News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs.
Below are snippets of all the media releases we received from Jan 26 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Airbus Taps Skynopy

Paris, Jan 28: Airbus Defence and Space has selected French NewSpace company Skynopy to help enhance the ground segment supporting its very high-resolution optical imagery services from the Pléiades Neo constellation.
Airbus said Skynopy’s fully virtualised, software-defined ground station systems will improve Pléiades Neo reactivity and reduce data latency across multiple regions, supporting faster access to 30cm-resolution imagery for institutional and commercial customers via the OneAtlas platform.
Skynopy said its approach combines centralised orchestration and virtualised modem technologies for rapid ground-station deployment and flexible resource allocation, following an earlier operational test that demonstrated accelerated integration timelines and real-time downlink with high quality of service.
“This collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space illustrates how a fully software-defined and virtualised ground segment can bring tangible performance gains for very high-resolution Earth observation services,” said Antonin Hirsch, CTO and co-founder of Skynopy. “Our objective is to enable satellite operators to deploy and operate ground infrastructure faster, with greater flexibility, while delivering the levels of responsiveness and data availability expected by today’s most demanding users.”
“This collaboration highlights Airbus’ ability to work with innovative European startups to continuously enhance its services and remain at the forefront of Earth observation capabilities,” said Eric Even, Head of Space Digital at Airbus Defence and Space .

HCLTech Buys Finergic

Singapore, Jan 28: HCLTech said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Singapore-based Finergic Solutions Pte Ltd, a boutique wealth consulting firm, in a deal expected to close by 30 April 2026.
Founded in 2019, Finergic focuses on core banking and wealth management transformation. HCLTech said the acquisition will add niche consulting and wealth-architecture capabilities to strengthen its digital transformation offerings for the wealth management industry, including platform-enabled solutions anchored by AI-native workflows, complementing its experience supporting clients on Temenos products.
“With Finergic’s focused domain expertise, HCLTech is strategically positioned to strengthen its digital services capabilities in wealth management,” said Srinivasan Seshadri, Chief Growth Officer and Global Head – Financial Services, HCLTech. “This transformative transaction enables us to deliver advanced capabilities, foster innovation and unlock substantial synergies—empowering our clients to realize greater business outcomes across the financial services landscape.”
“Over the past several years, Finergic has built a strong reputation in delivering core banking and wealth management transformation programs. Our end-to-end solution capabilities, supported by a highly experienced and skilled team, positions us uniquely within the industry. We are delighted to become a part of HCLTech’s amazing growth journey and mark an exciting new chapter for the team at Finergic,” said Ganesh Swaminathan, Saravanan Kandaswamy and Senthil Kumar Sekar, co-founders of Finergic . “Our shared vision for the transformation of the financial services industry and complementary strengths position us to deliver even greater value to enterprises and create new opportunities for our people.”

EconomyBookings Pays Penalty

Perth, Jan 28: An international car rental booking platform operating as EconomyBookings has paid a $39,600 penalty after the ACCC issued two infringement notices over alleged pricing representations on its website.
The ACCC alleged SIA Booking Group Corporation did not prominently display the total car rental price as a single figure during the booking process, including where optional extras were pre-selected. The ACCC also alleged the platform made a false or misleading representation about whether a pre-selected optional extra was included in the displayed rental price.
“Any business offering goods or services to Australian consumers must comply with Australian Consumer Law,” ACCC Commissioner Luke Woodward said.
“Businesses must prominently display the total price of goods and services as a single figure, inclusive of selected optional extras.”
“All businesses, including online providers, should ensure that their pricing displays do not mislead consumers, or they may face enforcement action by the ACCC,” Mr Woodward said.
The ACCC said pre-selected optional extras included “Last Minute Cancellation”, “Roadside assistance” and “Full coverage” for insurance, and cited an example where an initial car price of $147.10 increased to $315.04 once the pre-selected extras were included.

Back-to-School Bills Bite

Sydney, Jan 27: About 30% of Australian parents say they will struggle to afford back-to-school costs this year, according to new research by Finder, based on a survey of 1,006 respondents including 275 with school-aged children.
Finder estimated this equates to around 819,000 households unable to fund school requirements such as uniforms and stationery. It also found 13% of parents expect to go into debt to cover costs, while 6% of children will have to use last year’s supplies.
Finder said school expenses in 2026 are expected to total $14.4 billion, averaging $2,847 per primary school child and $5,310 per secondary student.
Sarah Megginson, personal finance expert at Finder, said:
“School essentials can place a huge amount of pressure on the household budget, especially for those still recovering from the expense of Christmas.
“At the start of the year, many family budgets are already stretched thin.”
Megginson warned against using short-term or personal loans for supplies and urged families to consider cost-saving options such as sales, payment plans, second-hand uniform networks and available grants, as well as speaking directly with schools and support organisations.

