genie bag The national consumer watchdog is taking online travel booking website Webjet to over allegations it misled customers and breached consumer law. or signup to continue reading The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleges Webjet advertised minimum airfares but failed to disclose compulsory service and booking fees. It will also allege Webjet took payments for flights and sent customers confirmation emails, but had not booked the flights with the airline. ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said she was very concerned about the conduct. The pricing claims relate to Webjet's marketing on social media, emails and its app about minimum airfares to domestic and international destinations. Webjet advertised "flights from $x", however the quoted price did not include the Webjet servicing fee or booking price guarantee fee, which ranged from $34.90 to $54.90 per booking, the ACCC alleges. Among the examples were airfares to London advertised as "Flights from $1398* return". The statements were made between November 2018 to November 2023, the ACCC said. The ACCC alleges the additional fees were not disclosed on social media. It said while the information was available on the Webject app and website, it was not prominent and was written in fine print. Ms Cass-Gottlieb said the conduct came at a time when consumers were carefully . "A statement about the lowest price must be a true minimum price, not a price subject to further fees and charges before a booking can be made," she said. The ACCC will also allege Webjet breached consumer law by taking payment from customers but not booking the flight with the respective airline. Customers allegedly received a confirmation email after paying, but were then asked for an additional payment before Webjet would complete the booking, or were offered a refund instead. This conduct occurred across 382 bookings between at least November 2018 and June 2024, the ACCC alleges. The watchdog said customers may have made other travel arrangements having paid for their flight and receiving confirmation from Webjet. They may have had to choose between paying more money or cancelling other travel plans at a potential loss, the ACCC said. "We are very concerned about this alleged conduct by Webjet, which represented to consumers that their flight booking had been confirmed and left some consumers in the position of having to pay more to later complete the booking," Ms Cass-Gottlieb said. Through the Federal Court action, the ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations, injunctions, consumer redress, costs and other orders. Brittney is part of the federal political bureau, covering politics, the public service and economics. Brittney joined The Canberra Times in 2021 and was previously the property reporter. Got a news tip? Get in touch: brittney.levinson@canberratimes.com.au Brittney is part of the federal political bureau, covering politics, the public service and economics. Brittney joined The Canberra Times in 2021 and was previously the property reporter. Got a news tip? Get in touch: brittney.levinson@canberratimes.com.au DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

Johnson has 25, FGCU downs CSU Bakersfield 74-54No. 14 BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 14 CFP) at No. 21 Arizona State (8-2, 5-2, No. 21), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) League newcomer Arizona State has a three-game winning streak and BYU is coming off its first loss. The Cougars, after losing at home to Kansas, still control their own destiny in making the Big 12 championship game. They can clinch a spot in that Dec. 7 game as early as Saturday, if they win and instate rival Utah wins at home against No. 22 Iowa State. Arizona State was picked at the bottom of the 16-team league in the preseason media poll, but already has a five-win improvement in coach Kenny Dillingham's second season. No. 16 Colorado (8-2, 6-1, No. 16 CFP) at Kansas (4-6, 3-4), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox) Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes are in prime position to make the Big 12 title game in their return to the league after 13 seasons in the Pac-12. If BYU and Utah win, Colorado would be able to claim the other title game spot with a win over Kansas. The Buffs have a four-game winning streak. The Jayhawks need another November win over a ranked Big 12 contender while trying to get bowl eligible for the third season in a row. Kansas has won consecutive games over Top 25 teams for the first time in school history, knocking off Iowa State before BYU. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht has thrown a touchdown in a school-record 14 consecutive games, while receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both have more than 800 yards receiving. San Jose State is the only other FBS team with a pair of 800-yard receivers. Becht has 2,628 yards and 17 touchdowns passing for the Cyclones (8-2, 5-2), who are still in Big 12 contention. Oklahoma State goes into its home finale against Texas Tech with a seven-game losing streak, its longest since a nine-game skid from 1977-78. The only longer winless streak since was an 0-10-1 season in 1991. This is Mike Gundy's 20th season as head coach, and his longest losing streak before now was five in a row in 2005, his first season and the last time the Cowboys didn't make a bowl game. ... Baylor plays at Houston for the first time since 1995, the final Southwest Conference season. The Cougars won last year in the only meeting since to even the series 14-14-1. ... Eight Big 12 teams are bowl eligible. As many as six more teams could reach six wins. The Big 12 already has four 1,000-yard rushers, including three who did it last season. UCF's RJ Harvey is the league's top rusher (1,328 yards) and top scorer with 21 touchdowns (19 rushing/two receiving). The others with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons are Texas Tech career rushing leader Tahj Brooks (1,184 yards) and Kansas State's DJ Giddens (1,128 yards). Cam Skattebo with league newcomer Arizona State has 1,074 yards. Devin Neal, the career rushing leader at his hometown university, is 74 yards shy of being the first Kansas player with three 1,000-yard seasons. Cincinnati's Corey Kiner needs 97 yards to reach 1,000 again.

