Diverse group of CSU seniors look to close out regular season on a positive noteChina’s trade with other countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative will keep growing in 2025, fueled by many emerging economies’ surging demand for products to meet their need for green transformation, consumption upgrade and industrialization, said market watchers and businesses leaders on Thursday. They noted that this trend is also driven by Chinese exporters’ efforts to diversify markets and reduce risks linked to protectionism and “decoupling” attempts by certain countries, along with advancements in both regional connectivity and supply chain operations. China’s trade with other economies involved in the BRI grew by 6 percent year-on-year to 18.74 trillion yuan ($2.57 trillion) between January and November, said the General Administration of Customs. Meanwhile, China’s trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose 8.6 percent on a yearly basis, while its two-way trade value with Latin America and Africa increased 7.9 percent and 4.8 percent year-on-year, respectively. Benefiting from the tangible growth of the BRI, favorable conditions created by the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and China-Europe freight train services have all provided strong support for China and its partners involved in the BRI to boost their trade ties, said Wan Zhe, a professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University. Countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in particular Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Vietnam, are also experiencing strong demand for goods and infrastructure projects, providing Chinese exporters with opportunities for growth, said Wan. Lyu Yue, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies, part of the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said China has nurtured a number of innovative companies and industrial clusters with strong international competitiveness. They have been transitioning toward green growth in recent years. She said that the increase in new orders from other BRI economies will not only lead to new growth points for Chinese manufacturers, but also propel them to invest in new plants, service centers and innovation facilities in markets involved in the BRI. Huzhou Sany Loader Co Ltd, a Huzhou, Zhejiang province-based equipment manufacturer, has been heading in that direction. The company began to export electric-powered loaders to BRI markets, specifically to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil, since last year. The average price of each unit is around 1 million yuan, which is twice the price of traditional diesel loaders. “Our calculations show that the operating cost of electric loaders is about one-third to one-quarter that of diesel loaders, bringing significant savings for users,” said Gao Pengfei, head of the company’s research and development unit. “Our export growth will focus on electrified products in the coming years,” said Gao, stressing that it is practical for Chinese manufacturers to expand their sales channels in more emerging markets to hedge against the risks brought forth by protectionism. Amphenol High Speed Technology (Nantong) Co Ltd, a Nantong, Jiangsu province-based wire and cable manufacturer, shipped a batch of cable worth 1.35 million yuan from its plant to Vietnam by trucks earlier this month. This is the 198th batch of cables exported by the company to countries participating in the BRI this year. The company exported 1.45 billion yuan of wire and cable products during the January-November period, jumping 190 percent year-on-year. More than half of its exports were shipped to BRI markets, said Nanjing Customs. The ongoing reshaping of the global supply chain has created new opportunities for Chinese companies to align their capabilities with evolving market needs, said Hu Weizhong, the company’s general manager. Source: China Daily
Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records Wednesday on hopes about easing US monetary policy, shrugging off political upheaval in South Korea and France. All three major US indices scored records, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing above 45,000 for the first time. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.Starmer's Agenda: Rebuilding Trust and Raising Living Standards
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NBA Spread and Total Picks for Today, December 302025 Carnival To Be Held From June 11–162024 was a major year for new vehicle launches, with new generations of key models like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, plus the first of a new wave of Chinese auto brands entering the market. But many models also departed the Australian market, headlined by the departure of what had been the longest-running auto brand in Australia: Citroen. In fact, there were so many discontinuations that we split all the SUVs axed in Australia into a separate article . Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Scroll below for all the passenger cars axed this year, or click on one of the links below to take you directly to a vehicle. BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe If you love the look of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe , rest assured you’ll still be able to buy a car that looks like this – it’ll just have electric power. BMW revealed updated versions of the 4 Series Gran Coupe and its electric i4 sibling back in April, but never confirmed timing for the combustion-powered model. Somewhat unusually, the electric version sold in considerably greater numbers than the petrol model. To the end of November, BMW sold 1866 i4s in Australia this year, against just 243 examples of the 4 Series Gran Coupe. That led to BMW pulling the plug on the petrol-powered range. “The high volume of new BMW models introduced to the local market prompts us to constantly assess our product portfolio in line with customer demand and our commitment to offering products that suit individual needs,” a BMW Australia spokesperson told CarExpert in a statement. “This has led us to restructure the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe lineup.” The 4 Series Gran Coupe was the second BMW to bear the Gran Coupe nameplate, which has been applied to a five-door liftback (the 4 Series Gran Coupe), a four-door sedan (the 2 Series ), and what you could arguably call four-door coupes (the 6 Series and 8 Series ). This nomenclature was born in a period where BMW was busily chasing niches, including coupe SUVs like the X4 and X6 and the unusual Gran Turismo models which were more upright five-door hatchbacks. The second-generation 4 Series Gran Coupe was revealed in June 2021 and arrived here later that year, sharing the same plunging double-kidney grille as coupe and convertible 4 Series models. While it later gained an electric version, the i4, it never received a full-fat M version like the other 4 Series body styles. There was no M4 version of the first-generation 4 Series Gran Coupe, either. With the axing of the base 420i in 2023, just two variants remained: the turbocharged four-cylinder, rear-wheel drive 430i and the turbocharged six-cylinder, all-wheel drive M440i xDrive. Though the Gran Coupe brought superior practicality over the 3 Series Sedan , if not the Touring wagon, it cost up to $14,100 more than its booted counterpart. 4 Series Gran Coupe sales had peaked in 2015 and 2022 with 858 sales in both years – incidentally, both of which were the first full years of their respective generations. MORE: BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe axed in Australia, i4 EV to live on MORE: Everything BMW 4 Series Citroen C4 and C5 X Citroen had been hanging on like grim death in Australia, even as its sales winnowed away each year. From a height of 3803 sales in 2007, Citroen fell below 1000 annual units in 2016 and continued sliding. Its retail network continued to shrink, and Peugeot Citroen Australia’s decision to make Peugeot its exclusive commercial vehicle brand here killed one of its higher-volume models, the Berlingo. Most embarrassingly for the brand, it was outsold by Ferrari in 2020 and 2021. But there were signs Peugeot Citroen Australia was taking the brand seriously here, introducing the C4 in 2021 and C5 X in 2022. These replaced the old C4 and C5 that hadn’t been on sale here for several years, and came after several years of Citroen focusing on more traditionally SUV-shaped models. Not that the C4 and C5 X were conventional passenger cars themselves, with their higher-riding stances blurring the lines between cars and SUVs. Though it was the C5 X that wore the ‘X’ suffix commonly used for SUVs, it was the C4 that was classified as an SUV in VFACTS industry sales reports. There was a C4 X, mind you, but this was a sedan version of the C4 that we never received. Confused? We were too. Disinterested? Well, it seems Australians were. C4 sales peaked at 94 units in its first full year on sale, before falling; the same happened with the C5 X, with 68 sold in its first full year on sale. From launch to the end of November 2024, Citroen sold just 200 C4s and 168 C5 Xs. The rarest of them all is the C5 X Plug-in Hybrid, for which orders opened in May... just three months before Citroen announced it was pulling up stumps here. Being an order-only vehicle and priced just over $16,000 higher than the regular C5 X, itself not the most affordable vehicle of its size, it may be one of the rarest Citroens ever sold here. The C4 and C5 X may have lacked the clever hydropneumatic suspension of older Citroens, but with their quirky styling and focus on comfort – in suspension tuning and even in the construction of their seats – these cars were distinctively Citroen. Alas, it seems buyers just didn’t care. MORE: Citroen leaving Australia after more than 100 years, importer focusing on Peugeot MORE: Everything Citroen C4 MORE: Everything Citroen C5 X Citroen C3 While we received new generations of Citroen’s small and medium/large cars, the latest C3 – revealed in electric guise in October 2023, and with petrol power in April this year – was kept from us. That was perhaps an early warning that the brand wasn’t going to stick around here for long, and in August this year distributor Inchcape Australia announced it would close orders for all Citroen vehicles. The third-generation