Tom Flanagan
Trump reveals plans if he loses US election, Coles and Woolworths taken to court: Australia news live
Plus read more about an urgent plea to 100,000 Aussies as hospitals reach a concerning tipping point.
Tom Flanagan
·Homepage and Live Editor
Updated
Yahoo's live news blog for Monday, September 23 has concluded. In big news that broke this morning, the ACCC is taking Coles and Woolworths to court over misleading price drops on hundreds of products.
The coalition has made an election promise to the country's pub goers, saying it will look to "alleviate" some of the financial pain inflicted by the beer excise.
Donald Trump has suggested he'll walk away from politics if he loses the upcoming US election. Read more below.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER16 updates
State set to end 'pointless' 5km rule
"Pointless" red tape that makes the simplest task of walking into an RSL unnecessarily complicated is set to be scrapped in NSW, Premier Chris Minns has announced.
Under current legislation, in order to enter a club, anyone living within a 5km radius must sign up to be a member, demonstrate membership to another club, or be signed in by a member.
Night Time Economy minister John Graham said that the rule was preventing people from having a good time for “no discernible” reason, with the reforms to be introduced to parliament next month.
“It has been an unwanted rite of passage for so many to be stuck in bureaucratic limbo over membership at the entry to a club when all you want to do is go inside for a drink and a meal,” he said.
Amen to that, we say.
- Tom Flanagan
E-scooter riders can lose driving licence, lawyer warns
You may think they're a bit of fun but if you're caught flouting the rules when on an e-scooter, you could lose your licence.
While there's a belief police often turn a blind eye to the use of either privately owned e-scooters or shared ones, Slater and Gordon Legal Counsel for work and road claims, Jess Lyons says people have lost their licence for breaching road rules.
States have differing rules regarding e-scooters, but two of the big breaches are intoxication and speeding.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
The rise of the face tattoo
A Sydney tattoo artist says face tattoos are becoming more popular and that there's far less judgement these days. With plenty of celebs sporting facial tats, they're becoming more normalised, he believes.
“I do think they are becoming more accepted," Raymond Vom told The Daily Telegraph.
So what do you think? Are face tattoos now accepted in society? Have your say below.
- Tom Flanagan
Man accused of fake mayday calls at Melbourne airport
A man has faced court accused of broadcasting fake mayday calls to commercial planes at Melbourne airport over a two-month period.
Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher said “these offences are extremely serious”.
The 45-year-old was arrested after police searched his home in Melbourne’s northeast on Saturday.
Australian Federal Police seized four handheld radios and “associated equipment” allegedly used to transmit the interference, including two mobile phones with recordings of chants and mayday messages.
The most serious of his charges carries a maximum 20-year term of imprisonment.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Greens blasted as 'crazy' over rate cut demand
A plan to steamroll the central bank and force it to cut interest rates has been branded a "crazy economic ultimatum" and a threat to its independence.
The Greens are blocking Reserve Bank reforms until it lowers interest rates, calling for the treasurer to use an extreme stick at his disposal and force a rate cut - something the federal government has explicitly ruled out.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said this was a populist policy that would damage Australia's economy in the long run.
"It's just crazy," she told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"It's ridiculous that after 30 years of stable, good economic architecture in this country, they would be seeking to undermine that.
"They're out craving votes, they're not actually serious about any economic policy or economic reform."
Read more here.
- AAP
- Tom Flanagan
Tones and I reflects on 'struggles' as she embraces new look
Australian singer Tones and I has prompted a wave of messages from "proud" fans after she shared a video of her time in the spotlight since shooting to fame in 2019.
In a series of clips including TV interviews and acceptance speeches, she details the "struggles" of being famous as well as "hiding" her "true self" for long periods of her career.
"I'm not ashamed of who I am/was. I am proud of her. She is me. We got here together." she wrote accompanying the video on her social accounts.
It comes as she's embraced a new look in recent months, and she showed off her outfit in a separate post before performing at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
"You should be so proud of how far you’ve come and how much you’ve grown along the journey! Keep killing it and spreading your love girl," one response to her video montage read.
- Tom Flanagan
Coles and Woolworths court action explained
The ACCC is launching legal action against Coles and Woolworths. So what exactly are they accused of doing?
The ACCC claims Woolworths 'misled' customers about the price of 266 products at different times over 20 months, while at Coles it was 245 products over 15 months.
The watchdog estimates the supermarkets sold "tens of millions of the affected products" and gained "significant revenue" from those sales.
ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb explained the alleged tactics of the two supermarkets.
“Following many years of marketing campaigns by Woolworths and Coles, Australian consumers have come to understand that the ‘Prices Dropped’ and ‘Down Down’ promotions relate to a sustained reduction in the regular prices of supermarket products," she said.
"However, in the case of these products, we allege the new ‘Prices Dropped’ and ‘Down Down’ promotional prices were actually higher than, or the same as, the previous regular price.
“We allege that each of Woolworths and Coles breached the Australian Consumer Law by making misleading claims about discounts, when the discounts were, in fact, illusory.
“We also allege that in many cases both Woolworths and Coles had already planned to later place the products on a ‘Prices Dropped’ or ‘Down Down’ promotion before the price spike, and implemented the temporary price spike for the purpose of establishing a higher ‘was’ price."
Read more here from Yahoo Finance.
- Tom Flanagan
Man lands $2.5 million inside Red Rooster
A mystery winner who landed $2.5 million on the Gold Lotto earlier this month has come forward after sitting on the ticket for nearly two weeks.
The Bundaberg man said he was about to tuck into some chicken at Red Rooster when he discovered his life-changing win after finally checking his ticket.
“I couldn’t believe it. We went crazy! The guy behind the counter questioned why we were still eating Red Rooster for dinner and not treating ourselves to a nicer meal," he told lottery officials.
“Honestly, we went home, and we couldn’t eat the chicken, and we couldn’t sleep!”
He bought the ticket when he was in Brisbane to watch the Broncos, saying he only buys one when out of town.
“I only ever buy lottery tickets when I’m away from home because I always hear about people winning when they’re on holidays and look what’s happened!" he said.
- Tom Flanagan
Aussie grandad shot and killed in hunting 'accident'
A grandfather's death while hunting on Saturday is being called an "unfortunate accident".
Albert Miller, 64, was shooting with a group of people in a popular hunting area at Victoria's Noojee, east of Melbourne, when he was struck in the upper body.
Miller lived in the area which is popular with deer hunters. Police suspect the shooting was an accident, the Herald Sun reports.
“We want to offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of a hunter who died in an unfortunate accident near Noojee,” the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party of Victoria posted on social media.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
Liam Gallagher hits out at 'imposter' fans
His upcoming reunion with his brother may have sparked an unprecedented rush for tickets, but Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher copped a bit of criticism over his performance of three of the band's hits at Wembley this weekend.
And in true Liam Gallagher fashion, he was having none of it.
“You ain’t real fans you’re just IMPOSTERS and if you do have tickets you wanna get rid off I’ll gladly take them off your hands we don’t want the likes of you at our concerts next year any way," he responded on X.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
80 per cent of the country set for a soaking
We bring you more information on the widespread rain that's set to soak the nation this week. It's now believed 80 per cent of the country will cop the wet conditions this week as a huge rain band sweeps eastward through the week.
The weather is set to move through the country’s east on Tuesday after Western Australia and the Northern Territory were issued flood watches on Sunday. Rain is expected in Sydney from Wednesday, while the wet conditions will arrive in Brisbane from Thursday.
Showers could start today in Melbourne.
Read more here.
- Tom Flanagan
ACCC taking Coles and Woolworths to court over prices
The ACCC has announced it is taking Coles and Woolworths to court over misleading price drops across their stories.
The consumer watchdog said the supermarkets' pricing tactic was "allegedly breaching the Australian Consumer Law by misleading consumers through discount pricing claims on hundreds of common supermarket products".
We will bring you more from Yahoo Finance later on.
- Tom Flanagan
Desperate plea to 100,000 Aussies as hospitals struggle
Blood demand is at a 12-year high and plasma is even more in need, sparking a call for Australians to roll up their sleeves.
The Red Cross is urging 100,000 Australians - the same number who will fill the MCG for the AFL grand final on Saturday - to donate for the first time over the next year.
More than 560,000 people actively donate to maintain the population's blood and plasma supply.
However new donors are needed to keep up with the growing nation.
"We know 100,000 people will show up if they have a compelling reason to do so, like cheering on their team at the MCG," executive director of donor experience Cath Stone said.
"We're calling on 100,000 people to find their reason to show up to donate blood and plasma."
Read more here.
- AAP
- Tom Flanagan
Couple's unique wedding day
Now how about this for a wedding with a twist.
Bride and groom Prue and Alex tied the knot nearly 300 metres above Sydney's CBD as they made their way along Sydney Tower Eye's SKYWALK.
"What better way to legalise our love than on top of Sydney's iconic landmark," Prue said.
Whatever floats your boat, I guess.
- Tom Flanagan
Biden's China message to Albo
China was of course the big talking point when Quad leaders met in the US this weekend, and a hot mic picked up US president Joe Biden's key message to Anthony Albanese and other leaders.
Biden said his administration sees Beijing’s actions as a “change in tactic, not a change in strategy.”
China is struggling to pull up its economy that was pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic and has seen an extended slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand.
“China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it’s true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits," Biden told Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“At least from our perspective, we believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China's diplomatic relationships, and he’s also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China’s interest."
Read more from AP here.
- Tom Flanagan
Trump's big call on US election
Donald Trump has suggested he won't run again for president if he is to lose the US election to Kamala Harris.
The 78-year-old, who by the time of the next election would be one year older than President Joe Biden when he initially ran for a second term, was pressed on whether he could see himself launching another campaign.
"No, I don't. No, I don't," Trump responded to Sinclair Broadcast Group's "Full Measure" host Sharyl Attkisson.
"I don't see that at all. I think that, hopefully, we're going to be successful."
Read more here.
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