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☆ Australia ports operator suffers 'cybersecurity incident', suspends operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Saturday that it was coordinating a response to a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states. A DP World Australia spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday that operations at impacted ports were not yet restored. Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator, appointed earlier this year in response to several major data breaches, was managing the official response to the incident, O'Neil said. DP World Australia, part of Dubai's state-owned ports giant DP World, operates four container terminals in Australia in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Western Australia's Fremantle. According to DP World, in the Asia Pacific region it employs more than 7,000 people and has ports and terminals in 18 locations.

Persons: Clare O'Neil, O'Neil, Sam McKeith, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia, Home Affairs, Cyber Security, DP, Thomson Locations: Dubai's, Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Western, Fremantle, Asia

☆ Opinion | Israelis Were Shattered on Oct. 7. Can They Recover?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israelis spent 18 years watching Hamas turn to its military advantage every Israeli concession — including free electricity, cash transfers of Qatari funds, work permits for Gazans, thousands of truckloads of humanitarian goods. But while Israelis are still processing the horror from the south, the threat of war looms on every side. Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister, has even suggested effectively banning the Palestinian olive harvest, ostensibly for security reasons. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom Israel had been engaged in a careful rapprochement, has reverted to Islamist form. To many Israelis, there’s a distinct echo of what happened at German universities beginning about a century ago.

Persons: Will, won’t, Camp Iftach, Bezalel Smotrich, Vladimir Putin, Netanyahu, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel, ”, It’s, ” Einat Wilf Organizations: West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Super, Harvard, Labor Party Locations: Israel, Gaza, Metula, Lebanon, Jenin, Nablus, Iran, China, Turkey, ”, West, Berlin, Sydney, Australia

☆ Patients are lining up for $2,500 full-body MRI scans that can detect cancer early
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Prenuvo MRI machine Courtesy of PrenuvoWhile celebrating the July Fourth holiday last year on a boat in Tyler, Texas, Dr. Julianne Santarosa received the results from her full-body MRI scan. In addition to full-body scans, Prenuvo offers a head and torso scan for $1,800 and a scan of just the torso for $1,000. Some companies have started offering Prenuvo scans as a perk for employees, which has helped increase access to the technology. Medical experts caution that, in addition to the steep price, full-body MRI scans won't catch everything and aren't meant to replace targeted screenings like colonoscopies and mammograms. He found a radiologist who was offering an early version of a full-body MRI scan.

Persons: Julianne Santarosa, hadn't, she'd, Santarosa, Kim Kardashian, Cindy Crawford, Eric Schmidt, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, Tony Fadell, Andrew Lacy, Lacy, it's, Prenuvo, Jasnit, Dr, Kimberly Amrami, Amrami, It's, Prenuvo Lacy, Eduardo Dolhun, Dolhun Organizations: CNBC, Facebook, Google, Nest Labs, Felicis Ventures, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Association of American Medical Colleges, Columbia University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo Clinic Locations: Tyler , Texas, Prenuvo, Dallas, U.S, Canada, London, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Irving, New York City , New York, York, San Francisco, Vancouver, British Columbia

☆ Confident New Zealand ready for business end of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We know that if we play the way we want to play, we'll come out on the right side of the draw. "Throughout the World Cup, the bowling attacks that have done well have passed the baton to the next bowler," Ferguson added. "We probably haven't had as much as we'd have liked over the whole World Cup but it was nice to see Boulty and Tim get some early wickets." New Zealand have reached the final of the last two World Cups and beat India to reach the title-decider in 2019, Ferguson's breakout tournament. Ferguson was confident he would be fit to play a role against the hosts if, as is likely, New Zealand's place in the semi-finals for the fourth straight World Cup is confirmed.

