WEEK STARTING DECEMBER 17

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

This week's headlines were like a candy cane - short, sweet and only half read. So here's the flash format for the best in the week:

ASX

CBA is turning on Apple Pay in January. Other banks are highly likely to follow suit

Xinja had their restricted banking license granted

Raiz is now in Indonesia, granted a license for mutual funds. The news only incrementally (4%) boosted their share price

SILICON VALLEY

HQ Trivia & Vine Co-Founder, Colin Kroll, died of a suspected overdose

Elon Musk revealed the Boring Company Tunnel

Long read: As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening For Tech Giants. Fantastic NY Times investigative piece

TRIVIA
Extra questions if things get boring at Christmas Lunch. Answers @ the end of email

(a) In Latin, the name of which field of mathematics means a pebble used in counting? Clue: the word also has the medical meaning "stone"?

(b) Which every day item means "little shade"?

(c) Which European capital welcomed the Soviet Army in May of '45 but un-welcomed them in August '68?

(d) What is the closest world capital to Washington, D.C.?

PORTMANTEAU TRIVIA
Each answer is, or refers to, a portmanteau

(e) What word is used to refer to 2 old, posh British universities?

(f) urbandictionary.com refers to these ovine people as "those who follow others blindly"?

(g) A "chugger" is which type of "mugger" that wields an iPad asking for your information?

NUMBER TRIVIA

(h) Counting up from one, what is the first number that contains a "G"?

(i) Counting up from one, what is the first number that contains a "B"?

(j) Between negative 576 and positive 576, what is the last integer alphabetically?

GEOGRAPHY TRIVIA

(k) The splendors of the Victoria Falls are found on the border of which 2 African countries beginning with "Z"?

(l) What is the only US state that ends in three vowels?

(m) Which large North African capital-city is known in Arabic as "al-Qahirah" (the victorious)?

(n) The Westernmost point in continental Europe is "Cape Roca" - located in which country?

***

I want to thank you for your readership of The Inner Loop this year. I've loved every moment of writing and can't wait to bring it into 2019. As of tomorrow, I'm going to be on break, so will be back and writing some time in January!

Have an incredible break and I wish you all the best for Christmas and 2019! 

Jimmy