Turnbull government attacks banks over Adani

The big news yesterday was Westpac ruling out financing Adani Group’s controversial, giant coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin under the bank’s new climate change policy. This came after activists disrupted Westpac’s 200th birthday party to pressure the bank into guaranteeing it will not fund the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland. Westpac’s decision means that all four banks…

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Why the French election is important

The elections in France might well have echoes of Brexit. The polls badly misread global populist and had an impact on the British government, forcing David Cameron to resign and raising questions about the future of Europe. The first significant rollback in the continent’s economic integration is still playing out. And Britain is now going…

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Russian navy moves in

There’s been a military response from the Russians to Trump’s attacks in Syria. The Russian frigate, Admiral Grigorovich RFS-494, crossed through the Bosphorus Strait and was reportedly heading towards the two U.S. Navy destroyers that launched missile strikes into Syria. The Admiral Grigorovich is armed with advanced Kalibr cruise missiles. Meanwhile, Fox News says one of the…

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Australia is one of the world’s worst money laundering property markets

Australian real estate agents with offshore sales offices and websites targeting foreigners are attracting money launderers. That’s one of the findings in a new Transparency International reportDoors wide open: corruption and real estate in four key markets. The report found money laundering through real estate is particularly rife in Australia, the US, UK and Canada. In…

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