Persons: Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, Lanka's Chamika Karunaratne, Adnan Abidi, Paceman Lockie Ferguson, We've, Ferguson, we'll, Duckworth, Lewis, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitch Santner, Rachin Ravindra mopped, Tim, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Cricket, ICC Cricket, Chinnaswamy, Lanka's Chamika Karunaratne REUTERS, Rights, Sri, Caps, Pakistan, Zealand, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bengaluru, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sydney

☆ Australia signs security, migration pact with Pacific's Tuvalu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man riding a motorbike is seen reflected in a puddle of water in Funafuti, Tuvalu, August 13, 2019. Under the treaty announced by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. An Australian government official said this requirement covered any defence, police, port, telecommunications, energy or cyber security arrangements by Tuvalu. Although Australia has defence agreements with other Pacific Islands nations, in a region where China recently struck a security pact with Solomon Islands and is seeking to expand its policing ties and infrastructure projects, the Tuvalu treaty goes much further in positioning Australia as its primary security partner. Australia sees deeper economic and social integration with the Pacific Islands as a way to ensure the security of the region, a government official said.

Persons: Mick Tsikasvia, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Natano, " Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing, Lincoln, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific, Tuvalu Falepili, Australia, Canberra, Thomson Locations: Funafuti, Tuvalu, Australia, Taiwan, Beijing, Cook, China, Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Washington, Sydney

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Proxy advisor CGI Glass Lewis on Thursday recommended Origin Energy (ORG.AX) shareholders vote in favour of a $10.5 billion bid from a consortium led by Canada's Brookfield (BN.TO), despite opposition from the target's largest shareholder. Brookfield and EIG Partners last week offered a "best and final" A$9.53 per share for Origin after raising a previous bid. Australia's largest pension fund AustralianSuper opposes the offer and intends to use its 15% stake to vote against the deal at a Nov. 23 shareholder meeting. Origin Energy shares traded 1.9% higher at A$8.905 at 2 p.m. AEDT (0300 GMT) and are up 5.1% since the close of trade on Nov. 2, when AustralianSuper rejected the improved offer. Reporting by Scott Murdoch and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Glass, Canada's Brookfield, AustralianSuper, Glass Lewis, Scott Murdoch, Lewis Jackson, Leslie Adler, Jamie Freed Organizations: Brookfield, REUTERS, Rights, Energy, EIG Partners, Services, Origin Energy, Australia Pacific LNG, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, Australia

☆ Asian shares rise as S&P 500 records longest win streak in two years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was flat, although up 4.6% so far this month. The dollar index , which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies of other major trading partners, was down slightly at 105.52. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 (.SPX) rose 0.10% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 0.08%. The S&P 500 rose for the eighth consecutive day, extending its longest win streak in two years. In Asia on Thursday, U.S. crude and Brent crude both rose 0.8% following the weak performance in the U.S. session.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Ping, Brent, Gold, Scott Murdoch, Tom Hogue Organizations: Nikkei, REUTERS, Rights, CPI, ANZ, Reuters, Ping An Insurance Group, Garden Holdings, HK, Ping An, U.S, U.S . Federal, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, U.S ., China

☆ Australia to Offer Climate Refuge to All Residents of Tuvalu - Report
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will on Friday announce the country will offer climate asylum to all residents of Tuvalu, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing sources. Tuvalu, a collection of nine low-lying islands in the Pacific, is one of the world's most at-risk countries from climate change. All 11,200 residents of the country will be offered refuge in Australia, SMH reported. (Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Kim Coghill and Christopher Cushing)

Persons: Anthony Albanese, SMH, Alasdair Pal, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia, Sydney Morning Herald Locations: Tuvalu, Australia, Sydney