C3 arrived here in 2017, with an extremely mild facelift coming in 2021. That means the C3 is much the same as when it arrived here around seven years ago, and sales figures have reflected that. From a height of 122 sales in 2018, sales fell to double digits in 2019 and have subsequently remained relatively steady, if very, very low. The price has climbed since launch and this year sat at $32,267 before on-road costs for the single Shine variant, putting it up against vehicles the segment above. But even comparing it with similarly sized vehicles with similarly premium pricing, the C3 comes up short. From its 2017 launch to the end of November this year, Citroen has sold 544 C3s. In contrast, Audi sold 462 A1s and Skoda sold 433 Fabias in 2023 alone. Showing just how far Citroen sales have dropped off over the years, as well as the decline in light car sales, the brand sold upwards of 908 examples of the first-generation C3 in 2003. MORE: Everything Citroen C3 Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 is cute as a bug, but its ability to survive year after year well after rivals were replaced made it seem like more of a cockroach. It’s still being manufactured, but Fiat announced it was axing the petrol-powered 500 in Australia in August. As of December, however, it still has stock at its dealers. The 500 and its hotter Abarth 595 sibling are sold alongside the new-generation Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e, electric-only micro cars with similar styling but much more modern underpinnings and technology. With the Fiat 500e set to be joined by a mild-hybrid petrol-powered variant in 2026, this should finally spell the end of the old 500, which has been in production since 2007 and which launched here in 2008. In that time, Fiats from the little Panda to the Dodge Journey-based Freemont have come and gone from the Australian market, but the little 500 has kept on ticking with the occasional minor refresh. Though it no longer sells in quite the same volumes as it did in the early/mid 2010s – where it sold between 2000 and 3000 units annually – it still sells in consistent volumes in a segment that consists solely of it and the Kia Picanto . Last year, Fiat sold 581 examples of the 500 and its Abarth sibling in Australia, an increase on the year before despite the axing of their cabriolet models. MORE: Fiat culls petrol 500 in favour of $50k EV hatch in Australia MORE: Everything Fiat 500 Jaguar F-Type When the E-Type ended production in 1974, it left a hole in Jaguar’s lineup. The XJ-S that succeeded it was more of a grand tourer, a tradition which its XK replacement followed in. It wasn’t until the F-Type , which entered production in 2013, that Jaguar had a genuine spiritual successor to the E-Type. An E-Type successor had existed in development hell during the 1980s and 1990s, before Jaguar revealed the F-Type concept in 2000... only for a planned production version to be scrapped before it could see the light of day. Fast-forward to the 2011 Frankfurt motor show and the F-Type as we came to know it was previewed in concept form, albeit featuring a supercharged V6 hybrid powertrain that never reached production. Instead, the production coupe – which looked essentially identical to the concept – was launched with a choice of supercharged V6 or V8 powertrains. Like the E-Type, there was also a convertible; unlike the iconic Jag, there was an all-wheel drive option. Also in a departure from past Jaguar two-doors, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine joined the range. Designed under Ian Callum, the F-Type was widely regarded as gorgeous. Somehow a facelift, revealed in 2019, arguably improved the styling with a more aggressive look up front. The F-Type featured all-aluminium construction, and Jaguar touted the coupe as the most torsionally rigid production car it had ever built. While the four- and six-cylinder powertrains weren’t shrinking violets, the supercharged V8 was the star. For 2022, Jaguar Australia dropped the four- and six-cylinder engines entirely, leaving the blown 5.0-litre in 331kW/580Nm P450 and 423kW/700Nm R tunes. In June 2024, Jaguar revealed the final F-Type and what it says will be its final combustion-powered sports car: a supercharged 5.0-litre V8-powered convertible in classic green-over-tan. A total of 87,731 F-Types were produced between 2013 and 2024. MORE: Jaguar reveals its last-ever petrol-powered sports car, bound for a museum MORE: Jaguar’s last ever petrol-powered sports car is coming to Australia MORE: Everything Jaguar F-Type Jaguar XE When Jaguar used the Ford Mondeo platform to create its first BMW 3 Series rival, many scoffed. To Jaguar’s credit, it went back to the drawing board and developed a rear/all-wheel drive sports sedan with tasteful, modern styling and poised dynamics. Look out, BMW! Except the XE is now being axed almost a decade after it entered production in 2015, as part of Jaguar’s pivot to being a more exclusive, electric-only brand. Jaguar is done trying to take on BMW and is aiming higher, with JLR design boss Gerry McGovern saying in 2023: “What we won’t worry about is being loved by everybody, because that’s the kiss of