
Walmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victoryMajor shareholders in the troubled Southern Cross Media Group initiated a first strike against the company’s remuneration report at Monday’s AGM, with chair Heith Mackay-Cruise telling the gathering it had been a “challenging and disappointing” year, reports The Australian’s Chris Herde . The adoption of a remuneration report received a 27.8 per cent vote against it, qualifying for a first strike. It is understood major shareholders are furious that such opportunities to reduce the company’s debt were passed over, particularly as its share price has been on a steady downward spiral for more than year. In a tumultuous period, ARN Media and Anchorage Capital Partners put forward a cash-and-scrip takeover bid 13 months ago, valuing the company at 94c a share. It was ultimately withdrawn after a drawn-out negotiation. In August it was revealed that Australian Community Media was in talks to partner with ARN Media for a merger proposal, which SCA rejected in November. [Read more] See also: Inside the SCA AGM One could quibble at the effectiveness of the Australian Communications and Media Authority as a media regulator. But who could doubt its provision of well-paid end-of-career gigs for former media executives? asks The AFR ’s Rear Window columnist Myriam Robin . After six years as chief executive and deputy chair, ex-News Corp, Nine and Abbott government spinner Creina Chapman is stepping down from the regulator on December 10. The search for her replacement to the $454,154-a-year role is underway, spearheaded by ex-ABC host turned Derwent executive recruiter Emma Alberici . Widely expected to eventually replace Chapman is current full-time authority member Adam Suckling . A formal handover is unlikely to occur before Chapman leaves next month, and the process is far from concluded. Still, Suckling is the obvious candidate and well-qualified for the role, having most recently served as CEO of the Copyright Agency. He also has current Comms Minister Michelle Rowland to thank for his position: she appointed him to ACMA last year. [Read more] Elon Musk’s X has warned Labor its plans to ban children under the age of 16 from social media is likely unlawful, technologically ineffective and will infringe on human rights, reports The AFR’s Tom McIlroy and Sam Buckingham-Jones . As Labor and the Coalition prepare to rush the bill through parliament this week, mental health experts told a hastily convened inquiry hearing on Monday the plan could push kids into unregulated online spaces such as message boards and encrypted apps. MPs scrutinising the bill sat for just three hours, ahead of a final report on the bill being presented on Tuesday. The hearing was so rushed some witnesses were prevented from reading opening statements to their evidence and were told they could not take detailed questions on notice. In a written submission, X said it was examining different age assurance options for its platform but held serious concerns about the government’s plan. “There is no evidence that banning young people from social media will work, and to make it law in the form proposed is highly problematic,” the company said. In Monday’s hearing, experts from youth mental health charity Headspace told MPs the proposed ban, designed to help parents protect their children from threats online, might backfire badly with younger Australians. [Read more] ITV’s share price has jumped after a report that several investors are considering making bids for the British broadcaster, reports The Guardian . The Love Island broadcaster’s share price rose by almost 9% to more than 71p, as investors hoped for a bid battle between private equity companies and rival broadcasters. The private equity investor CVC Capital Partners and a big European broadcaster, thought to be France’s Groupe TF1, are among those studying the merits of a potential offer, Sky News reported. The RedBird Capital-owned All3Media – the maker of Googlebox – and Mediawan, which is backed by the private equity group KKR, were also named by Sky News as “potential suitors for the ITV Studios production arm”. However, it is not thought that any formal approaches have been made. [Read more] Industry Super-backed news publication The New Daily is shedding staff as its owner gets ready to offload the publication, with a deal expected to be finalised by year’s end, reports Nine Publishing’s Sumeyya Ilanbey . The New Daily’s owner, Industry Super Holdings – the superannuation sector’s collectively held investment arm – put the publication on the market earlier this year, saying the loss-making publication was finding it harder to keep itself afloat. Solstice Media, which publishes The New Daily at present through its subsidiary Motion Publishing, is in pole position to buy the publication, which has been steadily cutting staff. Eight positions have been made redundant, while a handful of staff will be offered new roles, Motion managing director Paul Hamra said. Several others have left the organisation recently. [Read more] The bitter legal feud between Australian actor Rebel Wilson and the producers of her film The Deb will have its day in court, following a ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court judge Thomas Long that the defamation case should proceed as planned, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Idato . Wilson accused the film’s three producers, Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden , of embezzlement in a video she posted to her Instagram account earlier this year. Ghost was also accused of sexual harassment. The account has more than 11 million followers. They responded with a suit against Wilson for defamation. But the 44-year-old actor had hoped to have it thrown out by using a California statute designed to dismiss cases that attempt to stifle free speech which is in the public interest. [Read more] The ABC’s head of radio has moved to calm unrest and admonish “poor behaviour” within staff ranks as angry listeners flood the broadcaster with complaints about the surprise dumping of the