RSS Parrot

Subscription trap warning for new year health goals

https://michaelwest.com.au/subscription-trap-warning-for-new-year-health-goals/

Published: January 2, 2025 16:30

Australians have been urged to check the fine print before signing up for gym memberships or wellness apps to avoid subscription traps. With the new year comes resolutions to get in shape and eat healthier but sometimes other priorities emerge and goals…

‘We are safe’: worry after air crew allegedly attacked

https://michaelwest.com.au/we-are-safe-worry-after-air-crew-allegedly-attacked/

Published: January 2, 2025 16:30

Fijians are worried about the impact of alleged attacks on two Australian flight crew members who were celebrating New Year’s Eve on the tourist-dependent nation. Local authorities are investigating allegations that one Virgin Australia crew member was…

Aussie dollar nears lowest level since COVID pandemic

https://michaelwest.com.au/aussie-dollar-nears-lowest-level-since-covid-pandemic/

Published: January 2, 2025 16:30

The local currency is nearing its lowest level since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in what could be bad news for travellers and motorists, but good news for exporters and tourist operators. During the new year holiday, the Aussie slipped to less…

Tesla annual deliveries fall amid competition

https://michaelwest.com.au/tesla-annual-deliveries-fall-amid-competition/

Published: January 2, 2025 15:01

Tesla has reported its first decline in global annual sales as the car maker delivered fewer than expected electric vehicles in the fourth quarter and incentives failed to boost demand for its aging line-up of models. Shares of the company fell 3.5 per…

Fiji ‘tarnished’ after alleged assault on flight crew

https://michaelwest.com.au/fiji-tarnished-after-alleged-assault-on-flight-crew/

Published: January 2, 2025 08:30

Alleged attacks on two Virgin Australia crew members will tarnish Fiji’s reputation, a local politician says as he called for a thorough investigation and swift justice. Local authorities are investigating allegations one Australian was robbed and another…

More to do on Medicare and bulk-billing, Labor says

https://michaelwest.com.au/more-to-do-on-medicare-and-bulk-billing-labor-says/

Published: January 2, 2025 05:46

Making it cheaper to see a doctor is expected to feature prominently in Labor’s election pitch, with the federal health minister committed to strengthening Medicare before the upcoming campaign. “There’s more we want to do to deliver – more doctors, more…

Water source the key to missing hiker’s survival

https://michaelwest.com.au/water-source-the-key-to-missing-hikers-survival/

Published: January 2, 2025 05:26

Hopes are dwindling that a missing hiker will be found alive as experts warn of the rough terrain and scarce water availability. The 23-year-old hiker, Hadi Nazari, was descending a challenging trail in the Kosciuszko National Park about 2.30pm on Boxing…

Weak start, stronger finish tipped for property in 2025

https://michaelwest.com.au/weak-start-stronger-finish-tipped-for-property-in-2025/

Published: January 2, 2025 02:51

National property prices have fallen for the first time in nearly two years and while interest rate cuts in 2025 will likely underpin more growth, any price bounce-back is expected to be modest. Home values dipped 0.1 per cent in December, led by lower…

Movie ticket sales slide in 2024, down three per cent

https://michaelwest.com.au/movie-ticket-sales-slide-in-2024-down-three-per-cent/

Published: January 2, 2025 02:16

US movie ticket sales took a hit in 2024. The annual domestic box office is expected to end up at around $US8.75 billion ($A14.09 billion), down more than three per cent from 2023, according to estimates from Comscore. It’s not as dire as it was in the…

Concern for air crew in Fiji after alleged NYE assaults

https://michaelwest.com.au/concern-for-air-crew-in-fiji-after-alleged-nye-assaults/

Published: January 1, 2025 23:59

Fijian authorities are investigating allegations Virgin Australia crew have been assaulted and robbed while celebrating New Year’s Eve as a union expressed concern for their welfare. The airline has sent support staff to Fiji amid reports three crew…

Gravity-defying home prices finally coming down

https://michaelwest.com.au/gravity-defying-home-prices-finally-coming-down/

Published: January 1, 2025 16:30

Australia’s property market has finally come off the boil after a resilient run of growth at a time of high interest rates and inflationary pain. For the first time in nearly two years, CoreLogic recorded a monthly decline in national home values. The 0.1…

Hope for end to wage theft as laws come into force

https://michaelwest.com.au/hope-for-end-to-wage-theft-as-laws-come-into-force/

Published: January 1, 2025 03:05

Commonwealth Bank call centre worker Adrian Thoen was devastated when he found out he was among thousands of workers at the nation’s biggest bank being underpaid to the tune of $16 million. He was employed on a flexible contract instead of a standard…