death.” “That’s what’s put Jaguar where it is today, which is with no equity whatsoever,” he said. The XE never could match its German rivals in the sales race, and JLR confirmed the sedan wasn’t profitable – something likely not helped by its use of aluminium suspension componentry and a bonded and riveted aluminium unitary structure, unusual for this segment. The 3 Series rival was offered with a range of powertrains, including turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines plus a supercharged V6. Jaguar even developed the limited-run SV Project 8, which featured a supercharged V8 engine. Sadly, the SV Project 8 never came here, nor did it presage a more widely available BMW M3 rival. The six-cylinder and diesel engines were also eventually phased out in Australia. Disappointing sales and the resultant lack of profitability doomed the XE, which was axed in the US in 2020 but grimly held on for a few more years in markets such as ours. Unusually, Jaguar Australia switched the XE from rear-wheel drive to all-wheel drive for 2021 for reasons unclear. For 2023, the XE range was whittled down to a single model and, though it still appears on Jaguar’s local website, production ended this year. In its best year, 2016, global sales for the XE reached 44,095 units. The same year, BMW produced over 400,000 3 Series models globally. In Australia, the XE’s best year was also 2016 with 1524 sold, beating the Infiniti Q50 and Volvo S60 and falling just short of the Lexus IS . But sales fell each year, plunging to double-digits in 2022. Last year, the XE was outsold by every single one of its rivals, with its 58 sales bested by the Genesis G70 (81 sales) and Volvo S60 (152). From launch to the end of November 2024, Jaguar sold 4332 XEs in Australia. While rivals received significant facelifts or new generations, the XE was left to soldier on as its lineup shrunk. It’s a sad end for what was an extremely promising BMW 3 Series rival. MORE: Everything Jaguar XE Jaguar XF If any car could make Jaguar’s XE look like a sales success, it’s the second generation of the brand’s BMW 5 Series rival. The first-generation XF was a breath of fresh air when it was revealed in 2007, with the Ian Callum-penned sedan casting aside the shackles of Jaguar’s retro design language in favour of a more modern yet still elegant look inside and out. The second generation wasn’t as impactful. Also attributed to Mr. Callum, the design was conservative, looking more like a stretched version of the XE with which it shared its new platform. Unlike the XE, however, there was a wagon version; this made the trip to Australia, even though the first-generation model was offered here only in sedan guise. Globally, the XF was offered with a choice of turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines, plus a turbo-diesel V6 and a supercharged petrol V6. Sadly, there was no supercharged V8 XFR as there had been with the first generation. To Jaguar Australia’s credit, it offered almost every available powertrain, and even brought the niche wagon here. But the British 5 Series rival was met with buyer apathy: sales shrunk compared to the outgoing model, with just 433 sold in 2016. That was down from the over 800 units Jaguar shifted in 2013 and 2014. Sales fell below three digits in 2019 with 50 units, and below two digits in 2023 with just 6 sold. By this point the XF range had been shrunk to a single variant, as for model year 2021 Jaguar axed all rear-wheel drive, diesel, six-cylinder and wagon variants in favour of a lone all-wheel drive turbo-petrol four-cylinder. MORE: Everything Jaguar XF Maserati Quattroporte Technically, Maserati didn’t sell any Quattroportes in Australia in 2024, with global production wrapping late last year. No further examples were delivered this year but as it appeared on Maserati’s local website during 2024, we’ve included it in this article. The Quattroporte nameplate is taking a leave of absence, with a replacement – featuring electric power – delayed until 2028. It’s not the first time the Quattroporte nameplate has taken a lengthy leave of absence, with gaps of several years between the first and second and the third and fourth generations. The Quattroporte competed in an extremely low-volume segment in Australia, battling the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class . Maserati executives would therefore clearly bristle at the mention of the Quattroporte sharing a platform with Chrysler and Dodge. “From the Chrysler 300 we carried over the electrical system, a portion on the platform where seats are hinged and some elements of the air conditioning, that is all,” then-Maserati global CEO Harald Wester told Automotive News Europe back in 2013. The current, sixth-generation Quattroporte entered production that year, underpinned by what Maserati called its M156 platform which was also used by the Ghibli and Levante . The gorgeous, lithe Pininfarina styling of its predecessor made way for an in-house design that was more fuller-figured and conservative, with a clear kinship with the cheaper Ghibli. If it looked bigger than the previous Quattroporte, that’s because it was – in length alone, the Quattroporte VI grew by over 