Latest news with #JeremyPiper
Perth Now
a day ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Aussie passport losing its power
Australia has fallen from sixth to seventh place in the latest Henley Passport Index, trailing countries such as Singapore, New Zealand and the UK. The Henley Passport Index ranks passports according to the number of places travellers can enter without a visa or with visa-on-arrival access. Australia now shares seventh place with Czechia, Hungary, Malta and Poland. Singapore is the world's most powerful passport, with visa-free access to 193 destinations out of 227. Japan and South Korea are in equal second place, each giving citizens access to 190 destinations visa-free. Australia now shares seventh place with four other countries. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NCA NewsWire Seven countries are in third place including France, Germany, Ireland and Italy. They have access to 189 destinations. In fourth place there are also seven countries including Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Portugal. They have visa-free entry to 188 destinations. New Zealand is in fifth spot, along with Switzerland, while the UK is in sixth place. The US has slipped to 10th place and is close to falling out of the top 10 for the first time since the index began almost 20 years ago. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa. Australians are still able to enter many countries without needing a visa beforehand. Australians can still enter many countries without a visa. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia The data shows a general global shift towards more openness, mobility and passport strength. Over the past decade, more than 80 passports have climbed at least 10 places, and the global average number of destinations travellers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109 in 2025. Notably, China has climbed 34 places from 94th to 60th since 2015. China has granted visa-free access to more than a dozen new passports since January, bringing its total to 75. These include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. In the past decade, more than 80 passports have climbed at least 10 places. NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone Credit: News Corp Australia Henley and Partners chief executive Juerg Steffen said Americans were leading the demand worldwide for alternative residence and citizenship options, with British nationals also among the top five. 'As the US and UK adopt increasingly inward-looking policies, we're witnessing a marked rise in interest from their citizens seeking greater global access and security,' he said. 'Your passport is no longer just a travel document – it's a reflection of your country's diplomatic influence and international relationships. 'In an era of growing inequality and mounting geopolitical uncertainty, strategic mobility and citizenship planning are more critical than ever.'
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Man takes Woolies truck on wild chase: cops
Police have tasered and arrested a young man following a wild and dangerous pursuit through western Sydney. The chaos kicked off about 6am at Bankstown, NSW Police allege, when a 29-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old Woolworths truck driver with a stun device on Olympic Parade. The man then stole the Woolies truck and drove off, police allege. Police then say they spotted the truck about 9am travelling along the Princes Highway at Rockdale. 'When the driver allegedly failed to stop when directed, a pursuit was initiated,' police said. The theft of the Woolworths truck happened about 6am in Bankstown, police allege. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia 'The pursuit continued at Wolli Creek, where the truck allegedly hit four parked cars but did not stop.' The chase was paused out of safety concerns, with the man seen continuing onto the M8. A police chopper tracked the truck as it travelled westbound onto the M4. 'The truck continued to travel on the M4 for some time before police successfully deployed road spikes at the Great Western Highway at Glenbrook,' police said. The cracked windscreen of the truck. Ppolice allege the man crashed into four parked cars during the pursuit. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia 'The truck came to a stop a short time later at Blaxland and the driver was arrested following the deployment of a Taser, with the assistance of the dog unit and the public order and riot squad.' Police took the man to Springwood Police Station and later to Nepean Hospital, where he was checked for minor injuries sustained during the arrest. Paramedics took the grocery truck driver to Bankstown Hospital for treatment. Inquiries into the incident were ongoing, police said.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
ASX hits near-record as miners offset banks
A slump in the big four banks offset strong gains in the mining sector as the Australian market was unable to follow strong gains out of Wall Street. The ASX 200 index gained 9 points or 0.10 per cent to 8,677.20 at the end of Tuesday's trading, for its second highest close of all time, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 15.30 points or 0.17 per cent to 8,941.50. Australia's dollar slipped 0.17 per cent and is now buying 65.14 US cents. It was a mixed day for the ASX 200. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia On a mixed day of trading, six sectors finished in the green while a further five fell. Materials and Healthcare led the way up 2.37 and 2.08 per cent respectively. BHP gained 2.60 per cent to $41.51, Rio Tinto soared 3.37 per cent to $118.32 and Fortescue jumped 3.25 per cent to $17.81 on higher iron ore prices. Commonwealth Bank mining and energy commodities director Vivek Dhar said the iron ore price was back to its highest point since April 2 on the back of the latest move out of China. 'Over the weekend, the launch of the RMB 1.2 trillion hydropower project on the Yarlung Tsanpo river in Tibet also boosted demand expectations,' he wrote in an economic note. 