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ANZ Stadium could retain hosting rights for Sydney's only State of Origin match next year as the NSW government closes in on finalising the business case for the redevelopment of the state's largest venue.

The Herald understands key powerbrokers have left the door ajar for ANZ Stadium to stage the Blues' 2020 home fixture as either game one or two of the series, given the delay to the original construction timetable.

It was previously anticipated work on the venue would start soon after this year's NRL grand final, meaning this year's Origin clash would be the last at ANZ Stadium in its current guise. But tickets to a Queen and Adam Lambert concert are now selling to a mid-February event.

The SCG had earlier been slated to host Sydney's two biggest matches next year – Origin and the grand final – but, given ANZ Stadium would only need to be functioning for another three months after the Queen show, it is again in line to host the interstate rivalry.

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The ANZ Stadium business case is set to be unveiled within weeks.

The opening two games of next year's series will be split between Sydney – at either ANZ Stadium or the SCG – and the Adelaide Oval, whose hosting criteria stipulates it be a live rubber.

"ANZ Stadium is our home," NSW Rugby League chief executive David Trodden said. "We've built our state-of-the-art centre of excellence at Olympic Park and that's where the Blues base is."

ANZ Stadium's main tenants, the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs, have been intently watching the situation as they try to bed down their home game structure for next season. Both could shift some games to the $360 million Bankwest Stadium at Parramatta if the government opts to expedite the makeover for the former Olympic venue.

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There is also a sense the government will want the project to get underway as soon as possible to ensure its controversial stadiums network is completed before the 2023 state election. Any delay to the ANZ Stadium rebuild will place some tension on that timeframe.

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"Venues NSW, along with Infrastructure NSW and the Office of Sport, are working to complete the final business case for the refurbishment of Stadium Australia [ANZ Stadium]," a Venues NSW spokesperson said.

"Construction timelines will be clearer once a final business case has been considered."

The demolition of Allianz Stadium is well under way and the inner-city venue will be the second of the three major Sydney stadiums to come back online.

Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya has filed an appeal to Switzerland's highest court against a ruling to uphold rules requiring that middle-distance female athletes with a high natural level of testosterone must take medication to reduce it.

"I am a woman and I am a world-class athlete. The IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] will not drug me or stop me from being who I am," Semenya, 28, said in a statement after filing the appeal on Wednesday.

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South African Semenya lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on May 1 which ruled the IAAF's regulations were necessary for athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) to ensure fair competition.

The statement added that Semenya will ask the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to set aside CAS's decision in its entirety, which it said did not consider medical protocols and uncertain health consequences of taking testosterone-reducing medication.

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Semenya has said she will not undergo hormone therapy to lower her naturally elevated testosterone levels, a decision that, barring a successful appeal, would make her ineligible for the 800 metres at this year's world track championships in Doha, Qatar, and at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

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Intersex athletes such as Semenya face restrictions in women's events from 400 metres to one mile, distances that require both speed and endurance. Semenya can compete in long distance events without having hormone therapy to limit her testosterone levels.

On May 1, the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld IAAF's testosterone restrictions. The court ruled by a 2-1 vote that the restrictions were discriminatory but also a "necessary, reasonable and proportionate" means of achieving the IAAF's goal of preserving a level playing field in women's track events.

The testosterone restrictions apply to athletes with a so-called disorder of sexual development known as 46, XY. Such athletes competing in women's events have a rare chromosomal makeup — both an X chromosome and a Y chromosome in each cell — that genetics have long defined as a standard male pattern. Women have been typically defined genetically by two X chromosomes. Athletes defined as intersex often have ambiguous genitalia.

Athletes with this disorder of sexual development can produce testosterone in the male range, according to an IAAF-backed study, and gain an unfair advantage in muscle strength and oxygen-carrying capacity in certain events.

Intersex athletes who want to participate in women's track events from 400 metres to the mile will have to take hormone-suppressing drugs and reduce testosterone levels below 5 nanomoles per liter for six months before competing, then maintain those lowered levels.