200mm. A Ferrari-developed twin-turbo V8 remained available, along with a twin-turbo V6 developed with the Prancing Horse brand. This was also the first Quattroporte to offer a diesel engine, a turbocharged V6 mill sold here from 2014 to 2019. While the Quattroporte had a decade-long production run, there were updates made during this time. In 2016, the Quattroporte received a new infotainment system and more standard equipment including a suite of active safety features. This suite was expanded in a subsequent update in 2018. In 2020, Maserati revealed a hot Trofeo version of its luxury limo, featuring a 433kW/730Nm tune of the twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 – up 43kW and 80Nm on the GTS. This coincided with another minor facelift for the Quattroporte line that saw the old Chrysler-derived infotainment system swapped for one running on Android Automotive. The Quattroporte consistently sold in the double digits each year in Australia, before slumping to just three units in 2023. Even in a low-volume segment, that was very low. MORE: Everything Maserati Quattroporte Maserati Ghibli The Ghibli was first a stunning coupe and convertible in the 1960s, then a rather brutalist two-door in the 1990s, before being revived as a BMW 5 Series sedan rival that was revealed at the 2013 Shanghai motor show. It represented a return to a segment which Maserati last occupied in 1995 with the 430, a descendant of the Biturbo. With the introduction of the Ghibli and Levante, which entered production in 2013 and 2016 respectively, Maserati was chasing broader market appeal and therefore greater sales volumes. By the 2000s, after the end of the Biturbo era, its lineup had receded to a small, more exclusive one. In 2013, it announced plans to sell 50,000 vehicles each year around the world in 2015, more than eight times as many as it sold in 2011. The Ghibli used the M158 platform of the new sixth-generation Quattroporte, and shared its twin-turbocharged V6 petrol and turbocharged V6 diesel engines. There was a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, while an eight-speed automatic transmission was standard across the range. The Quattroporte’s twin-turbo V8 wasn’t added until 2020, while at the other end of the spectrum the Ghibli gained a turbocharged four-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain. Other changes to the Ghibli during its lengthy run mirrored those of the Quattroporte: new infotainment and a suite of active safety tech for 2017, and an expanded suite in 2018 enabled by the switch to an electric-assisted power steering setup. The Ghibli helped Maserati reach its 50,000-unit target, albeit a couple of years late. Alas, the brand’s sales dropped from then. In 2022, Maserati announced its plans to transition to an EV-only lineup by 2028, but conspicuous by its absence from these plans was the Ghibli nameplate. Instead, both it and the Quattroporte are set to be replaced by a single sedan model bearing the latter’s nameplate, though this has subsequently been delayed to 2028. In Australia, from a height of 345 sales in 2015, the Ghibli gradually declined before an uptick in 2021 to 152 sales. They then slumped to double digits, and just 17 Ghiblis found homes in Australia this year to the end of November. From its debut year, the Levante took over as Maserati’s best-selling vehicle locally, a title it maintained until the launch of the smaller Grecale SUV in 2023. The Ghibli remains on Maserati’s local website, but with production having ended it’s only a matter of time before the nameplate is retired for a third time. MORE: Everything Maserati Ghibli Mini Clubman Even as it rolls out new electric vehicles (EVs) like the Aceman , Mini has updated its long-running three- and five-door hatchbacks and convertible and given them a slightly fresher look. The same treatment hasn’t been extended to the long-running Clubman , which Mini ended production of in February after two generations. It’s probably best to blame the Countryman as, in many markets including ours, given the choice of a wagon or an SUV most buyers will opt for the latter. BMW launched Mini as a standalone brand in 2000, and for the first several years of its life it only sold a hatchback. A convertible followed, before the Clubman was launched as Mini’s third body style. It came during a period where Mini was rapidly and creatively expanding its lineup or, to put it less charitably, throwing things at a wall and seeing what stuck. If debuted in 2007, and was followed in 2010 by the Countryman SUV (which did stick) and the Roadster, Coupe and Paceman (which didn’t). Mini wisely added a pair of conventional rear passenger doors with the second-generation Clubman, which launched in Australia in 2015, replacing the suicide door setup of its predecessor. A more practical alternative to the hatchback it was based on, the second-generation Clubman stuck with the rear barn doors of its predecessor – highly unusual for a wagon in 2024. The second-generation Clubman moved to the UKL2 platform underpinning vehicles like the BMW 1 Series . While this platform was used for a raft of vehicles including BMW and Mini-branded hatchbacks, sedans and even a