Donald Trump’s war on statistics is an authoritarian attack on democracy and countries like Australia should call it out | Greg Jericho

Whether it be the judicial system, universities, or health organisations, Donald Trump cannot abide by anything that does not confirm his world view. So it was not a shock when late last week he came for statistics – or, more pointedly, the person in charge of the economic statistics.On Friday, the US’s Bureau of Labor Studies released the July US employment figures. They were not good. Just 73,000 non-farm jobs were added and annual employment growth was the worst it has been since the GFC years (excluding the pandemic):If the graph does not display click hereIn response, Trump did what any autocrat would do when told bad news: he shot the messenger – at least only figuratively

Qantas has devalued its frequent flyer points. What should you do now?

Qantas was back in the spotlight this week with news that affected members of its frequent flyer program.The airline has made significant changes to its loyalty program, effectively devaluing its frequent flyer points.While we don’t know the full extent or the specifics of the changes, airline loyalty program experts estimate a 20% average increase in the number of points needed to redeem a seat.Qantas has given us a few examples, including that a Classic Rewards economy seat on a Sydney-Melbourne flight has risen to 9,200 points plus $55 in fees, from 8,000 points plus $55 in fees.So, will the Qantas promise of more rewards seats available to flyers make the additional expense worth it? Or are people better off spending their points on shopping instead of flights?Sign up: AU Breaking News emailFlagging the changes in January, the chief executive officer of the frequent flyer program, Andrew Glance, said: “A lot has changed in the last six years

OpenAI in talks on share sale that would price it above Elon Musk’s SpaceX

OpenAI is reportedly in early talks about a sale of shares held by current and former employees that would value it at half a trillion dollars, overtaking Elon Musk’s SpaceX.If the transaction goes ahead, the value of the ChatGPT developer would rise by about two-thirds, from $300bn (£225bn).Musk’s rocket companyis currently worth $350bn and is reportedly circling a $400bn price tag in a new fundraising.Bloomberg, which first reported the OpenAI talks, said existing investors, including Thrive Capital, have approached the company about buying employee shares. Other investors in OpenAI, which is based in San Francisco, include the Japanese investment company SoftBank, which led the $300bn financing, and Microsoft

Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams

The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent regulation of YouTube advertising after scams including deepfakes, impersonated public figures and fraudulent investment claims were found to be spreading on the platform with little oversight.The party said YouTube’s adverts remain largely unchecked by independent regulators, despite new data from Ofcom showing the platform has overtaken ITV in weekly UK viewership and continues to dominate children’s media consumption.Among the recent scams onYouTube was a series of ads using an AI-generated voice and likeness of the consumer champion Martin Lewis to promote a cryptocurrency scheme, despite Lewis having no involvement. The videos, which have drawn thousands of complaints on Reddit and X, mislead users into thinking they are receiving financial advice from a trusted source.Other viewers have reported false product claims, scam diet pills and fake competitions

British athletes could be allowed to compete in future Islamic Solidarity Games

Organisers of the Islamic Solidarity Games, a quadrennial event with 57 nations competing in multiple sports, have left the door open for British athletes to take part in future, saying such a prospect would be “interesting to see”.The latest edition of the Games is to take place in Riyadh in November and – under the Saudi sports minister as president of the governing body, the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association – there is a desire to grow its international audience, which could involve inviting new countries to take part.“It would be great quality sports. It would be interesting to see,” said Nasser Majali, secretary general of the ISSA, who was speaking in London on Wednesday. “It depends on the appetite, it depends on what we are able to do based on sustainability

Hundred’s days could be numbered with T20 switch in play for next year

The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.The ECB first explored dropping the Hundred in favour of the global-standard T20 format two years ago in informal discussions, which drew a lukewarm response from Sky in particular. The broadcaster has invested heavily in marketing the Hundred, which has succeeded in attracting more diverse crowds to grounds and has a younger TV audience than other forms of cricket on the network, while the BBC also likes the format as it is easier to fit shorter matches into its schedules.The sale of, in most cases, minority stakes in the eight franchises for £520m this year has altered the power dynamics, however, with the new co-owners expected to have a huge influence over the future of the competition given the collective size of their investment