Most women, including elite female athletes, have natural testosterone levels of 0.12 to 1.79 nanomoles per litre, the IAAF said, while the typical male range after puberty is much higher, at 7.7 to 29.4 nanomoles per litre. No female athlete would have natural testosterone levels of 5 nanomoles per litre or higher without a disorder of sex development or tumors, the IAAF has said.

Reuters, The New York Times

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Sundar Pichai was, for years, one of the world’s highest-paid corporate executives. Now he's facing the opposite reality: No big paychecks at all.

The Google chief executive officer hasn't received an equity award in more than two years. A key reason is that Pichai turned down a big new grant of restricted stock in 2018 because he felt he was already paid generously, according to a person familiar with the decision.

It's unclear how much he passed up. But another giant payday – on top of hundreds of millions of dollars in previous awards – could have sparked a new round of controversy for the mild-mannered executive.

Technology companies are being increasingly blamed for all sorts of societal ills — including rising income inequality. Since getting the top job in 2015 for his engineering prowess, Pichai has had to address these concerns, while juggling a host of other politically charged issues.

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"He may have looked at these numbers and said: 'I've had enough' — or he might just be trying to manage the optics of his pay," said David Larcker, a professor who researches corporate governance at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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The board of Google parent Alphabet Inc. is scheduled to revisit the CEO's pay later this year, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. By then, almost all Pichai's previous stock awards will have vested. That makes him an anomaly among US corporate leaders, and is even raising questions about what's next for the 46-year-old.

"Clearly there's very little retentive effect left for Pichai," said Fabrizio Ferri, an associate professor at the University of Miami who studies executive pay.

A Google spokeswoman declined to comment, and said the Alphabet board won't comment either. The company and its directors have said nothing publicly about the CEO leaving any time soon. Pichai has never mentioned moving on either.

Google is known for its willingness to pay lavishly to attract and keep talented employees in the executive suite and beyond. Top bosses receive almost all of their compensation in the form of restricted shares, usually granted in even-numbered years. Pichai had been among the main beneficiaries.

In 2014, shortly before Pichai was promoted to take over many of Google co-founder Larry Page's responsibilities, he received restricted stock worth about $US250 million ($361 million). The following year, when he became Google CEO, he got $US100 million of stock. And in 2016, Pichai received another grant worth almost $US200 million.

That was the year the Google CEO job began to morph from a technical leadership role into a political minefield. Employees marched in protest of President Donald Trump's immigration plan in early 2016. Less than a year later, a memo from Google engineer James Damore claiming the company was biased against conservatives exploded into a national scandal.

In 2018, Google workers revolted over a military contract and a proposed censored search engine in China. In the fall of that year, thousands of staff walked out of their offices after discovering the company had given big bonuses to executives accused of sexual harassment.

At a staff meeting earlier this year, one Google worker asked why Pichai was paid hundreds of millions of dollars, while some employees struggle to afford to live in Silicon Valley, people familiar with the situation said at the time.

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The criticism has been just as loud from outside the company. Google is facing multiple antitrust investigations around the world, and rising scrutiny in the US over its size, power and access to personal data. Co-founders Page and Sergey Brin, have stepped away from day-to-day management, and former CEO Eric Schmidt, who used to handle politics, is leaving the board.

On December 11, just over three years after taking the CEO job, a noticeably grayer Pichai sat before Congress being questioned about the political slants of his staff and algorithms, Chinese censorship and surveillance, and even a conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton that spread on Google's YouTube video service.

"Sundar is aging quickly," said Matt McGowan, a former Google executive who left in 2016. "When you have a billion customers around the world, there's always going to be hundreds of people who disagree with your decisions. And they're loud."

People who have worked with Pichai describe him as a consensus-builder who shies away from conflict. Key parts of the CEO job nowadays, like testifying before Congress and policing internal rancor, are not his favorite.

"He's not a well-seasoned CEO who has been through these types of crises before. But he appears to be learning quickly," McGowan said.

Pichai has revived revenue growth at Google, helping shares of Alphabet rise more than 50 per cent since he took over the internet giant. However, the company missed Wall Street estimates last quarter and the CEO frustrated analysts on a recent conference call.

