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Trump vows 15pc corporate tax, taps Musk

The Republican nominee for president also said, if elected, he would create a sovereign wealth fund for the US to invest in “great national endeavours”.

Michael O’Connor has been a senior CFMEU official for years.

CFMEU official used super fund money to help union, alleges APRA

Legal action has started against Michael O’Connor, who is accused of knowing a First Super staffer was also performing work for his labour organisation.

$3.9b to boost domestic violence legal support: PM

Mark Dreyfus says funding for frontline legal services is “critical” after national cabinet; Former treasurer says RBA ‘punching itself in the face’. Follow live updates.

The great surcharging ‘rort’ where nothing costs what it seems

The notoriously complex area of retail payment costs is in the political spotlight, and set to force a response from the central bank. Here’s how it works.

Why this fundie is watching the ‘housing Ponzi scheme’ so closely

From banks to healthcare stocks, the pain of poor housing affordability – and an uneven economy – is shaping Martin Conlon’s thinking.

ASX gains on bank rally; Woodside, BHP down

Shares advance; Wall Street mixed ahead of August jobs report; Woodside sells $US2 billion of bonds to help fund acquisitions; iron ore extends decline. Follow updates here.

PwC UK to track workers’ locations in office attendance crackdown

The big four firm will send British employees their monthly working location data as it toughens up on its hybrid working policy.

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review

Learning to live with 50 degree temperatures

From Dubai to Mumbai, cities are having to adapt to hotter summers, often exacerbating economic inequality in the process.

Masculinity pitch: Workers move a portrait of former president Donald Trump by the artist Scott LoBaido at a rally in Wildwood Beach, New Jersey.

Trump courts the ‘bro vote’, which could just swing the election

A constellation of YouTubers, pranksters and streamers is helping Donald Trump win his frat-boy flank – 18-to-29-year-olds who Republicans believe may just win them the poll.

Zahra Tarreel Adam, 19, and her one-year-old Abdallah fled from their village of Kandobe in Darfur, Sudan.

No one is talking about the world’s worst humanitarian crisis

Sudan’s catastrophic war could kill millions and spread chaos across Africa and the Middle East as huge numbers of refugees flee the country.

This poker pro wants to teach you how to be a better gambler

Nate Silver’s account of the gaming industry can be read as a useful manual for aspiring card sharps and professional sports gamblers, but it doubles as an indictment.

The 5 things university students should be protesting about

Here are some alternative focal points for outrage and protest, particularly for morally energetic university students.

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Companies

Communications tower, Australia

TPG Telecom, Optus network-sharing deal gets ACCC approval

TPG Telecom will market its mobile phone services to more Australians after the competition regulator said it could share networks with Optus in regional areas.

TPG Telecom boss Inaki Berroeta needs to add at least another 100,000 customers to make the regional sharing deal break even.

Vodafone gets a start in the bush, now to make it work

Vodafone’s never been able to justify going to the bush. It needs at least 100,000 more customers to make its new deal work.

Queensland’s Opposition has vowed to release the findings of a secret report into Star’s casino if it forms government next month.

Vow to release secret Queensland report into Star’s HK partner

The report into Star Entertainment’s marquee Brisbane casino examined possible criminal links with one of its business partners.

Healthscope’s Northern Beaches Hospital.

Brookfield’s Healthscope deal leaves a sick feeling

A weakened Healthscope is the face of the backlash agitating for more funding from the private health insurers.

Khuda sets $100b valuation target for AirTrunk’s next trick

Billionaire Robin Khuda has praised his own foresight in investing in data centres tailor-made for tech giants after creating a $24 billion business in less than a decade.

Apollo sell-down wipes $530m from Challenger

Investors and analysts are blaming the rout on what they claim are overblown concerns over the future of Challenger’s relationship with the private equity giant.

Arcadium to mothball Mt Cattlin amid low lithium prices

The collapse in lithium prices has claimed its first major victim in Western Australia.

Companies in the News

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Markets

The next big test for markets will come on Friday with the release of US non-farm payrolls, the official monthly jobs survey.

