16 Days of Activism: Ogun commits to safety for women, girlsNEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the end of the settlement date of November 15, 2024, short interest in 3,070 Nasdaq Global Market SM securities totaled 11,973,515,318 shares compared with 12,172,949,545 shares in 3,083 Global Market issues reported for the prior settlement date of October 31, 2024. The mid-November short interest represents 2.25 days compared with 3.02 days for the prior reporting period. Short interest in 1,668 securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market SM totaled 2,044,997,906 shares at the end of the settlement date of November 15, 2024, compared with 2,128,624,815 shares in 1,664 securities for the previous reporting period. This represents a 1.00 day average daily volume; the previous reporting period's figure was 1.05 In summary, short interest in all 4,738 Nasdaq ® securities totaled 14,018,513,224 shares at the November 15, 2024 settlement date, compared with 4,747 issues and 14,301,574,360 shares at the end of the previous reporting period. This is 1.83 days average daily volume, compared with an average of 2.36 days for the prior reporting period. The open short interest positions reported for each Nasdaq security reflect the total number of shares sold short by all broker/dealers regardless of their exchange affiliations. A short sale is generally understood to mean the sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale that is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by or for the account of the seller. For more information on Nasdaq Short interest positions, including publication dates, visit http://www.nasdaq.com/quotes/short-interest.aspx or http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/asp/short_interest.asp . About Nasdaq: Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a leading global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions, and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn , on X @Nasdaq , or at www.nasdaq.com . Media Contact: Jennifer Lawson [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f227accd-cd52-4299-9a83-e3bcaa7a247c NDAQO
Marcus Rashford has had issues with every previous Manchester United manager he's played under. That's according to The Athletic writer Andy Mitten, who also claims that fans do not celebrate the academy graduate like they used to. Rashford has missed United's last three Premier League matches as head coach Ruben Amorim and is seemingly keen to leave the club. He revealed in an interview with Henry Winter that he's 'ready for a new challenge' and talkSPORT understands United are open to offers for the player. Some fans expressed their frustrations with the 27-year-old during United's Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham, unveiling a banner that read: "Excuses. Ta ra, Marcus". Although Amorim has not definitively said Rashford won't return to the team, there are serious questions over his future involvement. Amid the continuous noise, Mitten spoke to talkSPORT and offered insight into the experience of previous managers, including Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag, with him. "I do think that the manager has had a big say here," Mitten said on Kick Off. "I think he is doing it his way and he's a smiling assassin, he's a disciplinarian. "And, every previous manager has had issues with Marcus Rashford. I've spoken to them, I know them, they've told me in confidence going back years and years and years. "And then, Marcus confounds those opinions because he has a really good season and from his perspective, and he does have a perspective here, there's not a lot of support for him, I've got to say, among Manchester United fans. "We played at Wolves a couple of days ago, thoroughly miserable there, but if I go back to Wolves at the start of February [last season], I was outside that away end, I couldn't find a single Manchester United fan who wanted him to stay. "When he scored after three or four minutes, those very same fans were singing Marcus Rashford's name, so that is the environment that you're in, and football fans are like that, they change their tune very quickly. "But Marcus Rashford is not celebrated by United fans as he was, his stock is clearly very, very low. I don't think he's had a disastrous start to the season, he was worse last season, but clearly he's nowhere near the levels that he would have hoped for. "Now, if you've got Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona lining up going, 'We'd love to take him'... But the reality, the economics of it, they just do not add up. "I don't know what the outcome is going to be, he signed a huge contract, and a lot of them have signed huge contracts, and this makes fans uncomfortable." Rashford has played under Louis van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ten Hag and Amorim since making his United debut in 2016. He has also worked with Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick and Ruud van Nistelrooy, although the trio were only in caretaker or interim roles. The 60-cap England international has scored seven goals in 24 appearances this season, one of which was Amorim's first in charge. However it remains to be seen when Rashford, who has featured 426 times in total for United, will take to the pitch again. Amorim will once again decide on this on Monday night when they face Newcastle at home in the Premier League, live on talkSPORT .Iran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN's atomic watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue. "A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed," the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement. Baghaei described the upcoming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran's atomic programme, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon -- something Tehran has repeatedly denied. In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a "series of new and advanced centrifuges". Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235). "We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines," Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman, told state TV. The country, however, also said it planned to continue its "technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA". During a recent visit to Tehran by IAEA head Rafael Grossi, Iran agreed to the agency's demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove "doubts and ambiguities" about his country's nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. On Sunday afternoon, the United Kingdom confirmed the upcoming meeting between Iran and the three European countries. "We remain committed to taking every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback if necessary," London's Foreign Office said. The 2015 deal contains a "snapback" mechanism that can be triggered in case of "significant non-performance" of commitments by Iran, allowing many sanctions to be reimposed. Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP that Friday's meeting was set to happen earlier, but "those plans were derailed as a result of Iran-Israel tensions" over the Gaza war. Though the parties will be meeting "without knowing what the incoming Trump administration wants to do", Vaez said that "after a lose-lose cycle of mutual escalation, now both sides are back to realising that engagement might be the least costly option." Tehran has since 2021 decreased its cooperation with the IAEA by deactivating surveillance devices monitoring the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, it has increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium and the level of enrichment to 60 percent. That level is close, according to the IAEA, to the 90 percent-plus threshold required for a nuclear warhead, and substantially higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015. pdm/smw/ami
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With impending removal of restrictions on vehicle imports early next year, industry experts have urged the Government to prioritise the importation of new vehicles over used ones, warning of significant environment, economic, and technological repercussions if outdated vehicles flood the market. The potential reintroduction of used vehicles has drawn criticism from experts, who highlighted challenges posed by older commercial vehicles in particular. “Given their extensive usage, a five-year-old vehicle could have clocked over 500,000 kilometres, making it prone to costly repairs of critical components such as engines, transformations, drive trains, and suspension systems. Although these expenses may not seem immediately apparent, the frequent need for maintenance and replacement parts results in a substantial foreign currency outflow, spread over multiple shipments,” they explained. The experts listed out four key arguments against the importation of older vehicles, emphasising concerns over environmental impact, technological stagnation, economic efficiency, and Sri Lanka’s international image. Vehicle emissions, they argued, remain a pressing global issue. “Newer models run on more refined fuels and incorporate better emissions control technologies, while older vehicles contribute to higher pollution levels, negatively impacting the environment,” they said. Additionally, they noted the rapid evolution of technology in the automotive industry means newer vehicles offer superior safety features, fuel efficiency, and performance. “Encouraging the import of cheap, old vehicles stifles access to modern, technologically advanced vehicles in Sri Lanka,” they opined, noting that importers often prioritise low-cost, outdated vehicles, limiting options for Sri Lankan consumers and preventing them from benefitting from the latest innovations in safety, fuel efficiency, and performance. The industry experts also raised a reputational concern, warning that Sri Lanka risks becoming a dumping ground for outdated and inefficient vehicles from developed nations. Similar patterns have been observed in parts of Africa and India, where a lack of stringent regulations has turned these regions into repositories for vehicles no longer desired in wealthier markets. “By continuing to import outdated vehicles, we risk turning our country into a repository for unwanted, inefficient, and environmentally harmful cars. Should Sri Lanka really accept the role of a junkyard for obsolete vehicles?” one expert questioned. From an economic perspective, the appeal of used vehicles lies in their lower upfront cost. However, experts cautioned that their long-term maintenance and repair expenses, coupled with a lack of warranties, often outweigh these initial savings. “In contrast, new vehicles come with comprehensive warranties (typically for two years), minimising unexpected expenses during the initial years of ownership. Although the upfront price of new vehicles may be higher, the long-term maintenance and repair costs of used vehicles result in greater foreign currency outflows,” they pointed out. To address these challenges, the experts proposed a series of measures to regulate vehicle imports. They suggested setting stringent standards for emissions and safety features, ensuring only vehicles that meet modern benchmarks are allowed into the country. Furthermore, they recommended restricting used vehicle imports to models manufactured within the past two years, a move they argued would maintain environmental integrity and ensure access to newer technologies. HS Code Existing Description Proposed Description 