Reputation Institute, a management consultant, ranked Pichai first among major CEOs last year. In this year's ranking, Pichai fell out of the top 10. "Maybe there are a few elements of doubt around his leadership credentials," said Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, an executive at Reputation Institute.

Since that big 2016 stock award, Pichai has collected a $US650,000 annual salary and typical CEO perks such as the cost of personal security. As of Tuesday's close, he had 51,249 unvested Google shares, worth about $US58.1 million, left to earn. They will vest in June, September and December, regulatory filings show.

Bloomberg

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has told an Australian audience it was “speculation” and “absolutely untrue” that Hong Kong would lose its distinct identity as the Chinese Communist Party pushes ahead with an economic plan to link the former British colony with nearby mainland cities.

Lam will travel to Australia to promote the Greater Bay Area, the Chinese government’s plan to create an economic hub linking Hong Kong, Macau and China’s technology centre of Shenzhen, among nine mainland cities.

She will call for Australian companies to invest in the project, which has already seen China build the world’s longest sea bridge to link the islands by road with the mainland.

Tax concessions that would allow professionals living in Hong Kong to work under the same conditions within the Greater Bay Area on the Chinese mainland have been announced.

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But the push to create the Greater Bay Area comes as anxiety is rising in Hong Kong among the public and business community that Beijing is eroding the “One Country, Two Systems” principle that gave Hong Kong unique freedoms, including a separate legal system and police force.

Lam said that One Country Two Systems, and Hong Kong taking advantage of commercial opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, were not mutually exclusive.

“Any worry and rumour and speculation that once we cooperate and take a greater part in the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong will lose its unique characteristics, and the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle will be eroded, is absolutely untrue,” she said in a keynote speech to the AustCham annual awards.

Lam said she “will safeguard fiercely” the rule of law in Hong Kong, and said Hong Kong will continue to appoint overseas judges in a system that highlighted the independence of the judiciary. Four of 14 overseas judges in the Hong Kong court system come from Australia.

Her keynote speech to the AustCham dinner also comes after a noisy public debate in Australia last year over whether Hong Kong companies should be regarded as a national security risk on the basis of Hong Kong being subject to Chinese communist party rule.

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A bid by a prominent Hong Kong company CK Group to purchase a major gas pipeline was rejected on the grounds it was contrary to national interest for any foreign company to acquire sole ownership of critical gas infrastructure.

Since the decision, CK Group has joined the board of AustCham Hong Kong. Hong Kong has also signed a Free Trade Agreement with Australia, which Lam said she hoped would soon be ratified by the Australian Parliament now the election was over.

AustCham had told Lam’s government that Hong Kong’s advantage lay in upholding One Country, Two Systems and this would be important to the island’s continued success.

Australian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong chairman Andrew MacIntosh said the business community was “optimistic about the promise” of the Greater Bay Area.

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The latest flashpoint for concern over Beijing’s reach into Hong Kong has been an extradition bill proposed by Lam’s government.

On Monday 30 foreign consuls held a meeting with Hong Kong politicians where they expressed concern the proposed extradition law would allow suspects to be handed over to mainland Chinese authorities.

Lam said earlier on Tuesday she would meet with foreign envoys to explain the legislation.

The business community in Hong Kong has also expressed its concern.

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The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce met with Hong Kong’s security secretary on Monday to ask for more safeguards in the bill, saying the law would have significant and far reaching implications for Hong Kong’s criminal justice system “which is a vital contributing factor to the city’s reputation as an international city”, the peak business body said.

Human rights safeguards should be improved and Chinese provincial governments banned from making extradition requests, the chamber said.

AustCham’s Macintosh said: “The chamber has been watching the issue very closely.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said protests against the extradition law by foreign governments were “clearly an interference in China’s internal affairs”.

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Alan Jones has re-signed with Macquarie Media after protracted  contract negotiations that have dragged on for months.

On Tuesday, Macquarie Media announced the Sydney shock jock had been given a two-year contract. Formal contract negotiations kicked-off in late February.

Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate said in a statement he was pleased that Jones would be staying with the station for at least another two years.