☆ Exclusive: Geely's Zeekr edges closer to US IPO, to make filing public this week - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The EV brand will publish its prospectus and its shares could start being traded on the bourse within weeks of the announcement, the sources said. Zeekr confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering last December, aiming to raise more than $1 billion, Reuters has reported. However, the company is likely to raise less than the targeted amount from the IPO, one of the sources said. It offers four EV models in China, with its 001 crossover priced from 269,000 yuan ($36,927.22) as its best-selling EV. ($1 = 7.2846 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Zhang Yan in Shanghai and Scott Murdoch in Sydney.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Zeekr, Zeekr confidentially, Didi, Amnon Shashua, Andy, Zhang Yan, Scott Murdoch, Kane Wu, Kim Coghill Organizations: bourse, underwriters, U.S, Reuters, Mobileye, Intel Corp, Tesla, Zhejiang Geely, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, New York, China, United States, Beijing, Zhejiang, Zeekr, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Israel, Kazakhstan, Shanghai, Sydney, Hong Kong

☆ Ukraine. Israel. Can America Support Two Wars and Still Handle China?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Damien Cave | More About Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

America’s long-promised pivot to Asia was finally gathering momentum — new security deals with the Philippines and India, expanded military exercises, and plans with allies to stay ahead of Chinese technology. But the Middle East, like a vortex, has pulled Washington back in. “What concerns us most is the diversion of the U.S. military’s resources from East Asia to Europe, to the Middle East,” Akihisa Nagashima, a lawmaker and former national security adviser in Japan, said at a strategy forum in Sydney, Australia, last week. “We really hope that conflict is completely finished pretty soon.”American military commanders have said that no equipment has left the Indo-Pacific. And two top cabinet officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, will be crisscrossing Asia this week with messages of reassurance, making stops separately or together in India, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia.

Persons: Akihisa Nagashima, “, Lloyd J, Austin III, Antony J, Blinken Organizations: Pentagon, Defense Locations: Asia, Philippines, India, Washington, United States, Beijing, Gaza, Israel, East Asia, Europe, Japan, Sydney, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia

☆ Aussie 'big four' banks hike home loan rates after RBA decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People use Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) bank ATMs in Sydney, Australia May 3, 2018. The National Australia Bank (NAB.AX), ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) and Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), the other three of Australia's "big four", had hiked their home loan rates on Wednesday by 0.25%. The rate hike by the National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) and ANZ Group Holdings (ANZ.AX) would be effective from Nov. 17, while Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX) would raise rates from Nov. 21, the lenders said in separate statements on Wednesday. CBA said its home loan variable rate change would be effective from Nov. 17. Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee and Upasana Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, Rishav Chatterjee, Upasana Singh, Savio D'Souza, Rashmi Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, REUTERS, Thursday, National Australia Bank, ANZ Group Holdings, Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia, Wednesday, CBA, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Chaos as Optus outage disconnects half of Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Because of the outage it won't load," Rogers told Reuters while he was waiting at the pharmacist for the internet to return. Optus, which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications, (STEL.SI) gave no explanation for the outage except to say it was investigating it. Until then, even taking a walk became more difficult, at least for people who needed directions. An office worker from Sydney told Reuters he could not get into his building because the door required an internet-connected smartphone application to unlock. ($1 = 1.5538 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye with additional reporting by Kirsty Needham and Sam Holmes; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chris Rogers, Rogers, I've, Michael Clements, Angela Ican, we've, Roderick Geddes, Byron Kaye, Kirsty Needham, Sam Holmes, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Optus, Reuters, Reserve Bank of Australia, Royal Australian College of General, Singapore Telecommunications, Sydney, Thomson Locations: Sydney

☆ Australia to investigate Optus internet and phone outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia said on Thursday it would launch an investigation into a 12-hour national outage at telco Optus that cut off internet and phone connections to nearly half of its population, hitting critical services including payments, transport and hospitals. The federal government would undertake a post-incident review into the outage, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said, describing its impacts as "particularly concerning." Australia's media regulator will conduct a separate review into the outage after emergency triple zero ("000") calls went down on Optus landlines, Rowland added. Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), has not given the cause for the unprecedented outage, one of the biggest the country has witnessed. The outage happened 14 months after Optus was hit by one of Australia's biggest cyber breaches.