Markets brace for more bad news on US economy

Traders have ramped up bets on rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

The New York Stock Exchange.

What happened overnight? The S&P 500 dropped as jobs data loomed

Australian shares were set to edge up, reversing earlier losses. US equities were mixed as the debate over how much the Fed should cut rates this month raged.

Global inventories of copper have risen to their highest level in four years.

Copper’s mega-bulls are ‘throwing in the towel’

Once hailed as the decade’s best commodity bet, investors are being forced to temper their expectations following a near 20 per cent slump in prices.

The alternative to high interest rates is recession: Bullock

Michele Bullock has stressed the necessity of high rates just days after Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the central bank’s actions were “smashing the economy”.

This chip maker is still cheap despite rallying nearly 60pc this year

Pella Funds Management’s Jordan Cvetanovski says the market is too conservative on Taiwan Semiconductor, the leading producer of advanced chips for Apple and Nvidia.

Opinion

Just maybe, the worm has started to turn on the cost of living

The short-lived census row has sharply reminded the government that it cannot take its eye off the economic ball now.

Phillip Coorey

Political editor

Phillip Coorey

The MSO brought this row on itself

Young self-absorbed artists and old complacent arts organisations like the MSO don’t understand that great art is powerful because it transcends politics.

John Roskam

Columnist

John Roskam

Playing Solomon on bitter divisions in private health

Health Minister Mark Butler’s review must eventually produce healthier private hospitals and health insurers that pass on the benefits in lower premiums.

The AFR View

Editorial

The AFR View

Bullock fights her own war

RBA governor Michele Bullock took to the podium on Thursday on a mission to avoid a war of words with the treasurer.

Jonathan Shapiro

Senior reporter

Jonathan Shapiro

Government spending plays hero and villain

Jim Chalmers says the weakness of the economy justifies high government spending. He doesn’t want voters to link that with interest rates and inflation.

It’s time Australia put the guardrails on its gambling habit

The public is ready for gambling reform, if only politicians were brave enough to take it up.

Aruna Sathanapally

Budget expert

Aruna Sathanapally

Reports

Clean Energy - the bumpy transition

This special report looks at how Australia is tracking to meet net zero goals, and the new technology that can help us get there.

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Politics

Bill Shorten will become vice chancellor of Canberra University.

Departing Shorten confident NDIS can be brought under control

The former Labor leader and party powerbroker will leave federal politics after six terms to become vice chancellor of Canberra University.

Bill Shorten with wife Chloe and daughter Clementine after anonuncing his retirement.

From Beaconsfield to Bruce: Labor’s loss will be education’s gain

Bill Shorten will rival, if not supplant, Kim Beazley as the best prime minister Labor never had.

The ETU, which represents the majority of the CEPU, has voted to disaffiliate from the ACTU.

Major blue-collar union splits from ACTU

Electricians, posties and plumbers have resolved to disaffiliate from the ACTU over its support for the CFMEU administration laws, in a historic split.

With a half-smile, Bill Shorten bows out of politics on his terms

The former federal Labor leader has no regrets about calling it quits to become a university vice chancellor.

CFMEU organiser charged with threats to kill

The charges against the senior CFMEU organiser are the first since a joint investigation into the union.

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World

The two campaigns and groups supporting them have booked $US527 million worth of ads to air between September 2 and election day.

Trump, Harris are spending $25m a week. They’re just getting started

The two candidates’ campaigns are spending their war chests on everything from social media adverts to lawn signs. But a multi-million dollar blitz is still to come.

Gabriel Attal, France’s outgoing prime minister, left, and Michel Barnier, France’s incoming one, in Paris.

Macron turns to veteran Brexit hardman as French PM

The French president, boxed in by the parliamentary deadlock he created via a snap election in June, has named 73-year-old Michel Barnier as prime minister.

A Trump presidency could hurt investments in China and the energy transition, Anthony Scaramucci has warned.

Trump will hit clean energy and any nation linked with Asia

If Donald Trump wins the White House, investors should be prepared for a drop in climate change investments and worse US relations with the world, his former adviser says.