"Over his already extraordinary radio career, Alan has dominated Sydney radio with 218 ratings survey wins, including 15 consecutive years at number one on 2GB," he said. "With Alan's current ratings share of the Sydney radio audience amongst the highest it has ever been, his dominance shows no sign of slowing down. All of us at Macquarie are delighted that we will continue along with the ride with one of Australian media's most outstanding performers."

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Macquarie Media is majority owned by Nine, the publisher of this website.

Jones' future at 2GB has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months given the broadcaster's age as well as a string of controversies. In September 2018, Jones was found to have defamed prominent Queensland family, The Wagners, which triggered $3.7 million in damages.

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Many, including Media Watch host Paul Barry, have suggested the defamation case played a part in the long negotiation period.

Sources close to Macquarie Media have also cited possible succession planning as another issue that had to be worked through. Jones turned 78 last month and has spent long periods away from the microphone in recent years due to complications with his health.

Late last year, Jones was also forced to apologise to listeners after dropping the N-word live on air. Then, in October, the shock's on-air treatment of Opera House chief executive Louise Herron triggered protests and another on-air apology.

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Jones first appeared on Sydney airwaves in a full-time capacity in 1985 as a replacement for longtime 2UE morning host John Laws. He famously left 2UE in 2002, causing the station's ratings to plummet. His new employer, 2GB, quickly cemented itself as Sydney’s most popular station on the AM band.

According to Gerald Stone’s 2002 biography of John Singleton, Singo, Jones was lured to 2GB with a “staggering offer that included a one-fifth share of ownership in 2GB … worth perhaps $12 million, plus a salary of $4 million a year over seven years”.

Jones currently holds a 1.27 per cent stake in Macquarie Media through his private company Hadiac Pty Limited. At today’s valuation, those shares are worth around $4 million. The radio broadcaster’s former contract was due to expire on June 30.

The shock jock has been no stranger to controversy over the years. In 2012, he told a Sydney Young Liberal fundraiser that former prime minister Julia Gillard’s father “died of shame”. In the wake of the comments, 2GB took the unprecedented step of temporarily suspending advertising on Jones's breakfast show after more than 70 sponsors turned their back on the program.

Apart from his long and distinguished radio career, Jones has been a teacher, political candidate, speech writer and a coach of the Australian national rugby team [for which he was awarded an Order of Australia in 1988].

with Karl Quinn

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Wellington: New Zealand's political opposition has denied hacking the Treasury department to obtain highly secure state budget documents and says the Ardern government is conducting a "witch-hunt".

The country's centre-right National Party on Tuesday released what it said were details from the Labour-led administration's much-anticipated national budget, but refused to say how it got the information.

Treasury Secretary Gabriel Makhlouf later announced the department believed its systems had been "deliberately and systematically hacked" and confirmed there had been 2000 attempts to access budget documents over two days.

The matter had been referred to police, he said.

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Opposition leader Simon Bridges said on Wednesday the government had been left embarrassed and was looking for scapegoats.

"There has been no hacking under any definition of that word. There has been entirely appropriate behaviour from the National Party the whole [way] through. There has been nothing illegal and even approaching that," Bridges said.

"They are not in control of what they are doing so they are lashing out and they are having a witch-hunt."

He accused both the Treasury department and the finance minister, Grant Robertson, of misleading the public, but repeatedly refused to say how National had obtain the information it had released.

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Earlier, Robertson said he had contacted the opposition to request it not release any further information.

The budget details released prematurely by the opposition on Tuesday included figures of planned funding across a series of government departments.

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It came just two days ahead of what the Ardern government has labelled its "wellbeing budget", which it says will shake up government budgets by measuring elements of public welfare, such as mental health and child poverty, alongside the usual economic indicators.

AAP

I was in a café with a friend, and a well-dressed businessman approached. He told me he was a fan of my writing, and that he’d love to meet up some time. Later, he called me, and we chatted for half an hour. He said he was divorced with a child, and that he was headed interstate, but that he’d call when he returned.