Persons: telco, Michelle Rowland, Rowland, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: SYDNEY, Optus, Optus landlines, Singapore Telecommunications, Telstra, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Australian Laura Enever has surfed her way into the record books after stroking into a giant four-story wave in Hawaii earlier this year, the World Surf League and Guinness World Records said on Wednesday. Enever, 31, was surfing at an outer reef on Oahu's North Shore in January when she caught a huge blue wall measured at 43.6 feet (13.3m), breaking the world record for the biggest wave ever paddled into by a woman. "I came up from that wave, and there was a huge, huge wave behind that took out the whole lineup, and I just saw boards flying everywhere. When I got to the inside, I was almost laughing - I just couldn't believe I'd caught that wave but also escaped that crazy, huge wave behind mine." The biggest wave ever ridden was a 26.2m monster at Nazare, towed into by Germany's Sebastian Steudtner in 2020.

Persons: Laura Enever, Enever, I'd, Aaron Gold, Gabeira, Germany's Sebastian Steudtner, Lincoln, James Redmayne, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Surf League, Guinness World Records, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Enever, Shore, Waimea, Maui, Nazare, Portugal, Sydney

☆ Optus outage nationwide affects millions of Australians, phone and internet connections still down
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Millions of Australians were left without a phone or internet connection on Wednesday after the country’s second-largest telecommunications provider experienced an unexplained nationwide outage. “It is highly unlikely (that the problem started within software in Optus networks), our systems are actually very stable … This is a very, very rare occurrence,” she said. It has wide ramifications across mobile, fixed, and broadband services for Optus customers,” Rowland told reporters. Ramsay Health Care, which owns 70 hospitals and clinics in Australia, its phone services were impacted. “We encourage any customers who need to contact emergency services to use a mobile line to call 000,” Optus said in a statement.

Persons: Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, ”, Angela Ican, Kyle, couldn’t, it’s, “, Michelle Rowland, ” Rowland, Ramsay Organizations: Optus, ABC Radio, Singapore Telecommunications, “, Reuters, ”, Bank, Federal Communications, Health Care, Optus landlines, ” Optus Locations: Australia

☆ Chaos as Optus Outage Disconnects Half of Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"Because of the outage it won't load," Rogers told Reuters while he was waiting at the pharmacist for the internet to return. Optus, which is owned by Singapore Telecommunications, gave no explanation for the outage except to say it was investigating it. Until then, even taking a walk became more difficult, at least for people who needed directions. An office worker from Sydney told Reuters he could not get into his building because the door required an internet-connected smartphone application to unlock. ($1 = 1.5538 Australian dollars)(Reporting by Byron Kaye with additional reporting by Kirsty Needham and Sam Holmes; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Byron Kaye SYDNEY, Chris Rogers, Rogers, I've, Michael Clements, Angela Ican, we've, Roderick Geddes, Byron Kaye, Kirsty Needham, Sam Holmes, Stephen Coates Organizations: Optus, Reuters, Reserve Bank of Australia, Royal Australian College of General, Singapore Telecommunications, Sydney Locations: Sydney

SYDNEY, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Millions of Australians were left without a phone or internet connection on Wednesday after the country's second-largest telecommunications provider experienced an unexplained nationwide outage. "Our teams are working urgently to restore services. The government had sought further information from Optus including when they expected to restore services. Melbourne's train networks were forced to shut down for about 30 minutes due to the outage, resulting in delays during the morning rush, media reported. A cyber breach last year hit Optus, exposing personal details of millions of its customers, including their home addresses, driver licence and passport numbers.