'However, given policymakers are yet to announce any substantial property stimulus package, and China's economy has proven resilient so far this year, demand alone is unlikely to be the reason that iron ore prices have tracked back above $US100/t.' Offsetting the strong gains in the mining sector was another poor day for the big four banks. CBA slumped a further 3.06 per cent to $172.42, NAB dragged 2.69 per cent to $37.22, Westpac fell 1.27 per cent to $32.65 and ANZ slipped 0.77 per cent to $29.82. The substantial selling in the big banks this week has led to the ASX200 Financial sector falling 5.3 per cent below the record high of 9,676 reached in late June putting it on track for its lowest daily close in seven weeks. Six of the 11 sectors gained while 5 fell. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia The fall on the local market comes despite shares in the US reaching another record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 18.66 points, or 0.04 per cent, to 44,323.53, while the broader S & P 500 gained 8.89 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 6,305.68 and the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 78.52 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 20,974.18. This was another record high for both the S & P 500 and Nasdaq. senior financial market analyst Kyle Rodda said Wall Street kicked off the week at a record high despite heightened trade tensions and looming tech earnings. 'Investors all but shrugged off reports that the European Union is preparing a suite of retaliatory tariffs on the United States should negotiations break down and tariffs get lifted to the levels that the US has threatened the EU with,' he wrote in an economic note. In company news, Insignia Financial has entered into a scheme implementation deed which will see CC Capital acquire all the businesses shares. Insignia shares will be sold at $4.80 per share, offering a 56.9 per cent premium on its $3.06 price on December 11 2024 when the process of taking over the business began. Bedmakers Technology group told the market it achieved record profitability and positive cash flow. In its latest statement, the company said revenue increased $22.6m and gross margins expanded by 71.5 per cent for an adjusted EBITDA of $3.2m.
Perth Now
16-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Popular shopping giant makes huge change to loyalty scheme
Many loyal shoppers at Myer will be outraged at a huge change that will limit the amount of points Aussies are able to claim on their loyalty cards. The shopping giant has just announced that their longstanding Myer one program has scrapped the ability for customers to have multiple people sharing one loyalty card. 'Myer one will move to single member accounts. This means Myer one will no longer have Additional Cardholders, and existing Additional Cardholder details will be deleted from the Primary Cardholder account,' a statement on their website reads. Shoppers are also being warned that they may have to set up a new account if they are currently sharing a loyalty card. Olivia Wirth, CEO of Myer. Credit: Supplied/Jeremy Piper / Jeremy Piper The change will likely affect family shoppers the hardest, who will no longer be able to rack up shared points. Currently, shoppers who are signed up to the Myer one loyalty program get 2 credits for every $1 spent at Myer (in-store or online) and every 1,000 credits become a $10 reward voucher sent quarterly via app or email. The change comes after Myer executive chairman Olivia Wirth declared it was 'day zero' in her monumental task to integrate the portfolio of apparel brands she has bought from billionaire Solomon Lew in 2024. 'We are very much looking forward to focusing on the running of the business and working out how we can integrate,' Ms Wirth told The Australian in January 2025. Additional cardholders will be deleted from joint accounts on August 5 2025.
Perth Now
05-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Historic' update on Sydney rail strike
Rail unions have voted to accept the NSW government's pay offer, ending the bitter dispute and giving Sydneysiders a break following months-long widespread chaos on the train network. On Saturday at 4pm, 11,735 union members participated in the vote, with 92 per cent voting in favour of the government's proposed 12 per cent pay rise over the next three years. The unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over three years and a 35-hour working week, which was met by a proposed 9.5 per cent rise over the same time frame. The Electrical Trade Unions (ETU) was the only union to not back the proposed Enterprise Agreement, with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) endorsing the proposed pay increase. Rail unions have voted to accept the NSW government's pay offer. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia The agreements signals an end to the industrial action that triggered pandemonium for Sydney commuters for several months, with hundreds of services cancelled or delayed since September, leaving them stranded or crammed inside crowded carriages for hours on end. The Fair Work Commission ordered the unions halt their industrial action in February, with the order lifted from July 1. NSW Minister for Transport said the agreement would offer a sigh of relief to commuters. 'We want to acknowledge the period of protected industrial action was drawn-out and took its toll on rail passengers,' he said. 'Resolution of the matter will now allow Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus solely on improving reliability and services for those more than a million passengers who use the network each day. 'We will continue to invest record amounts into improved maintenance and work to our plan to lift reliability.' The bitter dispute between the unions and NSW government is coming to an end NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia Despite not reaching the initially proposed figure, the RTBU said the agreement was 'historic' and an 'epic effort' from the 'bargaining team: 'This result is a powerful demonstration of the strength, unity, and determination of RTBU members in the face of a very difficult and, at times, exhausting campaign, you stood together, and it made all the difference,' the statement read. 'Congratulations to every member who participated in actions, attended meetings, had conversations with their colleagues, stood strong, and demanded better. 'We will now move to the next steps of formal approval,' the union added.
