RBA considered rate rise; Oil, gas surge; WFH’s new phase

The crunch question is whether Qantas is too big an icon to fail
Is the national carrier to be given primacy in Australian aviation or is it really just another privatised airline in a deregulated market? If so, where does that leave Virgin?

Motorists urged to track down cheap petrol before Christmas
With price differences of more than 50¢ a litre in some neighbourhoods, fuel experts say it pays to shop around in the lead up to December 25.

Two Australians walked into a French cellar, and this happened
Leanne De Bortoli and Steve Webber arrived unannounced on Charles Fourny’s doorstep 10 years ago, with the result his fine bubbly is available Down Under today.

Around the world

Oil, gas prices surge as Red Sea attacks shut down shipping
The threat from Houthi militants is forcing big container lines to pull out of the area, raising fears the Israel-Hamas war will undermine the global economy.

More than 100 members of this Gaza clan have been killed in war
Family trees have been dismembered, and whole branches obliterated, since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7.

Apple to halt US sales of smartwatches after patent loss
The company is preparing for a looming ban of models with a blood oxygen sensor – a feature first added to the lineup in 2020 – that Masimo says it invented.

The security situation is intense: Life as a lawyer in South Africa
Olivia Clark normally works for DLA Piper in London, but is on a secondment in Johannesburg.

Matter of opinion

Why the work from home debate is entering a new phase
Australia’s top CEOs have accepted flexible employment is here to stay. But almost four years on from the pandemic, there are growing questions about productivity, culture and careers, writes Chanticleer.

Culture clash as Baby Boomers and Gen Z stop talking at work
Male managers are so terrified of getting “cancelled” that some are avoiding conversations with their young colleagues altogether, writes the London Telegraph’s Lucy Burton.

Business life

Call us crazy but we love HP’s weird and whacky Envy Move
The brand’s latest All-In-One PC seems utterly bizarre, but only until you pull it out of the box and go to put it down on your desk, writes John Davidson.

How perfumer Jo Malone regained her mojo after losing her sense of smell
The UK entrepreneur sold her first global brand to Estée Lauder after chemotherapy destroyed her olfactory system. Her drive to build another business followed a complete recovery.

Eight Christmas treats experts would cancel, and the healthier options
The average Briton eats an extra 2410 calories every day over the festive period, consuming up to 6000 calories on the main day alone. Don’t be like them.