Secrets of an unassuming NY official accused of working for China

Charges against Linda Sun are the latest in the efforts of the US Justice Department to stop efforts by the Chinese government to secretly wield its influence in the country.

Germany faces jobs crisis ‘of a thousand cuts’

Highly paid manufacturing work is no longer easy to come by in the eurozone’s largest economy.

Property

Alexandra Walters is making her Dee Why apartment more energy efficient.

The green renovations that could make you $100k

The potential to save thousands of dollars and add value to homes is enticing more households to install sustainable features when renovating.

There’s no shortage of designs for new social and affordable housing. The $10b HAFF offers a new way to get over the funding hurdles.

Social housing offers 8-12pc infrastructure-like returns

As Australia grapples with how to channel institutional money into new housing, the $10b HAFF fund offers a way to invest that Australia hasn’t had before.

Inside the high-tech sheds worth $24b to AirTrunk

From a single room holding a hard-working mainframe, data centres have evolved into major pieces of high-powered, high-tech infrastructure.

The suburbs where housing risks are rising

Risks of sharper house price declines are emerging across many areas in Melbourne as listings surge and demand falls.

Time to buy into REITs: Barrenjoey

Property stocks have weathered the interest rate storm, according to Barrenjoey, who say investors could be “well served” to increase their exposure.

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Wealth

Success signalling consumption is a wealth depletion trap.

Earning big money but still broke? It could be lifestyle creep

Routinely splurging on luxuries can leave even very high earners drowning in debt. Three ways to set yourself free

What to do with a six-figure redundancy payout

Being made redundant can be emotionally and financially devastating if you weren’t expecting it. But large lump sum payouts also present an opportunity to reset your career and finances.

Help! I’m trapped in my legacy pension product

A reader with $4.3 million in superannuation wants to know how he can exit an outdated, market-linked pension.

Technology

Bubs Swedish lollies.

Inside the Swedish lolly craze sweeping TikTok

The world has gone mad for Scandinavian confectionery, thanks to a viral social media post about the high-quality, low-sugar sweets.

Mia Garlick, Meta’s regional policy director, and Antigone Davis, Meta’s global head of safety, before an inquiry into social media on Wednesday.

Apple, Google, parents should stop kids using social media apps: Meta

The company behind Facebook and Instagram says Apple and Google and their app stores are better placed to prevent children joining social media.

Google or Samsung, which folding phone is best?

Google’s folding Pixel phone has finally come to Australia, so we’ve put it head to head with the incumbent.

Work & Careers

Fujitsu CEO Takahito Tokita.

What this CEO learnt from the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Moscow’s move gave Fujitsu global CEO Takahito Tokita the impetus to buck the trend of Japanese corporates focusing exclusively on Japan.

What this exec has learnt from becoming a CEO at 29

In 2022, Rajneen Arora was the GM of Best Gift Group when the hospitality gift card company fielded a buyout offer. The deal was contingent on Arora becoming its chief executive.

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Life & Luxury

Oasis at Knebworth in 2001, when dynamic pricing systems did not exist.

Who decides on the fair price of an Oasis ticket?

Outrage over computer-driven ticket prices to see a legendary band has left music fans and the British government in a muddle.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD Alinghi RB

The watch that works with Formula 1 and Red Bull Racing

Tudor has a new collection for the America’s Cup, which blends the best of then and now in two Alinghi models.

Books can be tough: Shay Leighton, front right, at a Tough Guy Book Club meeting at Goldy’s Tavern, Collingwood.

Why men are joining book clubs

The world sleepwalked into a loneliness epidemic. Is the humble book club the remedy?

Colonial Williamsburg VA.

If you want to get a sense of America, head to Virginia

As the US prepares for another feverish election, it’s timely to consider the country’s long-buried origin story.

An original 1970s French sofa has been reupholstered in plush velvet and trimmed with cord.

The interior decorators in the spotlight for their beautiful spaces

Looking for a home refresh to enhance your signature style or soften hard lines? These three women have the know-how.

From the gallery