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Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson answers questions about the workplace, career and leadership in his suggestion column “Got Minutes?” This week, a question about the gender pay gap, the difficulties of refereeing an employee, and figuring out what to do after false accusations. I am male and have since learned from a colleague that the person who hired me for my new role was instructed when he recruited that he could offer a higher salary to qualified female applicants. This is because the organization wants more women in management roles and wants to “close the gender pay gap” within the organization. I felt discriminated against and as a result I suffered financially. Do they have the right to pay me less because of my gender? If you hear office gossip saying you could get paid more, it’s time to get the facts straight. Credit: Dionne Gain Your employer should be credited for wanting to ensure there is a gender balance in your workplace, but also for understanding the backlash...

Unsealed court documents show Amber Heard abandoned divorce payments from Johnny Depp that could run into the tens of millions of dollars, as the struggling actress sold her beloved California home. Documents seen by the Daily Beast show that the Aquaman star, 36, ignored guidance from his legal team not to pursue Depp for the maximum cash he was entitled to after they filed for divorce in 2016. He could have asked for half of the $33 million Depp he made to shoot the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, because it was made while they were married. But Heard chose not to, and wrote to them an email saying he was ‘very true to his word, that it’s now about money.’ A judge refused to allow the evidence to be accepted during Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Heard. He was ordered to pay Depp a total of $8.3 million after being found guilty of defamation, but said he did not have enough money to do so. Amber Heard appears to have sold her Southern California ...

Across Europe, signs of distress multiply as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on: Food banks in Italy feed more people, German officials turn off air conditioning as they prepare plans to ration natural gas and restart coal plants. Key points: Just as Europe is recovering from the pandemic, its economic future looks uncertain as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues Meanwhile, high energy costs, fueled by the war, benefited the Kremlin and kept the ruble But in the long run, economists say, Russia will pay a heavy price for its war A giant utility is asking for a taxpayer bailout, and more to come. Dairy companies wonder how they are going to pasteurize milk. The euro has slumped to a 20-year low against the dollar, and recession predictions are on the rise. Those pressure points are signs of how the conflict — and the fact that the Kremlin is gradually suffocating the natural gas that keeps industry humming — is provoking an energy crisis in Europe and increasing the likelihood ...

Zip shares have fallen 93 percent in the past year, while the owner of Afterpay, US fintech giant Block, has plunged more than 70 percent. Competition from banks and technology giants is one of the reasons why BNPL’s valuation has plummeted. Credit: Matt Davidson With stock prices falling like that, it might be tempting to think about the buy now, pay later concept is in deep contention. But at this point, it is important to distinguish between the market value of these stocks, and the usefulness of the products. Much evidence would suggest that many people – especially younger shoppers – find it helpful to split their payments into four installments, rather than risk paying high interest on a credit card. That trend is unlikely to change any time soon. Recent estimates from the industry show there are around 5.9 million active BNPL accounts in Australia, and on average, they are used for small purchases of around $150. Compared to the total value of the loan or repay...

While there may be value in BNPL as a provider of targeted marketing leads to traders, it remains unclear how this competitive advantage can be transformed into a sustainable and profitable model for the BNPL sector. The 78 percent drop in the value of Sezzle since then and Zip announcing their merger on February 28 helps explain why the deal fell through. Whatever gains from the scale and cost-cutting deal on offer – $130 million in total synergies – appear to have been overshadowed by growing concerns about bad debts in the BNPL sector, as questionable credit risk management in the business collides with rising interest rates, falling consumer spending. and slower economic growth, especially in the US market which is the target of most of the BNPL group. Shares of Sezzle immediately fell 35 percent after the deal’s termination was announced, with Zip up 4 percent. The end of the merger leaves the obvious question of how will these two businesses survive on their own? Consolidati...

Australian drivers have been suffering from bowser pain this year, with petrol prices topping $2 per liter. That’s despite the federal government’s move earlier in March to half of the fuel excise tax in a bid to ease financial pressure on drivers. But the cuts are not forever and the reduced rates are coming to an end. So what does it mean for drivers when they are again saddled with full excise duty in about three months? What is a fuel tax? Every time Australians buy gasoline, they contribute to a pool of funds that the federal government uses for roads and infrastructure. Simply put, you usually pay 44.2 cents in tax for every liter of fuel you buy — included in the price at Bowser. Excise duty was halved on March 30 to 22.1 cents per liter. Why did the Morrison government cut fuel taxes? The move is aimed at battling a spike in gasoline prices to ease cost-of-living pressures. The government estimates cutting fuel excise taxes will save midsize car owners about $13 when...