He never called. And I may never have known why, but for a chance meeting in the city shortly afterwards. The businessman was with a female friend. Turns out, she was his long-term girlfriend.
I didn’t say anything at the time. I felt mightily pissed off, but I swallowed it down.

I’ve swallowed down all sorts of shitty behaviour from men over the years, in the dating world, and on the internet.

I’ve been ghosted. I’ve had men lie about their marital status. I’ve been pressured for sex. I’ve received grossly inappropriate messages. And I’ve had men run hot and cold, messing with my feelings, with no care at all for my wellbeing.

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And you know what? I put up with it all. What else could I do? There seemed to be no real point in calling it out. Partly, I knew it wouldn’t change the outcome. Best to just let it slide, forget the men, and move on.

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But I didn’t move on, not really. The resentment grew. It wasn’t right that I had to deal with so much shit. It wasn’t right that men behaved this way. With every new episode of poor behaviour, I felt my resentment simmer into rage.

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I realised I wanted to tell these men off. I realised had a right to do so. And I realised that the reason I hadn’t yet done so yet had little to do with "no point", and more to do with fear.

I didn’t want to make a scene. I didn’t want to be disruptive. As much as I was angry at the men, I still wanted them to like me. I still wanted them to like me, even after they treated me so poorly. I’m a woman, after all. We are socialised to keep the peace. We are socialised to play nice, keep smiling, stay calm.

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Shortly afterwards, there was a confluence of events in my dating and online life. A man I’d been out with once suggested I come to his house, and became aggressive and offensive when I declined. A man I’d been interested in told me he didn’t want a relationship, and when I agreed to be friends, tried to hit me up for sex. A random reader tried to flirt with me in private messages, despite his profile stating clearly that he was married.

And then, months after we’d spoken, the businessman with a girlfriend started following me on Instagram and liking my posts. The chutzpah!

Something in me clicked. I didn’t want to play nice anymore. I was tired of men’s bullshit. I was tired of the lack of respect. And I was tired of putting up.

I called them out. I messaged each of the men and told them in no uncertain terms that their behavior wasn’t acceptable. I got angry. I was harsh. I was unlikeable. I didn’t care.

It felt good to do it. It was incredibly empowering. I didn’t have to let things slide and live with a simmering pool of resentment. I could stand up for myself and for all of us women. I was starting a revolution in my own little life.

The reactions of the men differed. One argued, a little absurdly, and then gave up. One apologized profusely. One apologized conditionally. Another immediately disappeared.

But their reactions were irrelevant, because it wasn’t about them. It was about me, and my desire to reclaim my power. It was about me and my refusal to put up with their shit.

I wanted to be liked. I think we all want to be liked. But I need to respect myself more than I want anyone to like me, and I respect myself when don’t tolerate bad behavior. The men’s reactions were irrelevant, because I got what I needed.

And maybe, just maybe, they’ll treat the next woman better. That is a fine outcome too.

Australia's greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 rose for a fourth year in a row, an increase at odds with the country's Paris climate pledge, according to a government submission to the United Nations.

The National Inventory Report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change showed emissions last year were 537 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (which include all greenhouse gases), based on preliminary figures.

That tally, which includes changes to land-use and forestry, was up 0.4 per cent from 2017's 534.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.

The Morrison government is due to release its full figures for 2018 emissions by the end of this month. The UN report provides an indication of which way the trajectory will be pointed.

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The responsibility for emissions will formally fall to Angus Taylor, who has had emissions added to his energy portfolio following the Coalition's election win earlier this month. Comment on the UN report has been sought.

The government's emissions figures would have shown a faster increase if not for land use, land-use change and forestry – known by the acronym LULUCF – serving as a carbon sink for the past four years.

The report noted that Australia's forest area had increased by an estimated 772,000 hectares in 2017, and by 4.6 million hectares since 2010.

Those estimates, though, have been disputed by some environmental groups that point to the Queensland government showing a rapid rise in land-clearing in recent years, while NSW has also loosened its native vegetation laws in the past two years.

