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Australians and Kiwis Are World's Biggest Cocaine Users

Australians and Kiwis Are World's Biggest Cocaine Users

Bloomberg16 hours ago

Good morning, it's Amy in Melbourne with the news you need heading into the weekend. It appears Aussie super funds can breathe easy over the so-called US 'revenge tax' that's been bothering them lately, but first...
Today's must-reads:
• Australia's big drug problem
• Sports nutrition firm owners mull sale
• Virgin Australia podcast
A UN report shows Australians and New Zealanders are the biggest users of cocaine globally. The relative wealth of Australia, and the price that users in the country are willing to pay for drugs, has long made it an attractive market for criminals. The report paints a bleak picture of the worldwide battle against illegal drugs.
Virgin Australia is back on the ASX after a five-year absence, marking the biggest IPO so far this year. Once grounded by the pandemic, the airline is now making money again and flying under new leadership. This week on the podcast, Rebecca Jones talks to Angus Whitley about the airline's financial reboot, its rivalry with Qantas, and whether this new Virgin can deliver for both investors and travelers.

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Factbox-Governments, regulators increase scrutiny of DeepSeek
Factbox-Governments, regulators increase scrutiny of DeepSeek

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Factbox-Governments, regulators increase scrutiny of DeepSeek

(Reuters) -Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which said in January it had developed an AI model to rival ChatGPT at much lower cost, has come under scrutiny in some countries for its security policies and privacy practices. According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous pieces of personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China. Below are countries' actions regarding DeepSeek: AUSTRALIA In early February, Australia banned DeepSeek from all government devices over concerns that it posed security risks. GERMANY Germany has asked Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek from their stores due to concerns about data safety, a data protection authority commissioner said in June. INDIA India's finance ministry asked its employees at the beginning of February to avoid using AI tools including ChatGPT and DeepSeek for official purposes, citing risks posed to confidentiality of government documents and data. ITALY Italy's antitrust watchdog AGCM said in mid-June that it had opened an investigation into DeepSeek for allegedly failing to warn users that it may produce false information. In January it blocked the app citing a lack of information on its use of personal data. RUSSIA Russia's President Vladimir Putin in early February instructed Sberbank to collaborate with Chinese researchers on joint AI projects, a top executive at Russia's biggest bank told Reuters. SOUTH KOREA South Korea's data protection authority said in mid-February that new downloads of the DeepSeek app had been suspended in the country after the startup acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency's rules on protecting personal data. Earlier in February, the industry minister had temporarily blocked employee access to DeepSeek due to security concerns. The service became available again at the end of April. TAIWAN Taiwan in February banned government departments from using DeepSeek's service as it saw it as a security risk. It also raised concerns about censorship on DeepSeek and the risk of data ending up in China. NETHERLANDS The Netherlands' privacy watchdog at the end of January said it would launch an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek's data collection practices and urged Dutch users to exercise caution with the company's software. The government has also banned civil servants from using the app, citing policy regarding countries with an offensive cyber program, the government spokesperson said in late July. UNITED STATES The Trump administration is weighing penalties that would block DeepSeek from buying U.S. technology, and is debating barring Americans' access to its services, the New York Times reported in April. (Compiled by Mateusz Rabiega and Paolo Laudani in Gdansk)

3 Reasons to Buy Pool Corp. Stock Like There's No Tomorrow
3 Reasons to Buy Pool Corp. Stock Like There's No Tomorrow

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

3 Reasons to Buy Pool Corp. Stock Like There's No Tomorrow

Pool Corp. stock has been under pressure amid a slowdown in new pool construction. The company is leveraging its private label brands and Pool360 digital initiatives to drive growth and profitability. Strong company fundamentals and a positive long-term outlook keep shares positioned to rebound. 10 stocks we like better than Pool › Shares of Pool Corp. (NASDAQ: POOL) have been treading water, down about 12% year to date and near their lowest level since 2022. The pool supplies giant is attempting to swim against the current of a challenging economic environment, as shifting consumer spending trends pressure sales and earnings. Nevertheless, the recent sell-off in the stock could represent a great opportunity for investors to jump in and pick up the sunken pieces of this high-quality industry leader at a discount. Here are three reasons Pool Corp. stock is a fantastic addition to your portfolio today. Nothing beats the summer heat like diving into a cool, refreshing pool -- a backyard oasis for countless families and communities. Pool Corp. stands out as the world's largest pool supplies distributor, operating an extensive network of 448 sales centers across North America, Europe, and Australia. The company serves more than 125,000 customers, including professional builders and maintenance companies, as the go-to source for specialized equipment and materials. Pool Corp. also owns the Pinch A Penny retail franchise with approximately 300 locations. While demand for pool supplies has historically been tied to the construction and renovation of residential and commercial facilities, Pool Corp.'s true strength lies in its recurring business model. Recognizing that installed pools require consistent upkeep, including treatment chemicals and irrigation systems, 86% of the company's revenue flows from steady, predictable sales of these types of products. This entrenched leadership, built through deeply rooted customer relationships, positions Pool Corp. for long-term growth in a still-fragmented industry. Pool Corp.'s business model has proven highly successful, allowing it to acquire smaller competitors and consolidate market share. In the past five years, including a pandemic-era pool building boom, total revenue has increased at a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $5.3 billion in 2024. Despite a sluggish housing market and slowdown in new pool construction, management is optimistic about growth driven by its expanding private-label business, which offers high-margin, proprietary products, and Pool360, a cutting-edge digital platform that enhances customer access to inventory and streamlines operations. The company's outlook underscores its strong fundamentals and operating resiliency. For 2025, Pool Corp. targets net sales to be "flat to slightly higher" year over year, with a full-year earnings-per-share (EPS) estimate of $11.08 to $11.58, representing a 3% increase at the midpoint compared to 2024. Pool Corp. continues to translate its strong free-cash-flow generation into a generous shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy. Supported by a solid balance sheet, the company recently hiked its quarterly dividend payment by 4% to $1.25 per share, yielding about 1.3%. Pool Corp. has also upsized its share repurchasing authorization to $600 million, reinforcing its commitment to investors ahead of potentially stronger growth in the long run as operating conditions normalize. Given Pool Corp.'s underlying strengths and industry positioning, the stock commands a valuation premium relative to the broader market. Nevertheless, its current forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 27 is at a compelling discount to the stock's historical average P/E of closer to 30 going back 10 years. By this measure, Pool Corp. appears undervalued, with the assumption that its softer growth trends are temporary. A scenario where the housing market and pool construction improve or at least stabilize going forward, possibly propelled by subdued inflation and lower interest rates, could be the key for company results to outperform expectations. With the stock down 25% from its 52-week high, I believe now is a great time to start building a position in Pool Corp. shares within a diversified portfolio ahead of a rebound. Before you buy stock in Pool, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Pool wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $687,731!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $945,846!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 818% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 175% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 Dan Victor has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Reasons to Buy Pool Corp. Stock Like There's No Tomorrow was originally published by The Motley Fool

