PwC Australia in talks to spin off units damaged by scandal – source

By Lewis Jackson and Scott Murdoch SYDNEY (Reuters) -PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia is looking to sell its government, education and healthcare practice to private equity firm Allegro Funds, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the firm battles the fall out from a major scandal. The scandal, which first broke in January, centres around a…

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Lithium producers warn global supplies may not meet electric vehicle demand

By Ernest Scheyder LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Lithium producers are growing anxious that delays in mine permitting, staffing shortages and inflation may hinder their ability to supply enough of the battery metal to meet the world’s aggressive electrification timelines. Once a niche metal used primarily in ceramics and pharmaceuticals, lithium is now one of the…

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For New Zealand exporters, China both a target and a risk

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – As New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins prepares to lead a trade delegation to China seeking greater access for both the country’s primary exports and emerging sectors such as gaming, producers are diversifying away from their biggest market. Beijing’s attempts to punish neighbouring Australia through trade for perceived intransigence…

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Dollar up on risk aversion; sterling, Swiss franc slip despite rate hikes

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. dollar advanced against a basket of currencies on Thursday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell backed more U.S. rate increases albeit at a “careful pace” and as a spate of interest rate hikes by several central banks fuelled concerns over the outlook for global growth. Sterling was…

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Australia’s Telix Pharma hits record high after buying UK medical devices firm

(Reuters) – Telix Pharmaceuticals rose over 3% on Thursday to hit an all-time high, after the radiopharma company said it would acquire UK-based medical device firm Lightpoint Medical. Telix had entered an agreement to buy Lightpoint and its radio-guided surgery business SENSEI, which specialises in intra-operative detection of cancer in real time, the company said…

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Australian lawmaker calls for international probe into PwC govt tax leak

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY (Reuters) -The chair of an Australian senate committee looking into PricewaterhouseCoopers’ leak of a confidential government tax plan has called for an international investigation into the matter. Committee chair Senator Richard Colbeck presented a 33-page report on the leak to parliament on Wednesday and said information released to date showed the…

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