Australia pledged at the Paris climate summit in 2015 that it would lower emissions by 26 to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

About half that reduction, though, were to come from the use of so-called Kyoto carry-over credits generated during the current climate accord known as the Kyoto Protocol. Labor promised at the elections it would achieve a 45 per cent reduction on 2005 levels without resorting to the Kyoto credits.

In 2005, Australia's greenhouse gas emissions reached 610.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent.

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Controversial tech group GetSwift has landed in hot water with the stock exchange after an undisclosed 'strategic partnership' in Kuwait appears to have sent its shares soaring by 20 per cent on Tuesday.

The last mile logistics operator faces a shareholder class action and is being sued by ASIC after allegedly misleading the market by not revealing in 2017 that half the customer contracts it had boasted did not generate a cent of revenue. Now, it appears to be in trouble with another corporate regulator for the opposite reason: failing to disclose a 'strategic partnership' in the Middle East nation.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) suspended GetSwift from trading on Tuesday after its shares rocketed as much as 20 per cent on high turnover.

"ASX observed some unusual trading and share price movement in GetSwift Limited (GSW) securities following this morning’s open," said a spokeswoman for the sharemarket regulator. "Trading was suspended at 12.07pm, pending a response by the company to ASX’s price query."

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Shares of GetSwift, which was founded by former AFL player Joel Macdonald, were up 19 per cent to 19¢ when trading was suspended. GetSwift has yet to respond to the ASX query.

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Earlier Tuesday morning, a press release distributed on trading terminal Bloomberg announced that GetSwift had firmed up a "strategic partnership" in Kuwait with The Kout Food Group, which operates the local franchises for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Burger King.

Kout, which also has operations in the UK, announced that it will be deploying the GetSwift platform across the delivery segment of these, and other brands it operates.

In the press release, Kout's deputy chief executive Amin Mohamed, described the GetSwift solution as "best in class" and said "we have recommended and suggested GSW solution to partners around the globe and this could be their preferred solution."

GetSwift chief executive Bane Hunter acknowledged the importance of this contract win.

“Although this has been a lengthier journey than expected, we are honoured and humbled by the trust and faith our partners at Kout Food Group have given us during a period of time that was challenging for GSW due to external pressures," he said in the press release.

"We look forward to the next chapter in our global story.”

The press release was not disclosed on the ASX, and did not contain any financial details or the length of contract. GetSwift did not respond to requests for clarification from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

GetSwift is trying to convince the market it has a viable business model. Prior to Tuesday's share spike the company had a market value of just $30 million, despite holding $74 million cash and no debt.

Last month the company reported that its revenue for the March quarter exceeded $1 million, up more than 200 per cent compared to the prior March quarter.

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The shareholder class action and ASIC legal action relate to allegedly misleading statements the company made to the market in 2017 about customer contracts with the Fruit Box, Commonwealth Bank and Amazon.

The stock crashed from $2.92 to a low of 98¢ after the company revealed that fewer than half the contracts it had been publicising were actually generating any revenue.

GetSwift had raised $75 million from investors at $4 a share just months prior to the shock announcement.

GetSwift has said it will vigorously defend itself, and its executives, against the actions. ASIC has also taken action against Mr Macdonald and Mr Hunter.

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Namchne, Nepal: Scaling Mount Everest was a dream few realised before Nepal opened its side of the mountain to commercial climbing a half-century ago. This year the government issued a record number of permits, leading to traffic jams on the world's highest peak that likely contributed to the greatest death toll in four years.

As the allure of Everest grows, so have the crowds, with inexperienced climbers faltering on the narrow passageway to the peak and causing deadly delays, veteran climbers said.

After 11 people died this year, Nepal tourism officials have no intention of restricting the number of permits issued, instead encouraging even more tourists and climbers to come "for both pleasure and fame," said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, relies on the climbing industry to bring in $US300 million ($433 million) each year. It doesn't cap the number of permits it issues or control the pace or timing of the expeditions, leaving that to tour operators and guides who take advantage of brief clear weather conditions whenever they come, leading to pileups near the peak.

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On May 22, a climber snapped a photo from a line with dozens of hikers in colorful winter gear that snaked into the sky.

