Morning Headlines

Asciano $9 billion deal sitting on a knife-edge

Asciano’s negotiations with a Qube-led consortium over access to its financial books ahead of a formal $9 billion takeover bid sat on a knife-edge on Sunday night after the ports and rail group refused some of the consortium’s requests for information. The Fin

Merged telco in big WA push

M2 Group — the owner of the Dodo and iPrimus brands — and its merger partner Vocus Communications are plotting a major push into the WA retail broadband market in an attempt to jump on disaffected iiNet customers. The West

Rinehart adds $30m station for Wagyu beef

Australia’s richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has bought Glencoe Station in NSW for her Wagyu beef operation in a deal worth $30 million. The Fin

AngloGold Ashanti eyes Australian opportunities

The world’s third-biggest gold miner has revealed it is ‘‘keeping a watchful eye’’ on acquisition opportunities in Australia, after remaining quiet during a recent string of deals within the flourishing gold sector.

Foxtel taps News, Telstra for $30m

Foxtel is trying to raise a further $30 million from shareholders News Corp and Telstra to bolster its marketing fight against rising competition from Netflix and other digital interlopers. The Fin

ASIC to probe lending brokers

Pay and ownership structures in the mortgage broking industry that accounts for more than half of the $364 billion lent for residential property will come under intense scrutiny as the Australian Securities & Investments Commission launches an inquiry this month. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: World leaders, including Malcolm Turnbull, converged on the G20 summit last night determined that the murderous terror attacks in Paris made it imperative to find a political solution to end the Syrian civil war and to potentially increase military action to wipe out Islamic State.

Stocks are expected to tumble across the world on Monday as investors seek out safe havens following the Paris terrorist attacks.

Page 3: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has asked for an urgent briefing on the process that allowed a 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin to be granted to a Chinese company with links to the People’s Liberation Army.

Page 4: Australia’s richest person, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has bought Glencoe Station in NSW for her Wagyu beef operation in a deal worth $30 million.

Page 13: Tatts Group shareholders should receive a premium from any merger deal with wagering giant Tabcorp, one of Tatts’ institutional investors, Sandon Capital, says.

Page 15: The world’s third-biggest gold miner has revealed it is ‘‘keeping a watchful eye’’ on acquisition opportunities in Australia, after remaining quiet during a recent string of deals within the flourishing gold sector.

Asciano’s negotiations with a Qube-led consortium over access to its financial books ahead of a formal $9 billion takeover bid sat on a knife-edge on Sunday night after the ports and rail group refused some of the consortium’s requests for information.

Page 29: Foxtel is trying to raise a further $30 million from shareholders News Corp and Telstra to bolster its marketing fight against rising competition from Netflix and other digital interlopers.

The Australian

Page 8: Growers around Australia have said unstable weather patterns had resulted in a mixed bag of results for grain growers this year, but the lower Australian dollar would help at the farm gate.

Page 18: Pay and ownership structures in the mortgage broking industry that accounts for more than half of the $364 billion lent for residential property will come under intense scrutiny as the Australian Securities & Investments Commission launches an inquiry this month.

Some of the nation’s most well regarded chief executives are urging the Turnbull government to review tax incentives and boost technology education as part of a wide-ranging innovation plan to boost productivity.

Page 21: Carol Austin, who is a Future Fund guardian, director of HSBC Bank Australia, and investment services director of Contango Asset Management, said there was a “strong” argument for government to seize on low interest rates to finance projects that would spur business activity.

Page 26: News Corp and Nine Entertainment Company are expected to hold a closed-door meeting involving senior management within weeks as they seek to break the impasse on the National Rugby League’s sports broadcasting rights deal.

The West Australian

Page 11: Malcolm Turnbull has sought to counter concerns about terrorists hiding within refugee intakes, as his predecessor Tony Abbott warned that Islamic State was “coming after everyone”.

Page 20: Australia’s health system is too complex and is failing patients with more than one ailment, while rural people are most at risk, a stinging independent report has found.

Page 22: An Australia-first trial of largescale battery storage for households with solar panels is set to start in Perth as part of efforts by power provider Synergy to embrace technological change.

Business: M2 Group — the owner of the Dodo and iPrimus brands — and its merger partner Vocus Communications are plotting a major push into the WA retail broadband market in an attempt to jump on disaffected iiNet customers.

The Qatar Investment Authority has offloaded shares in Shell and BG worth nearly £1 billion ($2.13 billion) in recent weeks, raising fresh questions over whether the oil giants’ proposed megamerger has the support of major shareholders.