Persons: telco, Michelle Rowland, Rowland, Renju Jose, Praveen Menon, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications, Commonwealth Bank, CBA, Reuters, Federal Communications, ABC Radio, Thomson Locations: Sydney

☆ China, Australia to restart annual meetings as trade resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 6, 2023. President Xi Jinping said on Monday stable ties between China and Australia served each other's interests and both should expand cooperation, sending a clear signal that China was ready to move on from recent tensions. The Australian prime minister said he had used the four-day visit to advocate for Australia's interests in trade, human rights, regional and global issues. "While there are differences between us, both Australia and China benefit from cooperation and dialogue," Albanese said. Australia and China had agreed to cooperate on trade, climate change and agriculture, the Australian government said in a statement.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, Lukas Coch, Li Qiang, Albanese, " Albanese, Li, Xi, Kirsty Needham, Ellen Zhang, Robert Birsel Organizations: Australia's, of, People, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Islands Forum, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, SYDNEY, Australia, People . China, India, Japan, Pacific, United States, South China, Britain, Sydney

☆ Proxy firm ISS recommends vote in favour of Brookfield-led consortium's Origin Energy bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended investors vote in favour of a Brookfield-led consortium's $10.5 billion bid for Australia's Origin Energy (ORG.AX). Brookfield and EIG Partners has offered A$9.53 per share for Origin Energy. AustralianSuper, which holds a 15.03% stake, has said it believes the consortium's bid substantially "undervalues" Origin and will vote against the offer. Brookfield will take ownership of Origin's energy markets business if the vote is in favour of the bid, while EIG's MidOcean Energy will gain a 27.5% stake in Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG). In that scenario, EIG will own Origin and sell the energy markets business to Brookfield, meaning remaining shareholders, including AustralianSuper, will own only APLNG.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Scott Murdoch, Paul Simao Organizations: Brookfield, REUTERS, Rights, Services, Origin Energy, EIG Partners, Shareholders, Energy, Australia Pacific LNG, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, Australia, Sydney

The results show how Australia's retail banks are leaning into businesses outside their traditional earnings engine of mortgages as higher interest rates raise the cost of repayments, spurring competition which has flattened profit margins. Sydney-listed Westpac said profit from its consumer division, which has just over one-fifth of Australian mortgages, shrank 7% in its full-year to end-September. Westpac gave no profit forecasts but said April-to-September trading was "more challenging" than the previous six months and "this is expected to continue into 2024". "If that does eventuate, interest rates will probably need to be higher than what we're thinking," he said on a call with analysts and media. Westpac declared a final dividend of 72 Australian cents per share, up from 64 Australian cents a year earlier.

Persons: David Gray, Azib Khan, Peter King, We've, Byron Kaye, Roushni Nair, Upasana Singh, Andrew Heavens, Josie Kao, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Australia's Westpac Banking Corp, REUTERS, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ, Sydney, midsession, P Capital, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing scores of people, health officials said. The strikes came as the U.S. keeps urging Israel to take a humanitarian pause from its relentless bombardment of Gaza and rising civilian deaths. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Ramallah in the West Bank for a previously unannounced meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Political Cartoons View All 1234 ImagesCurrently:— Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel’s military announces it has surrounded Gaza City. — A U.N. official says the average Palestinian in Gaza is living on two pieces of bread a day.

Persons: Israel, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, evacuee Sara El, Masry, –, JORDAN, Jordan, King Abdullah II, ”, Michael Hertzog, ” Hertzog, OBAMA, Barack Obama, “, he’s, ” Obama, I’ve, Alp Toker, Juliette Touma, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, IRNA, Khamenei, Haniyeh, JERUSALEM —, Jacob Lew, Biden, ” Lew, Isaac Herzog, Lew, Antony Blinken’s Organizations: West Bank, Iraqi, Hamas, Ministry, WHO, GAZA, SYDNEY AIRPORT SYDNEY, Nine, Sydney Airport, Australian, United Arab Emirates, Mideast, Central Command, FIRE, NATIONS, Inter, Agency, UNRWA, United Nations, Jordanian, Twitter, ISRAEL, CBS, JERUSALEM, Paltel, Associated Press, Hezbollah, U.S, Israel, Embassy, . Riot Locations: Gaza, Ramallah, Baghdad, Jordan, Israel, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza City, —, U.S, Berlin, israel, Sydney, Rafah, DUBAI, United Arab, Suez, ., Ohio, America's, Iran, UN, Palestinian Territory, GAZA AMMAN, Jordanian, GAZA, Palestinian, IRAN, TEHRAN, Lebanon, GAZA JERUSALEM, Beit Hanoun, TURKEY, ISTANBUL –, Ankara, Turkish

