Australia Financial News

influenza season, experts warn that Australia’s record-breaking flu outbreak may offer a troubling glimpse of what might come.The latest data from Australia’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System shows the country recorded 352,532 laboratory-confirmed flu cases this year, eclipsing the previous high of 313,615 cases in 2019.Flu vaccination rates in Australia have also steadily declined, with national data revealing a consistent drop over the past two years.“It’s a cautionary tale. People forgot to get their vaccines, the vaccination rate was too low and this led to an increase in the number of cases,” Dr.

OnePlus 13 vs OnePlus 12: The OnePlus 13 has already been launched in China and now the smartphone is expected to make its debut in India in January 2025. Over the past few weeks, several leaks surrounding the device have been making rounds on the internet, giving us a glimpse of what OnePlus may launch in India. However, for people looking for an upgrade, it is worth analyzing what upgrades and changes are coming to the OnePlus 13 in comparison to the OnePlus 12.

Asian shares are mixed after U.S. markets were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday

Australia’s international student community. Financial Impact on Indian Students The 126% hike in visa fees comes at a time when global inflation and rising living costs are already making studying abroad more expensive. For Indian students, who number 118,109 in Australia as of 2024, the additional AUD 890 fee represents a significant financial burden, especially for middle-income families managing tuition, accommodation, and living expenses. The increase has drawn attention to the overall affordability of Australian education, which has been a preferred choice for Indian students due to its world-class universities and post-study work opportunities. However, recent trends, including declining student numbers (down from 126,487 in 2023), suggest that rising costs and other challenges are making Australia a less attractive destination.

Allan Border has expressed his disappointment over the team's inability to contain Virat Kohli during the first Test in Perth and feels that can potentially cost the hosts the five-match series. Kohli, who had not scored a Test century in 18 months, roared back to form with an unbeaten 100 in the second innings as India secured a thumping 295-run victory over the hosts. «I was really disappointed in the way we let Kohli roll on to a hundred without much resistance,» Border told SEN radio on Friday morning. «We don't want this guy full of confidence for the rest of the series.»

Bookings under the sale are open from 0001 hours IST of 29 November 2024 to 2359 hours IST of 02 December 2024, for travel until 30 June 2025 (except for flights between India and Australia & North America that are available for travel until 30 October 2025). However, the sale is available exclusively through Air India’s official website and mobile apps on both iOS and Android. The seats on offer are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with some blackout dates applying, said the low-cost airline.

On the second day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, Root fell for a duck, dismissed by debutant Nathan Smith, who also claimed the wicket of Jacob Bethell in the same over. England's solid start of 43/1 quickly deteriorated to 45/3. This was Root's 13th career duck in Test cricket and his eighth in the World Test Championship (WTC), the most by any batter in the competition's history alongside Rory Burns, Kusal Mendis, Jason Holder, and Zak Crawley. Root now surpasses Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, who each have seven ducks in the WTC.

Australia approved the social media ban for children late on Thursday after an emotive debate that has gripped the nation, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting big tech. The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta Platforms to TikTok to stop minors from logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million). A trial of enforcement methods will start in January, with the ban to take effect in a year.

Australia has imposed a sweeping ban on social media for children under 16, one of the world's most comprehensive measures aimed at safeguarding young people from potential hazards online. But many details were still unclear, such as how it will be enforced and what platforms will be covered. After sailing through Parliament's lower house on Wednesday, the bill passed the Senate on Thursday with bipartisan support. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that it puts Australia at the vanguard of efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of children from the detrimental effects of social media, such as online hate or bullying. The law, he has said, puts the onus on social media platforms to take «reasonable steps» to prevent anyone under 16 from having an account. Corporations could be fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (about $32 million) for «systemic» failures to implement age requirements.

«We're all parents of kids of various ages and we're definitely aware of all the little tricks kids do,» said Andrew Hammond, general manager at tech contractor KJR which will conduct the trial on about 1,200 randomly chosen Australians from January to March. «Kids are quite resourceful so we'll definitely have our eyes and ears open,» added Hammond, whose company's previous projects included checking deployment software for Australian troops in Afghanistan.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Wednesday announced the launch of toripalimab, an immune oncology drug to treat adults with a rare and aggressive form of head and neck cancer that originates in the nasopharynx, the upper part of the throat. Toripalimab, a new biological entity (NBE), is approved by various regulatory authorities around the world including the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of adults with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC). Last year, Dr Reddy's entered into a licence and commercialisation agreement with Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. for toripalimab. Under this agreement, it obtained exclusive rights to develop and commercialise the drug in 21 countries including India, South Africa, Brazil and various countries in South America. The agreement also allows Dr Reddy's to expand the scope of the licence to cover Australia, New Zealand and nine other countries.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha on the question of Congress MP Neeraj Dangi, MoS Singh informed that the fee for international student visas was increased by the Government of Australia from AUD 710 to AUD 1600 with effect from July 1, 2024. He acknowledged that the steep increase is expected to create financial difficulties for Indian students aspiring to study in Australia.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Australia is set to become the first country to ban social media use by under-16s after the country’s Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of strict new legislation. The ban, which will take at least 12 months to come into effect, could see technology companies fined up to 50 million Australian dollars, roughly $32.5 million, if they fail to bring in steps to prevent children from holding accounts.

World shares are mixed after losses for big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street

Anthony Albanese on Thursday hosted a reception for the travelling Indian cricket team ahead of its two-two-day pink ball practice match against PM's XI here from November 30. The game will take place the Manuka Oval serving as good preparation for the day-night Test in Adelaide from December 6. India recorded their biggest win on Australia soil when they hammered the hosts by 295 runs in the opening game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. Following the protocol, India skipper Rohit Sharma introduced all his teammates to Albanese, who praised heroes of the first Test including Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Russian aluminium giant Rusal recently shook the global market with its plan to slash output by more than 6%, citing skyrocketing alumina prices and weakening domestic demand. The decision comes amid a surge in alumina prices, which have more than doubled to about $700 a tonne owing to supply disruptions in Guinea, Brazil and Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 index hit an all-time high of 8,477.10 earlier, its third this month and second this week. It ended the day with a 0.5% increase to 8,444.30.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru assembled a strong side in the IPL 2025 auction held on Sunday and Monday at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The franchise had retained star batter Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore, Rajat Patidar for Rs 11 crore and uncapped pacer Yash Dayal for Rs 5 crore. They also made a few big buys in the auction, including Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood for Rs 12.5 crore, England's Liam Livingtone and Phil Salt for Rs 8.75 crore and Rs 11.50 crores. However, it was the Indian wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma who was the biggest gainer. The franchise shelled out Rs 11 crore on the finisher. He got a salary hike of 5,500 per cent — which is an IPL record by some distance. The amount he will receive in the 2025 season is 55 times more than his previous IPL salary of Rs 20 lakh. He was picked up for his base price by PBKS in the IPL 2022 mega auction and then retained him for the same price for the next two seasons.

The bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. It is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament's final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months.

The Australian Senate is debating a ban on children younger than 16 from social media after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction

bond yields slipped as traders took to the sidelines ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday. Shares in Japan swung between gains and losses while those in Australia climbed alongside Hong Kong equity futures. Contracts for US stocks edged up after the S&P 500 fell 0.4% Wednesday, retreating from a record high in the prior session. The Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.9% as tech stocks weighed on the US market. Nvidia Corp. and Tesla Inc. were among the hardest hit big-tech companies.