people mover, the quirky Clubman was the only wagon. While it offered a choice of petrol powertrains (though as with its predecessor, no diesel in Australia), including a hot John Cooper Works model with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. Between the launch of the second-gen model and the end of November 2024, Mini Australia sold 3143 Clubmans. It was a steady if unexceptional seller, but over the same period Mini sold around twice as many Countryman SUVs. MORE: Everything Mini Clubman Peugeot 508 The 508 may have been the prettiest mid-sized Peugeot since the 406 Coupe of the 1990s, but that wasn’t enough to save it. While it lives on in Europe, in September Peugeot Australia pulled the plug on the liftback and wagon “in response to changing consumer preferences in the segment”. It arguably wasn’t a surprise, given Ford, Kia and Volkswagen, among other brands, had already exited the mid-sized segment. Peugeot sales have also been broadly on a downward trajectory over the past decade. Peugeot Australia added a plug-in hybrid version of the 508 Fastback in 2022, with a Sportwagon PHEV following in 2023. But with one hand Peugeot Australia giveth, and with one another it taketh away. Later in 2023, Peugeot axed the petrol-powered 508s, leaving only the pricier PHEVs. Unusually, the Sportwagon PHEV was introduced after Peugeot revealed a facelifted version of the 508 in Europe, for which it conspicuously didn’t announce specific local launch timing. The facelifted model never came, and when Peugeot UK announced earlier this year it was axing the 508, its local demise appeared inevitable. The second-generation 508’s best year in Australia was 2021, with 240 sold. That was a far cry from the first-generation model which in 2012, its first full year on the market, recorded 1085 sales. In fairness to the 508, mid-sized passenger car sales have fallen over the past decade or so. But in 2023, the 508’s 156 sales saw it outsold by the Volkswagen Passat and Arteon , and even more niche models like the Volvo V60 Cross Country. MORE: Another mid-sized car gets the axe in Australia MORE: Everything Peugeot 508 Renault Megane You can still buy a Renault Megane in Australia, but it’s quite a different creature. The last examples of the RS Trophy hot hatch, the sole remaining member of the combustion-powered Megane range, were sold earlier this year as the new electric Megane E-Tech joined the local lineup. The RS-badged Megane hatch, sent off with a special-edition RS Ultime, was the last member of a once significantly wider lineup of small Renaults. The current, fourth-generation Megane was revealed in 2015 and went on sale locally late in 2016. Wagon and sedan models, introduced in 2017, were dropped in 2019 along with the entry-level Zen hatch, while the RS Sport and RS Cup hatchbacks were axed in 2021. That left just the RS Trophy. Not only was the Australian Megane lineup winnowed down locally, the car was discontinued in almost every market. Turkish production continues, however, of the sedan. This mirrors what happened with the Ford Focus , with a once-wide lineup continually chipped away at in Australia until a single hot hatch was left, before the nameplate was axed entirely. The Focus is also being discontinued globally. Renault only sold 69 Meganes in Australia in 2023. That was well down on the 1259 units it shifted in 2017, its first full year on sale. The Megane RS Trophy (and RS Ultime) used a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, producing 221kW of power and 420Nm of torque (400Nm in the manual) Those outputs remained competitive even among a growing contingent of hot hatches on the local market. While Renault is moving away from hot petrol-powered models, it’s entering the hot electric hatch fray with both its namesake brand and its Alpine spinoff. It remains to be seen whether these hot EVs will come here, however. MORE: Everything Renault Megane MORE: Every SUV discontinued in Australia in 2024 MORE: Every car and SUV discontinued in Australia in 2023 MORE: Every car discontinued in 2022 MORE: Every car discontinued in 2021 MORE: The cars we lost in 2020
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Cornerback Taron Johnson is still agitated over the dud the Buffalo Bills defense produced in giving up season worsts in points and yards, while melting down on third down in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. There’s no better time or opportunity to show how much better they are than this Sunday. That’s when the Bills (10-3) travel to play the NFC-leading Detroit Lions (12-1), who just happen to lead the NFL in scoring and feature the same dynamic style of offense as the Rams. