Tech giants face online safety inquiry
CANBERRA, AAP – Some of the world’s biggest tech companies will have their say on proposed laws that would hold them accountable for online harassment and abuse on their platforms. The proposed laws would force social media platforms to take down offending posts and, in some circumstances, unveil the identity of anonymous posters. On Thursday…
Starbucks scraps US workers jab mandate
NEW YORK CITY, AP – Starbucks is no longer requiring its US workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a policy it announced earlier this month. In a memo sent on Tuesday to employees, the Seattle coffee giant said it was responding to last week’s ruling by the US Supreme Court. In a 6-3 vote,…
Jobless seen returning to a pre-Delta low
CANBERRA, AAP – The unemployment rate is expected to return to the 13-year low seen briefly last year when the latest jobs figures are released. Economists expect Thursday’s Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force report for December will show a 60,000 increase in the number of people employed. This comes after November’s 366,100 employment surge…
Wall Street rises on earnings boost
NEW YORK CITY, RAW – US stock indexes have risen after upbeat results from a host of companies partially offset a wobbly start to the fourth-quarter reporting season while big tech stocks also made a comeback after a bruising sell-off. Quarterly reports from UnitedHealth Group Inc and Procter & Gamble Co supported sentiment in early…
Bank closures ‘rob towns of new beginning’
ORANGE, AAP – The closure of a rural bank was once seen as the beginning of the end for a small town. Now, with more people moving to regional Australia, bank closures are robbing some communities of a new beginning, the federal government’s Regional Banking Taskforce has been told. The taskforce was established in October…
Technology shares plunge in ASX decline
SYDNEY, AAP – Technology shares have borne the brunt of wide-ranging selling on the ASX as investors favoured higher bond yields. A 2.56 per cent drop for technology shares made them the worst performers amid a market decline of about one per cent on Wednesday. Afterpay shares had their final day on the ASX before…
Asia shares drop, bond yields hit highs
TOKYO, RAW – Asia’s share markets have struggled as US Treasury yields hit fresh two-year highs and a global technology stock sell-off unsettled investors worrying about inflation and bracing for tighter US monetary policy. Oil prices hit their highest since 2014 amid an outage on a pipeline from Iraq to Turkey and global political tensions,…
Palmer to lead UAP Senate election bid
BRISBANE, AAP – Mining billionaire Clive Palmer is to attempt a return to federal politics, announcing he will lead his party’s Senate team in the upcoming election. Mr Palmer’s United Australia Party plans to field Senate candidates in every state and territory, with the one-time lower house MP last tasting victory in 2013 when he…
ASX down, Block struggles early on debut
SYDNEY, AAP – US payments giant Block has made its debut on the ASX but the market was broadly weaker after a downturn on Wall Street. Block, which replaces merger partner Afterpay on the ASX, had its chess depositary interests lowered by 0.56 per cent to $176.25 by 1200 AEDT on Thursday. Chess depositary interests…
Chinese port city reports COVID case dip
BEIJING, RAW – The Chinese city of Tianjin has reported fewer COVID-19 cases after conducting mass testing and locking down some areas to curb the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Tianjin, a key port in northern China, reported 18 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms for Monday, National Health Commission (NHC) data showed on Tuesday. That…