Sydney station’s Mornings presenter Sarah Macdonald , report Nine Publishing’s Jordan Baker and Carrie Fellner . Amid speculation that former Q+A presenter Hamish Macdonald is the frontrunner to replace her, employees told the Herald about festering concern that the radio division’s new bosses, both from commercial music stations, misread the ABC audience. Listeners are still contacting the station with complaints four days after Macdonald revealed her exit. They say they are angry, disgruntled, sad and bewildered. One described the decision as an act of ABC self-sabotage. One called themselves an “ABC disbeliever”, another said they were “shocked and disgusted”. “The last thing we want is commercial radio. Shame!” said another. Others asked for the decision to be reversed. They also criticised the mooted departure of weekend presenter Simon Marnie , who is still in discussions with management. [Read more] A Sydney man has started a petition to get rugby league legend Mark Geyer back on the air, having been outraged by the radio star’s sacking, report News Corp’s Elizabeth Neil and Brenden Wood . Camden man Terry Foley , 59, started an online petition last Thursday, calling for Triple M to reinstate “MG”, after The Daily Telegraph revealed the station had sacked the former NSW State of Origin star. Geyer, who played for the Panthers when Penrith won their first premiership in 1991, joined Triple M in 2009 and was one of the radio station’s longest-serving presenters. He hosted breakfast shows with Stuart MacGill, Gus Worland, Matty Johns, Jess Eva, Chris Page and Ray Warren , along with his most recent co-hosts Mick Molloy, Cat Lynch and Natarsha Belling . When Mediaweek last checked, the petition had around 100 signatures. https://www.petitions.net/signatures/bring_back_mg_to_triple_m/ [Read more] Former Brisbane Broncos star Corey Oates has revealed his next career move after announcing his retirement from rugby league earlier this year, reports News Corp’s Tayla Couacaud . Oates announced his retirement from footy on the Robin and Kip KIIS 97.3FM in October, saying he had known for a while it was time to let go. The 29-year-old has now announced a shock move to breakfast radio and will officially join the pair on air, despite rumours circling that the show could be in the firing line of a major overhaul. Duncan Campbell , ARN Chief Content Officer said he is thrilled to welcome Oates to the KIIS 97.3 Breakfast team. “Corey is a well-known and loved Brisbane personality, and his energy and humour make him a natural fit for Robin & Kip,” Campbell said. “Corey has been a long-time friend of the show, and we know listeners will enjoy getting to know him in this new role. This team has fantastic chemistry, and we’re excited to see how they connect with Brisbane audiences.” [Read more] News Corp’s Nick Bond reports: The announcement seemingly puts an end to speculation that Sydney breakfast hosts Kyle and Jackie O would continue their push into other cities in 2025. The duo’s long-running radio show launched in Melbourne earlier this year, with rumours rife that they’d continue to expand into other Australian capitals. [Read more] Ali Clarke has made a major call on her radio career with Mix 102.3, announcing she is stepping down from the program, report News Corp’s Tara Miko and Anna Vlach . The mum-of-three, who is currently co-hosting Max & Ali in the Morning with Max Burford , announced she would be leaving during Monday’s show. She was diagnosed with breast cancer this year. The announcement comes a week after Clarke returned to the show after undergoing a second mastectomy as a “safety” precaution. It is her second mastectomy since her cancer diagnosis. Clarke said one of her biggest fears in quitting the show was it would be the death of local radio amid rampant industry speculation about Kyle and Jackie O replacing locally produced programs. “I was terrified it would be the end of local radio for Mix with all the narrative that’s been going around with the Kyle and Jackie O Show ,” she said. “But it’s with absolute relief ... that Max you’re around to stay and local radio is around to stay because I believe there is a huge role for local people telling local stories and for local jobs – especially in radio.” [Read more] See also: Ali Clarke to exit Mix 102.3 after three years as breakfast host Apple Cider Vinegar , one of the most anticipated streaming television series of 2025, brings to the screen one of the most extraordinary – and fascinating – stories in recent Australian history: that of Belle Gibson , a “wellness” advocate who was swept up in a series of scandals, initially for fraudulent claims about charitable donations, and later exposed for falsely claiming to have cancer, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Idato . Apple Cider Vinegar is the story of how Belle Gibson rose to prominence and how her fame unravelled around her. “This is a story of large-scale deception; a tale that duped millions in the reckless pursuit of attention and fame,” wrote journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano in a Good Weekend cover story, published in 2017. In April 2015, Gibson told The Australian Women’s Weekly she had fabricated her cancer claims. Netflix describes the series as “a cultural interrogation of the times, exploring the birth of Instagram [and] the allure and rise of wellness culture”. In 2016, Consumer Affairs Victoria brought legal action against her for allegedly breaking Australian consumer law. The following year, Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer ruled that Belle “had no reasonable basis to believe she had cancer”, and she was fined $410,000 for making false claims about her donations to charity. In 2020 and 2021, police raided Belle’s home in Melbourne to seize items in the hope of settling the unpaid fines. [Read more]Pakistani security forces have launched an operation to disperse supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan who had gathered in the capital to demand his release from prison. 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.
