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Insights & Views

Fri, Dec 19, 2025 01:21 AM All times are UTC

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This week’s federal budget will focus on cost-of-living measures – and a more uncertain global economy

| Insights & Views

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will bring down the federal budget on Tuesday. Its likely most of the major spending initiatives have already been announced. An extra A$8.5 billion in spending on Medicare will aim to ensure nine...

Trouble at Tesla and protests against Trump’s tariffs suggest consumer boycotts are starting to bite

| Insights & Views

Getty Images When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US. President Donald Trump has said...

Despite some key milestones since 2000, Australia still has a long way to go on gender equality

| Insights & Views

Australia has a gender problem. Despite social, economic and political reform aimed at improving opportunities for women, gender gaps are increasing and Australia is falling behind other countries. The World Economic Forum...

Should Australia increase its defence spending? We asked 5 experts

| Insights & Views

Both Labor and the Coalition are considering an increase to defence spending ahead of the federal election. Defence spending is currently at about 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), or around A$56 billion per year. The...

‘Literally just child gambling’: what kids say about Roblox, lootboxes and money in online games

| Insights & Views

Wachiwit/Shutterstock Roblox is one of the worlds most popular online platforms for children, offering a variety of experiences including games and virtual spaces. Most of the experiences are free, but offer upgrades,...

‘Better than nothing’: clinicians and hospital heads accept lower standards of care outside metro hospitals

| Insights & Views

Seven million Australians live in rural and remote areas and many struggle to access the same quality of health care as those in metropolitan areas. More than 18,000 Australians have no access to primary health care...

Adelaide Hills water crisis: a local problem is a global wake-up call

| Insights & Views

A dry farm dam in Montacute, Adelaide Hills, March 2025. Ilan Sagi. The Adelaide Hills are experiencing severe water shortages. The root cause? A prolonged dry period and not enough water tankers to meet unprecedented...

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Economy

Austan Goolsbee Signals Potential for More Fed Rate Cuts as Inflation Shows Improvement

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said Thursday that recent inflation data has been encouraging, raising the possibility of additional interest rate cuts next year if current trends continue....

Japan Inflation Holds Firm in November as BOJ Nears Key Rate Hike Decision

Japans consumer price inflation remained largely steady in November, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will proceed with a long-anticipated interest rate hike as it seeks to control persistent price...

U.S. Stock Futures Slip After CPI-Fueled Rally as Markets Weigh Economic Uncertainty

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Thursday evening, cooling after a strong rebound on Wall Street driven by softer-than-expected November inflation data. The pullback reflected lingering caution among investors, as...

Asian Markets Rebound as Tech Rally Lifts Wall Street, Investors Brace for BOJ Rate Hike

Asian share markets rebounded on Friday, tracking a recovery on Wall Street as a turnaround in technology stocks boosted global risk sentiment. Investors, however, remained cautious ahead of a widely anticipated interest...

Yen Near Lows as Markets Await Bank of Japan Rate Decision, Euro Slips After ECB Signals Caution

The Japanese yen hovered near multi-month lows on Friday as global currency markets waited for the Bank of Japans interest rate decision and guidance on future monetary tightening. The dollar traded around 155.6 yen in...

Politics

Fernando Haddad Confirms He Will Not Run for Office in 2025, Signals Possible Exit as Brazil’s Finance Minister

Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad confirmed on Thursday that he will not run for public office next year, putting an end to months of speculation surrounding his political future. Speaking at a press conference,...

Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Limits on Gender-Affirming Care for Children

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to significantly restrict childrens access to gender-affirming care, marking one of the most far-reaching actions yet by the Trump administration...

Trump Expands U.S. Travel Ban to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sparking Economic Fears in the Caribbean

Washingtons decision to expand U.S. travel restrictions to include Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica is raising serious concerns across the Caribbean, where access to the United States plays a vital role in tourism,...

Barham Salih Elected as Next UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Barham Salih, former president of Iraq and a longtime advocate for democracy and human rights, as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The decision was...

Trump Signals Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks Ahead of U.S.–Russia Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine may be nearing a breakthrough, raising expectations ahead of planned talks between U.S. and Russian officials scheduled...

Science

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...

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...

Technology

Apple Opens iPhone to Alternative App Stores in Japan Under New Competition Law

Apple has announced a major shift in its App Store policies in Japan, opening iPhones and other Apple devices to alternative app stores in order to comply with new competition laws aimed at reshaping the countrys...

Micron Technology Forecasts Surge in Revenue and Earnings on AI-Driven Memory Demand

Micron Technology delivered record first-quarter results and issued a bullish forecast for the current quarter, driven by rising memory prices and strong demand linked to artificial intelligence workloads. The upbeat...

Oracle Stock Slides After Blue Owl Exit Report, Company Says Michigan Data Center Talks Remain on Track

Oracle shares fell more than 4% on Wednesday after a Financial Times report claimed that Blue Owl Capital, Oracles largest U.S. data center partner, decided not to support a planned $10 billion data center project in...

OpenAI Explores Massive Funding Round at $750 Billion Valuation

OpenAI, the company behind the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT, has reportedly entered preliminary discussions with investors about a potential new funding round that could value the company at approximately $750 billion....

Republicans Raise National Security Concerns Over Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools

Republican lawmakers are raising alarms over potential U.S. national security risks after a Reuters report revealed that Intel evaluated advanced chipmaking equipment from ACM Research, a company with significant ties to...