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a weekPARSIPPANY, NJ – November 25, 2024, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), a national leader in specialized technical training for more than 75 years, announces the graduation of eight new technicians from its specialized Johnson Controls International (JCI) Academy program at the Denver, CO campus. This is the first group to graduate from the Denver location; the JCI Academy has also operated at Lincoln’s Columbia, MD campus since the Fall of 2022. Since the inception of Lincoln Tech’s partnership with JCI in 2018, more than 500 students have graduated from Lincoln schools and gone straight to work at JCI locations across the country. “Our partnership with Johnson Controls enables us to broaden our innovative training programs, providing graduates with hands-on experience and direct pathways to careers that align with market needs,” says Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO. “We are proud to contribute to building a future-ready talent pool that ensures the efficient and sustainable operation of our building systems.” The graduating class celebrated its milestone on Friday, November 15th at the Denver campus – when the ribbon was also officially cut on the Johnson Controls Academy classroom. The graduates – six of whom had previously attended Lincoln Tech, along with two current JCI employee who were advancing their skill sets – will move into positions at JCI branches in Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. As entry-level technicians, they’ll begin careers installing, troubleshooting, repairing and maintaining fire and security alarm systems on JCI-operated buildings. Marcus Biart, a graduate of the Electrical and Electronic Systems Technology program at Lincoln Tech’s Mahwah campus, enrolled in the JCI Academy to further his training and will go on to a position at JCI’s Fort Worth, TX location. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he told his fellow graduates when speaking at Friday’s ceremony. “JCI’s instructors were willing to teach me, and I was eager to learn. Thank you for giving a young man like me a chance.” Mike Schade, VP of Human Resources at Johnson Controls, was among the speakers to congratulate the graduates on their successes. “You all wanted to do something unique and exciting with your life,” Schade said. You had a vision. And vision is an important word here – at Johnson Controls not only do we want to have great technicians and help build their careers, we want to help build the trades for our economy and our country. The work we do saves lives and saves the planet.” The JCI Academy at Lincoln Tech provides six weeks of intensive hands-on training designed to close the skilled labor gap and prepare future technicians for security and fire installation and service roles. On-site housing for the duration of the program and relocation expenses upon completion are supported by Johnson Controls. To ensure smooth onboarding, graduates of the Johnson Controls Academy receive support from a retention coach for one year post-graduation. The collaboration between Johnson Controls and Lincoln Tech began in 2018, enhancing classroom experiences with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Johnson Controls is dedicated to workforce development from the K-12 level and throughout employees' careers. Through the partnership with Lincoln Tech and initiatives like the Community College Partnership Program, STEM 101, and HVAC learning labs, Johnson Controls equips schools with vital resources to develop smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, benefiting students along the way. There are more than 800,000 positions projected to open nationwide for electricians and electronic systems technicians by 2033*, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. * Career growth projections can be found at onetonline.org for the years 2023-2033 and are current as of November 18, 2024. ### About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946. Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 13 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institutes in both Maryland and Connecticut.For more information, go to lincolntech.edu . Contact Information Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Scott Watkins swatkins@lincolntech.edu About Johnson Controls At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering. Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry. Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social Platforms. Contact Information Johnson Controls International Kari Pfisterer (414) 217-1488 kari.b.pfisterer@jci.com Attachment JCI Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Lincoln Tech's Denver Campus Scott Watkins, VP Marketing Lincoln Tech 973.766.9656 Swatkins@lincolntech.edu
The latest development came hours after thousands of his supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former PM began a “long march” from the restive north-west to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing night-time operation. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Mr Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorised the police to respond as necessary,” Mr Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Mr Ali said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Mr Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Mr Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed.Liverpool's lead cut in Premier League and Man City ends slump. Chelsea and Arsenal win
Coles Group Chooses Stibo Systems to Help Improve its Customer Experience Across Digital Channels
