For his part, ggii.info owner Roger Hausmann assures us nobody was recording reporters and his enterprise is all about quality journalism. He says he will back better than ever once the financial issue has been resolved. This may take some time.
Press gallery management also raised their concerns with the outlet about its enthusiasm for networking opportunities. This included a (now cancelled) event with ggii.info and Inside Canberra, a press gallery outfit run by Keating Media, where subscribers could pay $1500 for an hour-long networking event with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
Russian roulette
Then foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, pictured here with Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov, expelled two Russian diplomats after concerns they were "undeclared intelligence officers".
Photo: Alex EllinghausenGiven British authorities have labelled the two men who poisoned ex-spy Sergei Skripal with the nerve agent Novichok as Kremlin agents, its worth turning our attention to who were the “undeclared intelligence officers” expelled from the Russian Embassy in Canberra in March.
That was when ex-foreign minister Julie Bishop said two embassy staff were not really diplomats and ordered them to leave the country within the week. It was a claim strongly denied by Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov in a colourful hour-long press conference.
The wheels of Moscow’s Foreign Affairs bureaucracy move slowly, but the Russian Embassy has finally changed its diplomatic list, with three very obvious changes.
The new arrivals are Anton Chirva and Ruslan Arutyunov, but we are prevented from naming the three departees for legal reasons.
That’s not to say two of those three are the “undeclared intelligence officers”.
But it’s something that will surely get the Red Hill diplomatic corps talking.
CLSA's gold Rolex mystery
Mark Dorney, head of investment banking at CLSA, offloaded a gold Rolex to a junior banker for safe keeping when he went overseas.
Photo: Daniel MunozWe’d love to get to the bottom of why Mark Dorney, the head of investment banking for CLSA, handed his gold Rolex to a junior banker on his way to a lengthy holiday.
Sadly, Dorney, who is working on the sale of the monopoly online property settlement company PEXA, did not return calls yesterday.
CBD has heard Dorney handed the pricey watch to a junior before departing. There are two theories as to why. Either he’d like it to keep it in good working order which is surely a job tailor made for a junior banker. Or he was concerned it might have been nicked if took it away with him.
We aren’t holding our breath for a call back.
The not so sweet Capilano dust-up
Kerry Stokes (pictured) is a major shareholder in Capilano Honey, which is the subject to a takeover offer from a consortium headed by Wattle Hill Capital.
Photo: Alex EllinghausenThe tussle for Kerry Stokes-backed Capilano Honey is getting dirtier by the day, with a consortium made up of Albert Tse’s Wattle Hill Capital and Roc Partners warily eyeing a $200 million capital raise from Bega Cheese.
CBD understands concerns about the purchase of Capilano Shares by Amore Foods Pty Ltd have already been raised with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
Presumably that’s what led to the highly amusing disclosure last week that Bega had an agreement with Amore to buy the shares which “were provided verbally”.
We’d love to have heard that phone call.
An $11 million share purchase deal with “no written agreement”. Staggering.
But while Bega could be interested in Capilano’s massive supermarket business, it seems Wattle Hill and Roc want to capitalise on the premium honey shipped direct to China.
Maybe everyone can just learn to get along.