‘Best New Year’s Eve ever’ for most, but some trouble

https://michaelwest.com.au/best-new-years-eve-ever-for-most-but-some-trouble/

Published: January 1, 2025 01:59

Most people safely enjoyed spectacular, sanctioned fireworks, but some have started the new year in hospital, and others in custody. More than a million people swarmed vantage points around Sydney Harbour as nine tonnes of fireworks went up in smoke for…

New Year’s crowds praised, outbursts of local trouble

https://michaelwest.com.au/new-years-crowds-praised-outbursts-of-local-trouble/

Published: December 31, 2024 22:23

New Year’s Eve revellers have largely been praised for their behaviour at the nation’s largest fireworks shows, while officers were kept busy with outbursts of trouble around local fireworks. More than a million people swarmed the main vantage points…

Wall Street ends lower, capping a banner year

https://michaelwest.com.au/wall-street-ends-lower-capping-a-banner-year/

Published: December 31, 2024 21:30

Wall Street lost ground at the end of a remarkable year for equities in which the US stock market hit record highs powered by the artificial-intelligence boom and the US Federal Reserve’s first interest rate cuts in three-and-a-half years. The three major…

Artist’s alarm at sculptures credited to French creator

https://michaelwest.com.au/artists-alarm-at-sculptures-credited-to-french-creator/

Published: December 31, 2024 21:00

Artist Anya Pesce was stunned when she saw a gallery that once represented her, selling sculptures just like hers. “I was shocked, and a little frazzled and confused, I thought ‘what is this?’ … it set off some alarm bells for me,” the artist told AAP. The…

Consumers taking charge: energy saving tips for 2025

https://michaelwest.com.au/consumers-taking-charge-energy-saving-tips-for-2025/

Published: December 31, 2024 19:00

Smarter use of common household appliances – fridges, washing machines and even the toaster – could cut power bills in 2025, an electricians’ network says. The toaster may be a smaller contributor to the power bill but is still worth optimising, says Chris…

Rate cuts on horizon in mixed 2025 for the economy

https://michaelwest.com.au/rate-cuts-on-horizon-in-mixed-2025-for-the-economy/

Published: December 31, 2024 16:30

Australians have endured taxing economic conditions in the past calendar year, but there is cause for cautious hope in 2025. Long-awaited interest rate cuts are broadly expected in the first half of the year, providing household budgets with much-needed…

New year welcomed with dazzling fireworks displays

https://michaelwest.com.au/new-year-welcomed-with-dazzling-fireworks-displays/

Published: December 31, 2024 13:52

Australians have bid farewell to 2024, ringing in the new year with one “world-famous” fireworks display and many others not so famous. More than a million people rushed to the shores of the Sydney Harbour and hundreds of thousands more to the banks of the…

Howard confronts Iraq War call as documents unearthed

https://michaelwest.com.au/howard-confronts-iraq-war-call-as-documents-unearthed/

Published: December 31, 2024 13:05

Australia’s decision to invade Iraq was based on wrong information, but was not malicious, John Howard says. The former prime minister defends his decision to commit troops to the 2003 US-led invasion as newly released cabinet papers reveal the rationale…

Australia’s ‘world famous’ fireworks off to a bang

https://michaelwest.com.au/australias-world-famous-fireworks-off-to-a-bang/

Published: December 31, 2024 11:20

More than a million revellers, many from overseas, jammed into harbourside vantage points to watch Australia’s “world famous” New Year’s Eve fireworks show. Early displays for families and sleepy revellers kicked off celebrations in Sydney and in…

Huge crowds gather for ‘world famous’ fireworks

https://michaelwest.com.au/huge-crowds-gather-for-world-famous-fireworks/

Published: December 31, 2024 09:53

Hundreds of thousands of revellers, many from overseas, have jammed into harbourside vantage points eagerly awaiting Australia’s “world famous” New Year’s Eve fireworks show. Roman and Monica Gezernek from Germany have been waiting for hours for the Sydney…

Huge crowd gathers for ‘bucket list’ new year fireworks

https://michaelwest.com.au/huge-crowd-gathers-for-bucket-list-new-year-fireworks/

Published: December 31, 2024 05:32

As a kid Meg Brown would watch in awe from her English home at TV coverage of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks. The images beamed from the other side of the world seemed “magical” to Ms Brown, who vowed one day to visit the harbour city. At 28, Ms Brown…

Bushwalker found dead as search for student continues

https://michaelwest.com.au/bushwalker-found-dead-as-search-for-student-continues/

