Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Thu, Jan 15, 2026 12:57 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Rob Nicholls

Senior lecturer in Business Law, UNSW

Dr Rob Nicholls is a senior lecturer in business law at the UNSW Business School.
He was previously a research fellow at Swinburne University of Technology where he worked on spectrum policy matters and a research fellow at the Centre for International Finance and Regulation where he researched the intersection of competition law with financial services regulations. His research applies system and network analysis techniques, commonly used in networked industries, to examine error amplification. Rob is the Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator in a regime established to deal with wholesale disputes arising over both legacy services and migration to the NBN. He has had a thirty-year career concentrating on regulations and governance, particularly in networked industries. He has worked for Webb Henderson, the ACCC and Gilbert + Tobin.

Google is worth more in Australia than major news outlets. Here’s how it could better fund journalism

Sep 19, 2024 01:24 am UTC| Technology

The Global Media Internet Concentration Project examines the concentration of the communications and media in countries around the world. The latest data for Australia have recently been released, and they show just how...

Do you trust AI to write the news? It already is – and not without issues

Nov 07, 2023 08:56 am UTC| Technology

Businesses are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate media content, including news, to engage their customers. Now, were even seeing AI used for the gamification of news that is, to create...

The power of tech giants has made them as influential as nations. Here's how they're sanctioning Russia

Mar 07, 2022 08:59 am UTC| Technology

The worlds five leading tech companies Google (now Alphabet), Apple, Facebook (now Meta), Amazon and Microsoft have taken steps to impose significant and (mainly) voluntary sanctions on Russia, in response to its...

If Facebook really pulls news from its Australian sites, we'll have a much less compelling product

Sep 02, 2020 14:08 pm UTC| Technology

Facebook will ban publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram if a proposal to force tech giants to pay for news becomes law, the tech giant has announced. The...

No more negotiating: new rules could finally force Google and Facebook to pay for news

Apr 22, 2020 12:49 pm UTC| Technology

Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will be forced to compensate news media companies for using their content, under a new mandatory code to be drawn up by Australias competition watchdog. The announcement,...

Why you might be paying more for your airfare than the person seated next to you

Oct 09, 2018 12:52 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Price discrimination is legal in Australia where sellers will typically pick an opening price based on the likelihood that someone will pay it. We take a look at how you can get the best deal on airfares in the second part...

Economy

China Signals Willingness to Deepen Canada Ties as Leaders Seek Reset in Relations

China has expressed a willingness to deepen cooperation with Canada while working to eliminate what it describes as interference, signaling a potential reset in bilateral relations after years of strain. The message was...

Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Yen Weakens on Election Fears and Won Retreats After U.S. Support

Most Asian currencies traded near flat levels on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid mixed political and monetary signals from both the region and the United States. The Japanese yen hovered near 18-month lows,...

Bank of Japan Likely to Delay Rate Hike Until July as Economists Eye 1% by September

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to hold off on raising interest rates until at least July, according to a majority of economists, as policymakers assess the impact of recent tightening on Japans fragile economic...

Trump Delays Tariffs on Critical Minerals, Seeks Global Supply Deals to Protect U.S. Security

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided, for now, not to impose tariffs on rare earths, lithium, and other critical minerals, choosing instead to pursue international negotiations aimed at securing stable supplies. The...

U.S. Oil Prices Slide After Trump Comments Ease Iran Supply Fears

U.S. oil prices declined sharply in early Asian trading on Thursday, falling by more than $1 per barrel as easing geopolitical tensions involving Iran reduced market fears of supply disruptions. The pullback came after...

Politics

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Cutting $80 Million in Minnesota SNAP Funding

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from withholding roughly $80 million in federal funding used to administer Minnesotas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly...

Japan Firms Warn Economic Risks as China Ties Fray and BOJ Tightens Policy

More than two-thirds of Japanese companies believe the domestic economy will suffer as relations with China continue to deteriorate, according to a recent Reuters survey conducted by Nikkei Research. Nearly half of the...

Chevron Set to Expand Venezuela Operations as U.S. Signals Shift on Oil Sanctions

Chevron is expected to receive an expanded Venezuela license from the U.S. government this week, a move that could significantly increase oil production and exports from the South American nation, according to multiple oil...

U.S. Schools Set to Bring Back Whole Milk After 15-Year Ban

U.S. children may soon see whole milk return to school cafeterias for the first time in nearly 15 years after President Donald Trump signed new legislation allowing schools to serve whole and reduced-fat milk alongside...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Prevent Long Island Rail Road Strike Affecting 300,000 Daily Commuters

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order establishing a second emergency board aimed at preventing a potential work stoppage at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), a critical transportation system...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

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...

Technology

xAI Restricts Grok Image Editing After Sexualized AI Images Trigger Global Scrutiny

Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI announced new restrictions on its Grok AI chatbot after the platform generated sexualized and manipulated images that raised alarms among regulators worldwide. The move comes...

TSMC Set to Post Record Q4 Profit as AI Chip Demand Accelerates

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a critical supplier to Nvidia and Apple, is expected to deliver a record-breaking fourth-quarter profit, driven by surging global...

U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Trump Approval of Nvidia AI Chip Sales to China

U.S. lawmakers and former national security officials are voicing strong concerns over President Donald Trumps decision to allow Nvidia to resume sales of its advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, warning...

Taiwan Issues Arrest Warrant for OnePlus CEO Over Alleged Illegal Recruitment Activities

Title: Taiwanese prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Pete Lau, the chief executive officer of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, accusing him of involvement in illegal business operations and recruitment...

Zhipu AI Launches GLM-Image Model Trained on Huawei Chips, Boosting China’s AI Self-Reliance Drive

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Zhipu AI has unveiled a new open-source image generation model, marking a significant milestone in Chinas push for technological self-reliance. The model, called GLM-Image, was...