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Climbers were crammed crampon-to-crampon along a sharp-edged ridge above South Col, with a 2000-metre drop on either side, all clipped onto a single line of rope, trudging toward the top of the world and risking death as each minute ticked by.

"There were more people on Everest than there should be," said Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, an umbrella group of all expedition operators in Nepal.

"We lack the rules and regulations that say how many people can actually go up and when."

The death toll this season is the highest since 2015. Most of those who died are believed to have suffered from altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can cause headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion.

Once only accessible to well-heeled elite mountaineers, Nepal's booming climbing market has driven down the cost of an expedition, opening Everest up to hobbyists and adventure-seekers. Nepal requires climbers to have a doctors' note deeming them physically fit, but not to prove their stamina at such extreme heights.

Because of the altitude, climbers have just hours to reach the top before they are at risk of a pulmonary edema, when the lungs fill with liquid. From Camp Four at 8,000 meters (26,240 feet) to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak, the final push on Everest is known as the "death zone."

The conditions are so intense at such times that when a person dies, no one can afford to expend energy on carrying the body down from the mountain.

"Every minute counts there," said Eric Murphy, a mountain guide from Bellingham, Washington, who climbed Everest for a third time on May 23. He said what should have taken 12 hours took 17 hours because of struggling climbers who were clearly exhausted but had no one to guide or help them.

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Just a handful of inexperienced climbers, he said, is "enough to have a profound effect."

The deaths this year on Nepal's side of the mountain included Don Cash, a sales executive from Utah, and Christopher Kulish, an attorney from Colorado, who both died on their way down from the peak.

Kulish, 62, had just reached the top with a small group after crowds of climbers congested the peak last week, according to his brother, Mark Kulish.

He described his brother as an attorney who was an "inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over."

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Just before he died, Kulish made it into the so-called "Seven Summit Club" of mountaineers who have reached the highest peaks on every continent, his brother said.

Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit and was given CPR and massages by his two Sherpa guides. He got up only to fall again in the same way at Hillary Step, the first cliff face down from the summit. His body was left near there.

Cash had said on his LinkedIn page that he left his job as a sales executive to try to join the seven summits club.

Nepal doesn't have any regulations to determine how many permits should be issued, so anyone with a doctor's note can obtain one for an $US11,000 fee, Sapkota said.

This year, permits were issued to 381 people in 44 teams, the highest number ever, according to the government. They were accompanied by an equal number of guides from Nepal's ethnic Sherpa community. Some climbers were originally issued permits in 2014 that were revoked mid-season when 16 Sherpa guides died in an avalanche and other Sherpas, whose support as guides and porters is essential, effectively went on strike.

Another factor was China's limit on the number of permits it issued this year for routes in its territory on the north side of Everest for a clean-up. Both the north and south sides of the mountain are littered with empty oxygen canisters, food packaging and other debris.

Instead of the overcrowding, Sapkota blamed the weather, equipment and inadequate supplemental oxygen for this year's deaths.

"There has been concern about the number of climbers on Mount Everest but it is not because of the traffic jam that there were casualties," Sapkota said in Namche, the town that serves as the staging area for Everest trips.

Still, he said, "In the next season we will work to have double rope in the area below the summit so there is better management of the flow of climbers."

Mirza Ali, a Pakistani mountaineer and tour company owner who reached Everest's peak for the first time this month, on his fourth attempt, said such an approach was flawed.

"Everybody wants to stand on top of the world," but tourists unprepared for the extremes of Everest endanger the entire industry, he said.

"There is not a sufficient check on issuing the permits," Ali said. "The more people come, the more permits, more business. But on the other side it is a lot of risk because it is costing lives."

Indian climber Ameesha Chauhan, soaking her frostbitten toes in medicine at a hospital in Kathmandu, described the agony of turning away from the peak when she realised her supplemental oxygen supply was low.

Two of her team members died on the May 16 ascent.

She returned and scaled the peak a week later.

"If you look at it, the inexperienced climbers do not even know how to tie on the oxygen masks around their face," she said. "Many climbers are too focused on reaching the summit."

AP

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