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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Mon, Feb 02, 2026 03:24 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Matthew Ricketson

Professor of Communication, Deakin University
I am an academic and journalist. Presently the professor of communication at Deakin University, I was previously inaugural journalism professor at the University of Canberra between 2009 and 2017. I have also run the journalism program at RMIT for 11 years. I have worked on staff at The Australian and Time Australia magazine: my last job in the news media industry was Media and Communications Editor at The Age. I have written three books and edited two.

Murdoch to Musk: how global media power has shifted from the moguls to the big tech bros

Sep 09, 2024 08:18 am UTC| Technology Business

Until recently, Elon Musk was just a wildly successful electric car tycoon and space pioneer. Sure, he was erratic and outspoken, but his global influence was contained and seemingly under control. But add the ownership...

Best books of 2023: our experts share the books that have stayed with them

Dec 05, 2023 05:36 am UTC| Entertainment

We asked 20 of our regular contributors to nominate their favourite books of the year. Their choices were diverse, intriguing and sometimes surprising. Whether youre looking for something relaxing or stimulating,...

Grandiose visions and arrested development: a new biography considers the contradictory life of Elon Musk

Nov 02, 2023 11:59 am UTC| Entertainment Business

Elon Musk, the worlds richest man, has his fingers in many pies, none of them your standard Four and Twenty space exploration, electric cars, AI and social media, among others. He became a global leader in space...

Media Files: Media companies are mad as hell at tech giants and don't want to take it anymore. But what choice do they have?

Nov 11, 2019 10:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Business Technology

Media companies around the world are in an existential funk. The tech giants - Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon - have built a better mousetrap for profiting from consumers attention than the traditional media can offer....

Media companies on notice over traumatised journalists after landmark court decision

Mar 06, 2019 13:54 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

A landmark ruling by an Australian court is expected to have international consequences for newsrooms, with media companies on notice they face large compensation claims if they fail to take care of journalists who...

Media Files: On the Serena Williams cartoon -- and how the UK phone hacking scandal led to a media crackdown in South Africa

Sep 25, 2018 18:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Sports

Mark Knights cartoon in The Herald Sun has become a global topic of condemnation and debate because of its negative portrayal of American tennis player Serena Williams. It was widely described as racist. The news of the...

Media Files: ABC boss Michelle Guthrie sacked, but the board won’t say why

Sep 25, 2018 09:34 am UTC| Insights & Views

The major question following the sacking of ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie is why? Why did the ABC board move so decisively and why now? Was it just about tension between her and the corporation chair, Justin...

Economy

Asian Markets Slide as Silver Volatility, Earnings Season, and Central Bank Meetings Rattle Investors

Asian share markets opened the week on a cautious note, largely tracking weaker Wall Street futures, as extreme volatility in silver prices and a packed global economic calendar unsettled investors. The sharp moves in...

India Budget 2025 Highlights Manufacturing Push but Falls Short of Market Expectations

Indias latest Union Budget placed manufacturing firmly at the center of its economic strategy, prioritizing key sectors such as semiconductors, biopharma, electronics, renewables, and capital goods. While the government...

Starmer’s China Visit Highlights Western Balancing Act Amid U.S.-China Rivalry

British Prime Minister Keir Starmers recent visit to China underscores the complex balancing act Western middle powers are attempting as rivalry between Beijing and Washington intensifies. While the trip allowed China to...

U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Markets Brace for Big Tech Earnings and Key Data

U.S. stock futures edged lower on Sunday evening as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of a busy week filled with major corporate earnings and crucial economic data. The pullback follows weakness in technology...

South Korea Factory Activity Hits 18-Month High as Export Demand Surges

South Koreas manufacturing sector showed its strongest momentum in nearly a year and a half in January, driven by a sharp rebound in export demand and improving business confidence, according to a private sector survey...

Politics

Peter Mandelson Resigns from Labour Party Amid Renewed Jeffrey Epstein Links

Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmers Labour Party following renewed media scrutiny over his past connections to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. The...

Japan Election Poll Signals Landslide Win for Sanae Takaichi, Raising Fiscal Policy Concerns

Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is poised for a decisive victory in the upcoming lower house election, according to a new opinion poll released by the Asahi newspaper....

U.S. Accuses Cuba of Harassing Top Diplomat Amid Rising Tensions

The United States has accused Cuba of interfering with the work of its senior diplomat in Havana after videos emerged showing small groups of Cubans verbally harassing him during visits outside the capital. The incident...

Democrats Score Surprise Texas State Senate Win, Fueling Momentum Ahead of 2026 Midterms

A Democratic candidate has won a closely watched Texas state senate special election by a double-digit margin, flipping a Republican-held seat for the first time in decades and adding to growing Democratic momentum ahead...

Trump Proposes Two-Year Shutdown of Kennedy Center Amid Ongoing Turmoil

President Donald Trump has proposed that the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts suspend all events for approximately two years, beginning July 4, as part of what he described as a major transformation...

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

Jensen Huang Urges Taiwan Suppliers to Boost AI Chip Production Amid Surging Demand

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised and gently pushed Taiwans leading technology suppliers to ramp up production, highlighting the intense global demand for artificial intelligence hardware during a high-profile visit to the...

Oracle Plans $45–$50 Billion Funding Push in 2026 to Expand Cloud and AI Infrastructure

Oracle has announced plans to raise between $45 billion and $50 billion in 2026 as it accelerates the expansion of its cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand from major technology and artificial intelligence clients....

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...