Sinn Fein was accused of “ignoring” the role 3,000 Troubles deaths had in damaging community relations in Northern Ireland in a memo sent to a direct rule minister in 2003. Declassified files show the note to former MP John Spellar also said the republican party had ignored the “visceral component of sectarianism” in responding to a new government good relations strategy. Mr Spellar, then a Northern Ireland Office minister, had launched a consultation on the “A Shared Future” document, an attempt to address community divisions, segregation and sectarianism in the region at a time when the devolved powersharing institutions were suspended. A file at the Public Record Office in Belfast shows that OFMDFM official Chris Stewart wrote to the minister in July about a response to the document from Sinn Fein representative Bairbre de Brun. Mr Stewart told Mr Spellar that Ms de Brun’s letter had been critical of the document and was clearly intended to “mark your card”. He said among a number of points raised by de Brun was that “the promotion of equality is the key to improving community relations”. His memo adds: “Sinn Fein is clearly seeking to position or align the issue of community relations within its equality and human rights agenda. “This general Sinn Fein position has resulted in a simplistic analysis of community relations, which is flawed in its description of the causes and necessary policy response. “There is of course, no doubt that a lack of equality has been a contributing factor to poor community relations. “However, Sinn Fein ignores the many other factors, not least the violent conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths. “Sinn Fein also portrays poor community relations (for nationalists) as being a purely rational response to the political situation. “This ignores the more visceral component of sectarianism, which is all too prevalent in both communities.” Mr Stewart continues: “To suggest, as Sinn Fein does, that the promotion of equality should be the key component of good relations policy is to ignore the key message in A Shared Future, that indirect approaches alone are insufficient to deal with sectarianism and the abnormal relationship between sections of the Northern Ireland community.” The official recommended the minister invite representatives of Sinn Fein to a meeting to discuss the policy. The file also contains a note about Mr Spellar’s meeting with DUP representatives Maurice Morrow and Peter Weir the following month to discuss the document. The note says: “Morrow said he had no problem with sharing the future and suggested that the first step to that would be an election to decide who spoke for whom – though he was quick to say he didn’t want politics to dominate the meeting.” It adds: “Weir said that the biggest step towards improving community relations would be the creation of a political environment that had the broad support of both unionism and nationalism, and the GFA (Good Friday Agreement) could not create that environment.”
Two Oregon men on a search for Sasquatch were found dead of probable exposure in a Washington state park, authorities said. Family members reported the pair missing around 1 a.m. Wednesday after they failed to return home as planned on Christmas Eve, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. A “ grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions” ensued, involving more than 60 volunteers and including “canine, drone and ground-searching teams,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Searchers first located the men’s vehicle at the southern border of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, where the bodies of the 59- and 37-year-old men were ultimately found in dense woods; their names were not immediately released. The forest comprises more than 1.3 million acres and is about 150 miles northeast of Portland. “Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness,” the sheriff’s office noted. The “exceptional volunteers” who left their own Christmas celebrations for the search “fought through freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall, and heavily wooded terrain,” the sheriff said. “Their exhaustive search efforts resulted in bringing family members home to their loved ones.” Participating agencies included search and rescue teams from several counties, as well as numerous nonprofit organizations and a U.S. Coast Guard crew who “flew in inclement weather” to deploy infrared technology, the sheriff’s office said, sending “deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident.” The legend of the Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, dates back to ancient times, as Indigenous Peoples had their own legends of a towering, fur-covered, ape-like creature who strode upright through the woods of the Pacific Northwest, according to the environmental organization Oregon Wild. Though there is no proof of its existence, “there are a lot of people out there who are confident that some sort of ape-man roams through the depths of North America’s most remote forests and devote their lives to finding them,” Oregon Wild’s website notes. With News Wire ServicesChina advances foreign trade with higher-quality products exported and more imports from LDCs