Coles Deal Scrutinised

Perth, Jan 29: The ACCC has escalated scrutiny of Coles Group Limited’s proposed acquisition of a lease for a supermarket and liquor store at a vacant development site in Kalgoorlie, WA, moving the matter to a Phase 2 review after not approving it at Phase 1.
Coles plans to operate a large format supermarket and liquor store at the site and already runs one supermarket and three Liquorland stores in Kalgoorlie.
“We consider the acquisition could substantially lessen competition for the retail supply of groceries in Kalgoorlie,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.
The regulator said the deal could give Coles a significant share in a local market where rivals may provide limited constraint and new entry may be unlikely, and it is also assessing whether the acquisition could create, strengthen or entrench Coles’ substantial market power.
“We believe this acquisition needs an in-depth assessment to understand the likely impact it will have on competition in Kalgoorlie,” Mr Keogh said.
“We look forward to speaking to more industry participants and interested parties in the coming weeks.”
The ACCC has called for submissions by 13 February 2026.
It is also the first acquisition assessed since targeted notification requirements for acquisitions by Coles and Woolworths were set by the Assistant Minister for Competition.

ACEF Awards $60k

Perth, Jan 29: The French Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation (FACEF) has announced five new visual arts exchange grants totalling $60,000, backing projects designed to boost mobility and collaboration between Australian and French artists and institutions.
Recipients include artists Mel O’Callaghan and Vir Andres Hera, with supported projects spanning major institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.
Funded projects include support for Hera’s Tyiirr: A Room of One’s Ghosts (planned for AGNSW in 2027), Australian artist participation in the Biennale de Lyon, Nicolas Montgermont’s involvement in a La Perouse Museum sound/radio exhibition, a Maningrida Arts and Culture project bringing Kuninjku Art to France while marking the legacy of Balang (John Mawurndjul), and O’Callaghan’s Pulse of the Planet project in Paris.
President of the Jury, Suzanne Cotter, said “The five successful recipients of this year’s Resonance Grants were considered by the Jury to be outstanding in their potential to foster the mobility of ideas and perspectives through exchanges between French and Australian artists and institutions.”
“All five of the grant recipients address contemporary themes including collaboration, ecology, care and community, transmission, and connection to Country. We look forward to the realisation of each of the projects which we have no doubt will have tremendous cultural impact”.

WFH Strains Couples

Perth, Jan 29: New research from UNSW Business School has found that when both partners work from home, constant digital interruptions from emails, messages and virtual meetings increase after-work frustration and relationship conflict, with women bearing a heavier psychological burden.
The study examined ICT permeability — how work technologies intrude into home life — and found the effects were more pronounced in dual work-from-home households compared with those where only one partner worked remotely. The research was based on a 10-day diary study of 117 participants who worked from home full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The findings showed that work-related technology use during personal time depleted emotional and cognitive resources, leading to heightened “after-work frustration”. While this frustration was linked to short-term productivity gains, it came at the expense of family relationships. “Attempting to complete family tasks while facing work-related activities is likely to induce frustration.”
Women experienced significantly stronger negative effects than men, reflecting ongoing responsibility for domestic and emotional labour. “Women are often responsible for invisible labour – unnoticed and undervalued work at home that includes household chores, childcare, and emotional support for family members.”
The research also found that daily planning reduced frustration, particularly when couples coordinated schedules and domestic responsibilities. “This suggests that when the remote-working partners engage in joint daily planning… they face lower levels of frustration with each other and internally,” the study concluded, with implications for both workers and employers designing flexible work policies.

Office Noise Recognised As Top Productivity Drain

Denmark, Jan 31: EPOS says distractions in noisy open-plan offices are the biggest performance issue for office professionals as more teams return to in-person work, citing feedback from distributors, resellers and end users alongside an “exclusive” online customer survey released on January 28, 2026.
The survey found minimising distractions ranked highest (34%), followed by microphone performance (31%), active noise cancellation (21%) and managing noise levels (14%).
“It’s a New Year but the same old problems remain and for many organizations they are getting worse,” explained Steven Schmidt, VP, Global Commercial Innovation & Marketing. “As more teams return to shared spaces, the rhythm of work changes. Conversations are closer and background noise and general random distractions inevitably fluctuate. In our exclusive poll, minimizing these distractions matters most.
“These findings point to a simple truth. In open offices, focus is fragile and being heard matters more than ever. Clarity and concentration have become daily problems, not occasional annoyances. Companies need to prioritize a great audio experience to make workers more productive, engaged and their days run smoother.”
Steven concluded: “Like many EPOS headsets our latest model, the IMPACT 500, is specifically designed to protect from listening fatigue. Most people in open office spaces experience noise which can break concentration. This means workers are using additional brain power to stay tuned in. EPOS BrainAdapt technology is inspired by world leading research and proven to help protect from listening fatigue. It’s part of our ‘Power of Audio’ ethos.
“For modern office athletes, it’s clear audio performance and the equipment they use will be paramount throughout 2026 and beyond.”