What Nearly Blowing My Promotion Taught Me About Leadership
What Nearly Blowing My Promotion Taught Me About Leadership

Forbes

time4 hours ago

  • Forbes

What Nearly Blowing My Promotion Taught Me About Leadership

Toyna Chin is the Global Director of Marketing at Novotech, a global biotech CRO. A few years ago, I stepped into a new role through an internal promotion. I'd been with the company for a while, understood the people and had a strong pulse on the business. Naturally, I thought I was ready to hit the ground running. Spoiler alert: I wasn't. Almost immediately, I found myself creating tension. Not because I had bad ideas, but because I was too eager to act without fully understanding my new reality. I later picked up What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith, and the title alone felt like it was written for me. It helped me reflect on why my instincts (which had served me well until that point) were suddenly working against me. Here's what I wish I had done differently and what I eventually figured out the hard way. In my prior role, I was valued for being proactive, decisive and solution-focused. When I moved up, I leaned on those same traits—but now they were landing differently. Instead of being seen as helpful, I came off as pushy. I was unintentionally steamrolling people who had more context than I did. I remember diving into a team meeting and immediately suggesting changes to a process I thought was outdated. What I didn't realize was that this 'outdated' process had been carefully developed to meet very real constraints I hadn't yet uncovered. That was my first big leadership lesson: Leading from the middle is very different from leading from above. Execution and influence are not the same thing. My job was no longer to drive every solution but to enable the team to solve the right problems. One trap I fell into was assuming that my tenure gave me all the insight I needed. I'd been involved in cross-functional projects, sat in on leadership meetings and even contributed to some strategic planning. But I didn't realize how much nuance I was missing until I started asking more questions. Eventually, I slowed down and started meeting with key stakeholders—not to tell them my vision, but to ask for theirs. I asked questions like: • 'What's working well that you'd want to protect?' • 'Where do you think I can be most helpful?' • 'What do you want me to understand before I try to change anything?' Those conversations gave me insight that no dashboard or report ever could. I realized I had a few puzzle pieces—but not the whole picture. I came into the role with good intentions, but my early attempts to make improvements were met with hesitation. It wasn't until I stepped back and focused on building trust that things began to shift. I started by owning what I didn't know. I became more transparent about my learning curve and started showing more appreciation for the team's existing efforts. I stopped assuming and started listening with patience. And something powerful happened: the resistance faded. People became more open, more engaged and, ironically, more receptive to change. They felt respected and included in the process. There was a process I was certain we needed to sunset. In my mind, it was inefficient and outdated. But when I spoke to the team that created it, I heard the backstory. That process wasn't built in a vacuum; it was born from constraints, limited resources and a lot of trial and error. Instead of scrapping it immediately, I invited the team to revisit it with me. We explored what still served us and what we'd outgrown. Together, we built something better. That collaboration turned what could've been seen as a teardown into a shared success. It taught me something critical: Honoring past work isn't about clinging to the old. It's about showing people that their efforts matter—and that progress is something we create together. I had a new title, new responsibilities and formal decision-making power. But the moment I tried to rely on that power alone, I hit walls. Influence, I realized, comes from alignment, not hierarchy. So I brought people into the conversation early. I started socializing ideas instead of announcing them. I gave space for feedback, even when it was hard to hear. Over time, something shifted: the team stopped seeing change as my agenda and started treating it as our direction. Looking Back: Growth Requires A Gear Shift That promotion was a turning point for me not just professionally, but personally. It challenged my assumptions, exposed some blind spots and ultimately reshaped how I lead today. Goldsmith's premise still rings true: The skills that get you promoted won't necessarily make you successful in your new role. Transitioning into leadership requires letting go of old habits, embracing new ones and remembering that people don't follow titles—they follow trust. If you've recently stepped into a new role or have one on the horizon, here's my advice: don't rush to prove yourself. Start by listening, aligning and showing people that you respect the journey they've been on. Because when people trust that you see them, they'll walk with you even when the path changes. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?

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