Nov 6 (Reuters) - EIG Partners Chief Executive Blair Thomas said on Monday he is confident a Brookfield-EIG consortium can win support for its $10.5 billion bid for Origin Energy (ORG.AX) despite opposition from the Australian electricity and gas firm's top shareholder. Pension fund AustralianSuper said on Monday it had increased its stake in Origin to 15.03% from 13.67% and the A$9.53 per share bid remained "substantially" below its estimate of long-term value. Origin will hold a shareholder meeting on Nov. 23, where it will urge investors to vote in favour of the deal. If the deal is successful, Brookfield will take ownership of Origin's energy markets business, while EIG's MidOcean Energy will gain a 27.5% stake in Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG). Thomas confirmed both Brookfield and EIG had discussed with AustralianSuper the possibility of it participating in the deal earlier this year.

Persons: Blair Thomas, AustralianSuper, Thomas, EIG, Scott Murdoch, Lewis Jackson, Archishma Iyer, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: EIG Partners, EIG, Origin Energy, Brookfield, Energy, Australia Pacific LNG, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brookfield, Australia, Bengaluru

The funds available for deals are growing as investors including pension funds, sovereign wealth and insurance firms look for meaty returns hard to find in today's equity markets, especially in the beaten-down real estate sector. Australian real estate specialist Qualitas (QAL.AX), whose backers include the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, has nearly doubled funds under management to A$8 billion ($5.07 billion) since mid-2022, with roughly half the increase since this June. U.S.-based PGIM Real Estate expects to deploy a further $1 billion in the country over the next few years, said its head of Australian real estate Steve Bulloch. Lenders are expanding into residential and commercial construction as banks slow lending or exit, a March report from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said. JUICY RETURNSInvestors can expect returns from 9% to 11% with the added security of loans pledged against real assets like condos or warehouses, often with a 30% to 40% equity buffer, said Paul Notaras, executive director at Barings Real Estate Australia.

Persons: Stella Qiu, meaty, Steve Bulloch, JUICY, Paul Notaras, Notaras, Qualitas, Andrew Schwartz, Bonds, We've, Schwartz, Lewis Jackson, Rae Wee, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac, ANZ Group, International Monetary, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australia, prudential, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Parramatta, Sydney, SYDNEY, Australian, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Qualitas, Singapore

☆ Stuart Condie — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Stuart Condie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Stuart CondieStuart Condie covers corporate news for The Wall Street Journal in Sydney, Australia. Previously, he led the financial news desk at Australian Associated Press. A former sports writer for the AP and Bloomberg, Stuart has an English degree from University of Leicester.

Persons: Stuart Condie Stuart Condie, Stuart Organizations: Wall Street, Australian Associated Press, AP, Bloomberg, University of Leicester Locations: Sydney, Australia

☆ Australia PM says China visit 'very positive' for bilateral relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday his much-anticipated visit to China to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang marks a "very positive step" in stabilising strained bilateral ties. Arriving on Saturday, Albanese will be the first Australian leader to visit China since 2016, part of an effort to patch up relations that had deteriorated over several years due to disputes over Chinese telecoms firm Huawei, espionage and COVID-19. "It is a result of the patient, calibrated and deliberate approach that we have to the relationship with China." Albanese's government has taken credit for stabilising ties with China since coming to office last year. China has lifted most trade blocks imposed in a 2020 diplomatic dispute that cost A$20 billion in commodity and food exports.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Albanese, Xi, Li, " Albanese, Yang Hengjun, Penny Wong, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Huawei, Foreign, Thomson Locations: China, Darwin, Australia's Northern Territory, Shanghai, Beijing, South China, Tokyo, Sydney

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