Published: December 31, 2024 04:44

A bushwalker has fallen to his death from a difficult peak in Tasmania, while the search continues for a university student missing in a NSW national park since Boxing Day. Melbourne student Hadi Nazari, 23, disappeared after setting off on a bushwalk in…

$US4.3 billion payout to Madoff’s scam victims complete

https://michaelwest.com.au/us4-3-billion-payout-to-madoffs-scam-victims-complete/

Published: December 31, 2024 03:28

A US government fund to compensate people swindled by Bernard Madoff has announced its tenth and final distribution , saying it will have paid out $4.3 billion to the late Ponzi schemer’s victims. Richard Breeden, the former US Securities and Exchange…

Treasury says Chinese hackers accessed workstations

https://michaelwest.com.au/treasury-says-chinese-hackers-accessed-workstations/

Published: December 31, 2024 02:08

Chinese hackers remotely accessed several US Treasury Department workstations and unclassified documents after compromising a third-party software service provider, the agency has revealed. The department did not provide details on how many workstations…

Stocks drop on global markets as elevated yields weigh

https://michaelwest.com.au/stocks-drop-on-global-markets-as-elevated-yields-weigh/

Published: December 31, 2024 01:25

Global stocks have dropped for a third straight session as the recent bout of elevated US Treasury yields prompted profit-taking at the end of a strong year for equities. On Wall Street, all three major US indexes closed with sharp losses in a broad…

Rain threatens new year party for east coast revellers

https://michaelwest.com.au/rain-threatens-new-year-party-for-east-coast-revellers/

Published: December 31, 2024 01:11

Another year is ending and Australians are poised to ring in 2025 with typical style and fanfare. But what was expected to be an almost perfect evening weatherwise is now threatening to deliver spoiling downpours for some revellers. “It will be a little…

Risk or reward: mandatory climate reporting to begin

https://michaelwest.com.au/risk-or-reward-mandatory-climate-reporting-to-begin/

Published: December 30, 2024 19:00

Very few businesses will escape demands to come clean on their carbon footprint under the mandatory climate-related reporting regime, experts say. From January 1, the largest companies and financial institutions will be legally required to measure and…

Goodbye 2024: Australians prepare to ring in a new year

https://michaelwest.com.au/goodbye-2024-australians-prepare-to-ring-in-a-new-year/

Published: December 30, 2024 16:30

Another year is coming to an end and Australians are set to farewell 2024 with their usual style and fanfare. But as festivities fire up and the alcohol flows, doctors are urging revellers not to start the new year in an emergency room. Hospitals…

New year changes to boost payments and career options

https://michaelwest.com.au/new-year-changes-to-boost-payments-and-career-options/

Published: December 30, 2024 16:30

A new year brings a raft of changes to policies and government payments for more than a million Australians. From January 1, underpaying workers will officially become a crime, while welfare recipients will notice more money coming into their bank…

Loyalty penalty costing power customers, warns ACCC

https://michaelwest.com.au/loyalty-penalty-costing-power-customers-warns-accc/

Published: December 30, 2024 06:46

As many as four in five households could be paying less for electricity by shopping around or calling providers to ask for a better deal. Numbers from the consumer watchdog suggest the so-called “loyalty penalty” intensifies the longer households wait to…

‘Be careful’: safety plea following holiday drownings

https://michaelwest.com.au/be-careful-safety-plea-following-holiday-drownings/

Published: December 30, 2024 06:19

Alarm bells are sounding with Australians being urged to start the new year prioritising safety around waterways after half a dozen drownings during the festive season. A couple from Perth’s Bangladeshi community who were reportedly attempting to rescue…

Drivers urged to ‘shop around’ as petrol prices surge

https://michaelwest.com.au/drivers-urged-to-shop-around-as-petrol-prices-surge/

Published: December 30, 2024 05:56

Motorists are being urged to shop around for cheaper fuel prices amid calls for an investigation to protect consumers rattled by rising costs at the bowser. Australia’s three most populous cities are among the most expensive for fuel, with Brisbane, Sydney…

Short trips, cheaper grub: tight budgets change travel

https://michaelwest.com.au/short-trips-cheaper-grub-tight-budgets-change-travel/

Published: December 30, 2024 05:03

Booking hotels and tickets well in advance has long defined Australian travellers but as household budgets come under stress, last-minute trips and spontaneity are becoming more popular. Amid high prices for groceries, housing and other essentials, Tourism…

Asia shares dip as high yields test valuations

https://michaelwest.com.au/asia-shares-dip-as-high-yields-test-valuations/

Published: December 30, 2024 00:37

Asian shares have edged lower as high Treasury yields challenged lofty Wall Street equity valuations while underpinning the US dollar near multi-month peaks. Volumes were light with the New Year holiday looming and a rather bare data diary this week. China…