8704.22.61 Trucks GVW exceeding 5 Tons but not exceeding 20 Tons less than 5 years Trucks GVW exceeding 5 Tons but not exceeding 20 Tons less than 2 years 8704.23.71 Trucks GVW exceeding 20 Tons but not exceeding 20 Tons less than 5 years Trucks GVW exceeding 20 Tons but not exceeding 20 Tons less than 2 years 8701.20.10 Road Tractors for semi-trailers less than 5 years Road Tractors for semi-trailers less than 2 years 8702.10.55 Motor Vehicles for the transport of 25 or more persons (adults) but less than 35 (adults) including the driver not more than 5 years Motor Vehicles for the transport of 25 or more persons (adults) but less than 35 (adults) including the driver not more than 2 years These proposals, they said, would not only protect Sri Lanka from becoming a repository for outdated vehicles, but also elevate consumer safety and improve the quality of the country’s vehicle fleet.7.0 earthquake off Northern California prompts brief tsunami warning SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items of grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5. Olga R. Rodriguez And Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press Dec 5, 2024 2:11 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message People watch the waves come in after an earthquake was felt widely across Northern California at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items of grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury. The tsunami warning was in effect for roughly an hour. It was issued shortly after the temblor struck and covered nearly 500 miles (805 km) of coastline, from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay north into Oregon. “It was a strong quake, our building shook, we’re fine but I have a mess to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale. “We lost a lot of stuff. It’s probably worse than two years ago. I have to go, I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it’s going to be a tough year,” Kreitzer said before hanging up. The region — known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the three-county Emerald Triangle’s legendary marijuana crop — was struck by a 6.4 magnitude quake in 2022 that left thousands of people without power and water. The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state since it’s where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky. Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California buzzed with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.” South of San Francisco in Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Numerous cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution, including Eureka. “I thought my axles had fallen apart,” said Valerie Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor representing Crescent City, a town of fewer than 6,000 about 66 miles (106 km) north of Eureka. “That’s what I was feeling ... ‘My axles are broken now.’ I did not realize it was an earthquake.” Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has signed off on a state of emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to impacted areas along the coast. State officials were concerned about damages in the northern part of the state, Newsom said. Crews in Eureka, the biggest city in the region, were assessing if there was any major damage from the quake, Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. Bergel, who works as a resource aid at a middle school, said lights were swaying and everyone got under desks. “The kids were so great and terrified. It seemed to go back and forth for quite a long time,” she said. Some children asked, “Can I call my mom?" The students were later sent home. In nearby Arcata, students and faculty were urged to shelter in place at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The campus in was not in the tsunami hazard zone and after inspections, “all utilities and building systems are normal and operational,” the university said in a statement. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced some cracks in their homes’ foundations, as well as broken glass and windows, but nothing severe. There also have been no major infrastructure problems, building collapses or roadway issues, and no major injuries or deaths have been reported, he said. Honsal said he was in his office in the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake. “We’re used to it. It is known as ‘earthquake country’ up here,” he said. “It wasn’t a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant.” Michael Luna, owner of a Grocery Outlet in Eureka, said that besides a few items falling off shelves, the store on Commercial Street was unscathed by the earthquake. “We didn’t have any issues but a couple of deodorants fall off.... I think the way the earthquake rumbled this time, it was a good thing for our store because the last earthquake was a huge mess," he said. They evacuated customers and closed their doors temporarily until officials lifted the tsunami warning, he said, rushing off the phone to attend to a growing line of customers at check-out. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator for the Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said the computer models indicated that this was the type of earthquake that was unlikely to cause a tsunami and gauges that monitor waves then confirmed it, so forecasters canceled the warning. This quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, unlike the more vertical types, said National Weather Service tsunami program manager Corina Allen in Washington state. The California Geological Survey says the state’s shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and while most were minor, some have been destructive and deadly. On March 28, 1964, a tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska smashed into Crescent City hours later. Much of the business district was leveled and a dozen people were killed. More recently, a tsunami from a 2011 earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast, much of it in Crescent City. _____ Dazio reported from Los Angeles. AP writers Chris Weber and Dorany Pineda in Los Angeles; Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California; Sophie Austin and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, California and Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report. Olga R. Rodriguez And Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More World News Amnesty International says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations Dec 5, 2024 2:29 PM France's Macron vows to stay in office till end of term, says he'll name a new prime minister soon Dec 5, 2024 1:02 PM Earthquake strikes off California; tsunami warning issued Dec 5, 2024 11:09 AM Featured FlyerNBC News Senior National Security Correspondent Courtney Kube, Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent Garrett Haake and Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd join Meet the Press NOW to discuss the allegations against Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary. Dec. 4, 2024
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolved NEW YORK (AP) — Top ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday. That's after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans. The International Chess Federation president said in a statement Sunday that he’d let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, as well as other "minor deviations” from the dress code. Carlsen quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Friday. He said Sunday he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get our free email newsletters — latest headlines and e-edition notifications.A TikToker who went viral teaching science videos predicts short-form video will make its way into the national curriculum after 2024 saw him publish a new book and win a TikTok award. Emanuel Wallace, 27, from east London, is better known as Big Manny by his 1.9 million followers on TikTok, where he shares videos explaining various science experiments from his back garden while using Jamaican Patois phrases and London slang. In early December, Mr Wallace won the Education Creator of the Year award at the TikTok Awards ceremony, which he said is a “symbol that anything that you put your mind to you can achieve”. The content creator began making videos during the coronavirus pandemic when schools turned to online learning but has since expanded his teaching from videos to paper after releasing his debut book Science Is Lit in August. He believes his “unconventional” teaching methods help to make his content relatable for younger audiences by using slang deriving from his Jamaican and British heritage. “The language that I use, it’s a combination between Jamaican Patois and London slang because I have Jamaican heritage,” the TikToker, who holds a bachelors and masters degree in biomedical science, told the PA news agency. “That’s why in my videos sometimes I might say things like ‘Wagwan’ or ‘you dun know’. I just want to connect with the young people more, so I speak in the same way that they speak. “The words that I use, the way that I deliver the lesson as well, I would say that my method of teaching is quite unconventional. I speak in a way that is quite conversational.” Examples of his videos include lithium batteries catching fire after being sandwiched inside a raw chicken breast, as well as mixing gold with gallium to create blue gold, earning millions of views. Mr Wallace hopes his content will help make the science industry more diverse, saying “the scientists that I was taught about, none of them look like me”. “Now me being a scientist is showing young people that they can become one as well, regardless of the background that they come from, the upbringing that they’ve had,” he said. “I just want to make it seem more attainable and possible for them because if I can do it, and I come from the same place as you, there’s no reason why you can’t do it as well.” The TikToker has seen a shift in more young people turning to the app as a learning resource and feels short-form videos will soon become a part of the national curriculum in schools. “I’m seeing (young people) using that a lot more – social media as a resource for education – and I feel like in the future, it’s going to become more and more popular as well,” he said. “I get a lot of comments from students saying that my teacher showed my video in the classroom as a resource, so I feel like these short form videos are going to be integrated within the national curriculum at some point in the near future.” He also uses his platform to raise awareness of different social issues, which he said is “extremely important”. One of his videos highlighted an anti-knife campaign backed by actor Idris Elba, which earned more than 39 million views, while his clip about the banning of disposable vapes was viewed more than 4.6 million times. He said there is some pressure being a teacher with a large following online but hopes he can be a role model for young people. “I’m aware that I am in the public eye and there’s a lot of young people watching me,” he said. “Young people can be impressionable, so I make sure that I conduct myself appropriately, so that I can be a role model. “I always have the same message for young people, specifically. I tell them to stay curious. Always ask questions and look a little bit deeper into things.” His plans for 2025 include publishing a second Science Is Lit book and expanding his teaching to television where he soon hopes to create his own science show.