In keeping with a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden recently pardoned a pair of turkeys . During a ceremony at the White House, the birds — named Peach and Blossom — were spared from the dinner table and given a new lease on life. While it was an act of pure political pageantry, it highlights the president’s expansive pardon powers — which could be used liberally during his final two months in office. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get the latest news, sports, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.By ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Related Articles National News | Ex-FBI informant accused of lying about the Bidens is indicted on federal tax charges National News | Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks National News | Ransomware attack on software supplier disrupts operations for Starbucks and other retailers National News | Spirit posts $308.2M quarterly net loss, raises red flags about future National News | Man found guilty of holding down teen while he was raped at a youth center in 1998 Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
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Hisar: Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said the state govt had given jobs on the basis of merit to more than 1.71 lakh youths without any “parchi-kharchi (nepotism and bribery)”. Now in the third term, the target is to give permanent govt jobs on the basis of merit to three lakh youths, the CM said while addressing a function organised at Chhaju Ram Memorial Jat College on the occasion of completion of 100 years of Jat Shikshan Sanstha and 159th birth anniversary of Chaudhary Chhaju Ram. IPL 2025 mega auction IPL Auction 2025: Who went where and for how much IPL 2025: Complete list of players of each franchise Ministers Ranbir Gangwa and Mahipal Dhanda, Nalwa MLA Randhir Panihar and BJP general secretary Surendra Poonia also addressed the gathering. Hansi MLA Vinod Bhyana, Hisar MLA Savitri Jindal, Seth Chhaju Ram’s grandson Arvind Chaudhary, former minister Anoop Dhanak, Jat Shikshan Sansthan president Dildar Poonia, and former Rajya Sabha MP D P Vats were also present. The CM inaugurated the yoga and indoor activity multipurpose hall at Chhaju Ram Memorial Jat College and also announced a grant of Rs 31 lakh to the Jat Shikshan Sansthan from his discretionary fund. Education minister Mahipal Dhanda announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh, while Gangwa announced a grant of Rs 11 lakh for Shikshan Sansthan. Saini said the Haryana govt was committed to make every youth of the state skilled and financially prosperous by the year 2030. For this, the govt is stressing on skill development of the youth along with education, he said. We also published the following articles recently BJP cracks caste riddle in Jat belts, beats Cong, RLP The BJP's unexpected wins in Rajasthan's Jat-dominated Jhunjhunu and Khinvsar bypoll constituencies, after over a decade, signal a shift in the state's political landscape. Following losses in the same region's Lok Sabha elections just months prior, the party adopted a winning "OBC-Farmer-Jat" strategy, honed in Haryana, to secure these traditionally challenging seats. Govt to promote dying arts in Youth Mahotsav Rajasthan's Youth Festival, starting November 25th, will showcase the state's fading arts alongside science, technology, and sports. The festival aims to revive traditional music, dance, painting, and puppetry forms like ravanahattha, Rammat, and Manganiyar puppet shows. Officials hope to preserve these unique cultural elements and potentially promote them globally. At least 5 lakh jobs in IT industry in Andhra Pradesh in 5 years: IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh is determined to establish the state as a premier IT hub, projecting the creation of 500,000 IT jobs within five years. Lokesh highlighted upcoming TCS operations in Visakhapatnam and ongoing efforts to secure an Infosys branch.After rough start under coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks' defense has become a strength
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SAINT GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Beon Riley's 18 points helped Utah Tech defeat Denver 68-54 on Tuesday night. Riley also had 11 rebounds for the Trailblazers (2-6). Noa Gonsalves scored 15 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Justin Bieker shot 4 of 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points. The Pioneers (3-5) were led in scoring by Sebastian Akins and Josh Lee, who both finished with 11 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .