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Fri, Dec 05, 2025 05:59 AM All times are UTC

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Employers warn Labor’s push to lock in penalty rates is bad for business – but it’s not that simple

| Insights & Views

Ron Lach/Pexels, CC BY The Albanese government is pushing ahead with new legislation to protect penalty rates and overtime for about 2.6 million workers under the award system. Those workers are more likely to be female,...

A rare, direct warning from Japan signals a shift in the fight against child sex tourism in Asia

| Insights & Views

Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images Japans embassy in Laos and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a rare and unusually direct advisory, warning Japanese men against buying sex from children in Laos. The move...

How real-time data can lead to better decisions on everything from NZ’s interest rates to business investment

| Insights & Views

It is late July, and New Zealand is slowly receiving economic data from the June quarter. Inflation has hit a 12-month high, for example, confirming what many already suspected. But the country is still nearly two months...

Forget AI-generated music, this music was composed using DNA sequences

| Insights & Views

As a molecular biologist, talking to the public about my work with DNA has often felt like trying to translate a foreign language. This got me thinking: could these scientific ideas be presented in an artistic way, to help...

Sydney Writers Festival will program year-round, partnering with State Library of NSW. Is this ‘Sydney’s Wheeler Centre’?

| Insights & Views

Sydney is gaining on Melbournes long lead as a literary city, with a new partnership between Sydney Writers Festival and the State Library of New South Wales. This year-round program of literary events, programmed by the...

The Greens’ expulsion of a co-founder is unlikely to jeopardise the party’s future

| Insights & Views

As the fallout of the expulsion of Australian Greens co-founder Drew Hutton continues, Hutton and others have claimed the Greens have lost their way and are in real trouble. Do such claims stand up? Huttons expulsion...

Air-dropping food into Gaza is a ‘smokescreen’ – this is what must be done to prevent mass starvation

| Insights & Views

Israel partially lifted its aid blockade of Gaza this week in response to intensifying international pressure over the man-made famine in the devastated coastal strip. The United Arab Emirates and Jordan airdropped 25...

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Economy

Asian Currencies Steady as Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Fed Rate Cut Bets

Most Asian currencies held steady on Thursday after modest gains, as markets continued to price in the possibility of a Federal Reserve rate cut next week. The US Dollar Index edged 0.1% higher following an overnight dip...

Asian Markets Mixed as Fed Rate Cut Bets Grow and Japan’s Nikkei Leads Gains

Asian stock markets traded mostly subdued on Thursday, mirroring the modest uptick seen on Wall Street as investors positioned themselves ahead of next weeks Federal Reserve meeting. Market sentiment remained cautiously...

China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to direct his focus toward revitalizing Chinas weakening economy rather than pursuing territorial expansion, highlighting widening economic contrasts...

IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears

International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz is making his first trip to China since leaving his position as chief of staff to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, marking a significant moment ahead of...

Dollar Slides to Five-Week Low as Asian Stocks Struggle and Markets Bet on Fed Rate Cut

The U.S. dollar fell to a five-week low on Thursday as Asian stocks opened the trading day with muted performance, reflecting growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its meeting next week....

Politics

Cuba Reaffirms Anti-Drug Cooperation as Tensions Rise in the Caribbean

Cuban authorities announced that the island is intensifying its fight against narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean, emphasizing ongoing cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard despite heightened political tensions and an...

Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert

An Irish naval vessel detected as many as five drones operating close to the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys aircraft as he arrived in Ireland for a state visit, according to local media reports on...

Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support

Australia is moving forward with the newly received United States review of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine partnership, signalling renewed confidence in the trilateral defence pact with the U.S. and the United...

Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship

The Trump administration has introduced stricter vetting measures for H-1B visa applicants, targeting professionals in highly skilled fields often recruited by major U.S. tech companies. According to an internal State...

California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents

California has introduced a new online portal that enables the public to submit videos, photos, and other evidence of potential misconduct by federal immigration agents. The initiative comes as immigration enforcement...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

EU Prepares Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s AI Integration on WhatsApp

The European Commission is reportedly preparing to launch a new antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META) over the companys recent rollout of artificial intelligence features within WhatsApp....

Sam Altman Reportedly Explored Funding for Rocket Venture in Potential Challenge to SpaceX

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly explored raising significant capital to acquire or partner with a rocket company, a move that could have created direct competition with Elon Musks SpaceX. According to a report from the...

Wikipedia Pushes for AI Licensing Deals as Jimmy Wales Calls for Fair Compensation

Wikipedia is seeking additional licensing deals with major technology companies to address the growing financial burden caused by artificial intelligence firms heavily scraping its platform, according to co-founder Jimmy...

Firelight Launches as First XRP Staking Platform on Flare, Introduces DeFi Cover Feature

Firelight reaches 25M XRP deposit cap within hours of launch; ushers in a new era for decentralized XRP staking. A new XRP staking platform, Firelight, has officially launched on the Flare blockchain, marking the first...

OpenAI Moves to Acquire Neptune as It Expands AI Training Capabilities

OpenAI has confirmed plans to acquire Neptune, a startup known for its advanced tools that help companies track, monitor, and optimize AI model training workflows. Although the company did not release the financial details...