Petrol price cycles doubling down cost-of-living pain

https://michaelwest.com.au/petrol-price-cycles-doubling-down-cost-of-living-pain/

Published: December 29, 2024 23:28

Longer cycles for petrol prices are adding to the increased cost of living for Australian motorists, with calls for an investigation to examine competition and protect consumers as they feel the sting at the pump. The three most populous cities were among…

Bushfire threat finally eases but warnings to last days

https://michaelwest.com.au/bushfire-threat-finally-eases-but-warnings-to-last-days/

Published: December 29, 2024 19:00

The threat of bushfires on both sides of the country has finally eased. Warnings for an out-of-control blaze in Western Australia’s Mid West region have been downgraded after crews worked successfully to slow its spread, while residents are counting the…

‘Disproportionate penalties’ for energy loyalty: ACCC

https://michaelwest.com.au/disproportionate-penalties-for-energy-loyalty-accc/

Published: December 29, 2024 16:30

Retail energy customers are broadly paying less in 2024 than the previous 12 months but the consumer watchdog warns a failure to switch plans regularly is leaving many paying for their loyalty. Customers in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, and southeast…

Verdict on how to prevent ‘carbon leakage’, save jobs

https://michaelwest.com.au/verdict-on-how-to-prevent-carbon-leakage-save-jobs/

Published: December 28, 2024 21:00

Reducing the carbon footprint of major exports has become more doable as other nations introduce emission charges at their borders, the head of Australia’s carbon leakage review says. “Carbon leakage” is not a very helpful term because it makes people…

AI tool can detect asymptomatic heart patients

https://michaelwest.com.au/ai-tool-can-detect-asymptomatic-heart-patients/

Published: December 28, 2024 13:35

A new artificial intelligence tool is finding people with a heart condition before they even have symptoms. The ground-breaking tool scours GP records to look for “red flags” which could indicate whether a patient is at risk of developing atrial…

NASA Solar Probe survives close brush with the sun

https://michaelwest.com.au/nasa-solar-probe-survives-close-brush-with-the-sun/

Published: December 27, 2024 18:15

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has successfully made the closest approach to the sun, the space agency confirmed. Earlier this week, the spacecraft passed within a record-breaking six million kilometres of the scorching star. NASA received an all-clear message…

Trump says Microsoft’s Bill Gates wants to meet

https://michaelwest.com.au/trump-says-microsofts-bill-gates-wants-to-meet/

Published: December 27, 2024 17:40

Donald Trump said Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has asked to visit him at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Part way through a Truth Social post on Friday morning, Trump referred to his Mar-a-Lago home, saying “Bill Gates asked to come,…

Bushfire rages but cool change a chance to check damage

https://michaelwest.com.au/bushfire-rages-but-cool-change-a-chance-to-check-damage/

Published: December 27, 2024 03:33

A cool change has given fire crews a chance to create more fire breaks and assess damage as they continue to battle a massive bushfire in a Victorian national park. The out-of-control blaze has scorched more than 74,000 hectares of bushland, about the size…

Conditions ease, but ‘Singapore-sized’ blaze rages on

https://michaelwest.com.au/conditions-ease-but-singapore-sized-blaze-rages-on/

Published: December 26, 2024 22:04

Cooler conditions are helping firefighters battle an out-of-control blaze in a Victorian national park that has scorched more than 74,000 hectares of bushland, roughly the size of Singapore. Difficult terrain in the Grampians National Park, coupled with…

Bushfire threat remains as heat band moves north

https://michaelwest.com.au/bushfire-threat-remains-as-heat-band-moves-north/

Published: December 26, 2024 16:30

A cool change has eased conditions for firefighters battling an out-of-control blaze in Victoria’s Grampians following the worst bushfire conditions since 2019’s Black Summer. Temperatures plunged on Thursday as gusty westerly winds swept over the blazes…

Distracted shoppers easy patsies for attentive scammers

https://michaelwest.com.au/distracted-shoppers-easy-patsies-for-attentive-scammers/

Published: December 26, 2024 16:30

Risky shopping practices are leaving Australians vulnerable to scammers during the holiday period. Almost three-in-four Australians admitted to shopping while distracted, increasing their risk of falling victim to fraud, research by online payments…

Americans tune out of the news ahead of Trump’s return

https://michaelwest.com.au/americans-tune-out-of-the-news-ahead-of-trumps-return/

Published: December 26, 2024 13:37

As a Democrat who immersed himself in political news during the presidential campaign, Ziad Aunallah has much in common with many Americans since the election. He’s tuned out. “People are mentally exhausted,” said Aunallah, 45, of San Diego.  “Everyone…