point)
What is the word for Xmas in Spain?
In what Asian country is it a tradition to eat KFC for Christmas dinner?
Answers below
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ANSWERS
1. Paris
2. No
3. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph
4. Navidad
5. Japan
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