Spam is endemic to everyone’s email inbox. Some of Australia’s biggest companies have been caught and fined, yet they keep doing it. Andy Schmulow reports. Mathew Comyn, CEO of Commbank, announced this week his bank will be charging a $3 fee for “assisted withdrawals”. Three dollars to take your own cash out of the bank. Cash, I would remind you, which is “currency of the realm”. This is the same guy who bemoaned “ excessive profits tax as “insidious populism” and labelled criticism of profitable businesses as “fact-free rhetoric” that is damaging trust in public institutions. ” Ok, fair point Matthew. I’ll be sure that my rhetoric is not “fact-free”: your bank was labelled as the “gold medallist for misconduct” by the Hayne Royal Commission, for it propensity to commit fraud, theft, and engage in dishonesty and wicked venality on an industrial scale. Like CBA’s insurance division, CommInsure, that routinely denied death and disability cover to the dying and dead. A financial advice service that routinely forged customer’s signatures and stole money out of their accounts. Most of that criminality took place in the retail division, during the years when Comyn was the CEO. And let’s not forget the 53,000 breaches of money-laundering laws, the purported “software error”, the slap on the wrist and the insider who said “no one gave a rat’s arse”. But instead of approaching his tenure as CEO with some measure of humility, in light of the bank’s past failings, Commbank has now hit on another route to gouge customers: charging them to withdraw cash. And make no mistake, this latest rort will hit the poorest and most vulnerable customers hardest: the elderly, First Australians, Australians who live in rural and remote areas, those who are digitally excluded, and those with low levels of financial literacy. One of the big spam offenders is Commbank, back in the headlines for another ill-conceived customer “service” initiative. The bank has just been fined $7.5m for being spammer rats. Fined for spewing out 170 million emails that breached the law. Treasurer Jim Chalmers was not amused and apparently ‘leaned on’ the bank to rethink its plans, according to the AFR ($) . Are the executives of the bank, the Chief Technology Officer, not paid enough to ensure that, at the very least, they have a working unsubscribe function on emails? That they don’t send spam to people who have already unsubscribed? It’s not rocket surgery, it’s the law! This fine comes after the bank paid $3.55m 18 months ago for the exact same breaches! But wait, there’s more: guess how many “assisted withdrawals” Commbank could cover for the $11,050,000 in fines they’ve paid for being spammer rats? Three million, six hundred and eighty-three thousand!! So, here’s some free business coaching for the Martin Place crew: you can make more profit by not breaking the law than you can by breaking the law and gouging your most vulnerable customers. And it’s not just CommBank engaging in practices unbecoming a good corporate citizen. Woolworths is at it again. Not content to be running one half of a duopoly, sucking down a return on equity that is fourteen times higher than the average for supermarkets in the United States and more than twenty times higher than the average in Europe, being integral to the cost-of-living crisis sweeping Australia. Their outgoing CEO, Brad Banducci, has presided over a company that’s been exposed as a serial bully when dealing with suppliers and exposed for repeatedly jacking up prices, then marginally lowering them to claim they’re being discounted. As a result, the ACCC is now suing Woolworths for misleading and deceptive conduct. They, too, are serial law-breakers. In 2020, they were fined $ 1m for being spammer rats – the biggest fine for spam up to that date in Australia. A few weeks ago, I received spam from Woolworths Everyday Rewards – despite unsubscribing multiple times. I called them to complain, and they confirmed that they had on record that I had unsubscribed. They promised to have someone call back to address my complaint. That was three weeks ago, and I’ve heard not a word. So, I posted the story on LinkedIn and tagged the CEO (Amanda Bardwell – Banducci’s successor) and the Everyday Rewards MD, Hannah Ross. Now, you might be saying that if Ms Bardwell and Ms Ross were doing their job, they would both be concerned about avoiding more multi-million-dollar fines. And no doubt would have reached out to me immediately to understand what went wrong, why I wasn’t contacted, and explain what steps they would take to ensure this never happened again. Alas, no! Bardwell has ignored the posts, and Ross, despite her division having already paid a million dollars of shareholders’ funds in unnecessary fines, responded by giving me the flick and blocked me on LinkedIn. No wonder they don’t obey the law. Does their arrogance run that deep? I have now complained to the Australian Communications and Media Authority ( ACMA ), hoping they will take account of the fact that Woolworths is a serial lawbreaker, and double or triple the fine. The last time I wrote about the dirty data rats who routinely breach the Spam Act 2003, I wrote about WebCentral – an uncontrollable serial spammer. Since then, the good news is that the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner ( OAIC ) has initiated an investigation into WebCentral – although this is slow-going. WebCentral keeps responding with bald-faced lies about how often they breached the Spam Act, which is obviously an intentional effort to frustrate and prevaricate. In not such good news, I am still waiting for the OAIC to initiate an investigation against one of the worst data rats of all: Aussie Home Loans (a division of Lendi ). They sent me spam text messages and emails in late 2023. I had never been a customer of either company. I merely made one enquiry on one occasion, once, eleven – yes, ELEVEN – years ago. National Privacy Principle 11.2 states that customer data must not be retained for an unreasonable length of time. How long is reasonable? Maybe it’s six months? Maybe it’s a year? Heck, maybe it’s 18 months? But no one could argue that 11 years is a reasonable amount of time. I tagged David Hyman, CEO of Lendi, in my LinkedIn posts. Not a word from him. But a stream of drivel from Aussie trying to explain how they were still in possession of my data after 11 years. And this is where we get to the core of the issue: my data and your data. It is our data. It belongs to us. It is our property. It does not belong to Woolworths or ConBank or WebCentral or Aussie Home Loans. These companies need to be taught the hard way that they must respect our data and privacy and uphold the law. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t work fining the company. Fining the company is a cost to shareholders, not a cost to Matty Comyn (CBA) or Amanda Bardwell (Woolworths) or Joe Demase (WebCentral) or David Hyman (Aussie HomeLoans). Unless and until we visit consequences on CEOs for repeated breaches of data and marketing laws, nothing will change.AP Trending SummaryBrief at 10:31 p.m. ESTNone
Motoring News Don't miss out on the headlines from Motoring News. Followed categories will be added to My News. LDV says its second electric ute won’t be anything like the first. That car, the LDV eT60, was the first battery-powered ute sold in Australian showrooms. Though it was an important landmark, the electric eT60 was one of the worst utes sold in Australia. Priced from about $93,000 drive-away, it cost roughly double the ask of a diesel-powered LDV T60. It only had two-wheel-drive, the 88.55kWh battery offered a maximum range of 330km and it could only tow 1000 kilos. LDV’s eT60 electric ute fell short of expectations. MORE : More to come from LDV’s electric utes Forget about the 3.5 tonne towing, four-wheel-drive traction and 600 kilometre driving ranges of diesel utes for a fraction of the cost. Aussies love a ute, but this electric model was roundly shunned, only attracting about 100 sales in two years – mainly to corporate fleets attempting to appear green. LDV promises the new model will be better. LDV’s Terron 9 Ute will be sold in electric (left) and diesel form. MORE : LDV eT60 arrives in Australia Currently testing in Australia ahead of its launch next year, the LDV eTerron 9 is set to right the previous car’s wrongs with all-wheel-drive traction, competitive pulling power and a decent range. Overseas cousins that wear LDV’s Maxus badge have 325kW of power, can tow 3.5 tonnes, and claim 430 kilometres of driving range. Local specifications and prices for the car have not been confirmed. But LDV Australia general manager, Dinesh Chinnappa, says it represents a leap beyond the old car. 2025 LDV Terron 9 Ute testing in Australia. Photo: Supplied MORE : Attack mode in world’s quickest car “This is a completely different vehicle, inside and out,” he said. “We are proud that the LDV eT60 was the first electric ute in Australian showrooms, but we are also proud to demonstrate just how far electric ute technology has progressed with this all-new model. “Certain segments of the ute market are not only ready for an electric ute, they’ve been pleading for one. Particularly fleets and mining companies who want a factory-built, turnkey solution straight off the showroom floor, rather than a diesel vehicle that has been converted to electric power.” The LDV Terron 9 Ute goes on sale in 2025. MORE : Aussie EV push backfires LDV technicians are working on “validation testing” to make sure its electronics and safety systems work appropriately in Australia. The new model will be available with a choice of electric or diesel power. LDV says it will be sold alongside the existing T60 ute, suggesting the new Terron 9 will be a premium proposition. “We want to make sure when a ute buyer walks into an LDV showroom, we have a vehicle that offers value across a range of price points,” Chinnappa said. “We are not going to leave our traditional ute buyers behind. Rather, the LDV Terron ute series will broaden our offering across the ute segment.” Originally published as LDV eTerron 9 electric ute coming to Australia More related stories Motoring News Chilling car warning you need to hear Cars used to represent ultimate freedom. But a new study proves that today, the opposite is true – and that instead, you can be “controlled”. Read more Motoring News ‘Shame’: Aussie EV push backfires big time Car industry warns that a policy intended to drive motorists toward electric cars could have the opposite effect. Read more
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