Monogram Technologies Announces Management and Related Parties Complete Open Market Purchases of MGRM Common Stock Totaling $1 Million

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he’s willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump to dismantle government regulations that hinder economic growth. The U.S. imposes “excessive permitting and regulation,” Bezos said, speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday. “We need a growth orientation in this country.” The day after the election, Bezos congratulated Trump “on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.” “I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos said of Trump at the DealBook conference. “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help him do that, I’m gonna help him.” Bezos shared his current impressions of Trump: “What I’ve seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time [in the White House] and more settled.” Regarding Elon Musk, who is a rival of Bezos’ and has become a top adviser to Trump, Bezos said he did not think Musk would misuse his influence with the incoming administration to harm competitors. “I’ve had a lot of success in life by not being cynical,” said Bezos. Bezos also addressed the major backlash he stirred among Washington Post readers when he decreed — less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election — that the newspaper would not endorse a candidate this year. Bezos acquired the Washington Post in 2013. At the DealBook Summit, Bezos said, “We just decided [an endorsement] wasn’t... going to influence the election one way or the other.” He added, “The pluses of doing this were very small.” Bezos said it would have been better if he’d had the “prescience” to have made the change two years ago rather than shortly before the 2024 election, but that he was nevertheless “proud” of the decision. Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron had called the non-endorsement “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.” Bezos commented that the decision “was far from cowardly because we knew there would be blowback, and we did it anyway.” Bezos acknowledged that he’s a “terrible” owner of Washington Post because there are continuous questions of conflicts with Bezos’ interests in Amazon and aerospace company Blue Origin. But, he added, when the Post needs “financial resources, I’m available. I’m like the doting parent in that regard.” Bezos had previously written in a Washington Post op-ed that he was aiming to restore consumers’ trust in the paper by eliminating the practice of political endorsements, which he said “create the perception of bias.” Bezos, 60, is currently the second-richest person in the world (behind Musk) with an estimated net worth of $234 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and stepped aside as CEO in 2021; he continues to serve as the company’s executive chairman. He said he always wanted to build a company “that would outlast me... I want Amazon to go off without me.” At the same time, Bezos continues to be actively involved at Amazon. He said 95% of the time he spends at Amazon is on artificial intelligence and that the ecommerce company is building thousands of different AI applications. Bezos also is the founder of Blue Origin, which says its mission is to lower the cost and increase the safety of spaceflight. Bezos said flying into space has a “life-changing, transformative” effect. Bezos (like Musk) sees a future where humanity extends beyond Earth. There’s a “strong argument to be made that the Moon is a stepping stone” to the rest of the solar system, he said. Blue Origin is “not a very good business, yet,” Bezos said. But eventually, he believes it could be bigger than even Amazon: “I think it’s gonna be the best business I’ve ever been involved with.” Bezos said he can fund Blue Origin with his Amazon stock. In 2022, Bezos pledged to donate most of his wealth to charitable causes within his lifetime. As part of that, he established the Bezos Earth Fund, aimed at fighting climate change, with $10 billion in total grants targeted to be disbursed by 2030., /PRNewswire/ -- is proud to announce the launch of a groundbreaking Mining Certification program. It is designed to meet growing demand for skilled professionals in the mining industry, as well as empower entrepreneurs and at-home innovators to break new ground in this evolving space. is home to five of the top 10 mines in the U.S., and the state's supportive regulatory environment continues to attract significant investment, fueling job creation and local economic growth. "At Dallas College, our mission is to provide innovative programs that align with rapidly expanding industries and meet the needs of workforce. Our Mining Certification Program exemplifies our commitment to equipping students with the skills and knowledge required to excel in cutting-edge fields and to inspire entrepreneurship in the mining community," said , associate vice chancellor of innovation at College. In addition to hands-on instruction, Mining program participants will receive powerful industry equipment and materials, including their own mining machine to take home. (tuition assistance is available) : Intensive, practical training from industry experts : Bitmain Antminer S19j Pro 110th (requires two 220v outlets to power and configure) : For safe learning : "Ultimate Mining Handbook" : Web3 Certification Board (W3CB) Mining+ Certification through proctored exam The intensive, 48-hour program begins Tues., . Students attend online lectures from for the first four days ( ) and then move to either hands-on, classroom instruction for the final two days ( ) or an instructor led, at-home, Zoom session ( ), using their own machine. ( .) The Mining Certification Program includes a four-section curriculum designed to provide foundational and advanced knowledge in mining. "Fundamentals of and Mining" covers the basics of digital currencies and blockchain technology and gives insight into mining processes, hardware as well as the installation, configuration and optimization of software. "Advanced Technical Aspects of Mining" explores mining hardware and performance metrics, and covers advanced techniques for software customization and automation, secure and efficient mining network setups, best practices for maintenance and resolving technical issues. "Environmental Impact and Sustainability in Mining" focuses on energy consumption patterns, renewable energy sources, strategies for reducing environmental impact and engaging with local communities for sustainable practices. "Economics and Investment Strategies in Mining" evaluates market dynamics affecting profitability, capital requirements, effective business plans and risk management strategies. This program is designed to ignite innovation for students from a wide spectrum of personal and professional backgrounds, offering expertise and equipment to help kick-start a successful business in the industry. Graduates seeking industry employment could earn to annually. "We are thrilled to collaborate with College in pioneering this essential workforce development and entrepreneurial innovation initiative," said , executive director of W3CB. "The W3CB Mining+ Certification validates an individual's command of the knowledge and technical ability necessary to become a proficient and miner. "As mining continues to expand globally, the need for skilled professionals has never been greater within the US," said , CEO of The Blockchain Academy. "By delivering this first-of-its-kind certification program, we're not only meeting that demand but also paving the way for entrepreneurial innovation in the mining sector." Interested students can get more information about the course and enroll in the Mining Certification Program, by visiting or emailing . Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, College consists of seven campuses—Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland—plus a dozen centers located throughout . As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 127,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually. Students benefit from partnerships with local school districts, four-year universities, industry and community leaders. College offers associate degrees and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor's degrees in education and nursing. As the largest provider of dual credit in , College serves 30,000 high school students through 63 dual credit programs. The Blockchain Academy is a leading education provider specializing in Web3, blockchain, and digital asset technologies. Offering a wide range of courses from beginner to advanced levels, The Blockchain Academy empowers individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations to thrive in the evolving blockchain space. With a focus on practical, real-world applications, The Blockchain Academy provides learning experiences that translate into tangible career opportunities in the blockchain industry. The Web3 Certification Board (W3CB) is an independent body dedicated to validating proficiency in blockchain, , and technologies through industry-recognized certifications. W3CB works with educational institutions, industry partners, and leading experts to develop high-quality standards and certification exams that prepare individuals for the rapidly evolving Web3 ecosystem. The W3CB Mining+ Certification represents a standard of excellence for professionals in the mining industry. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE College