Month: August 2022

Categories
Australia

Activists lose challenge to NSW laws banning secret filming of animal cruelty | australia news

Animal rights activists have lost a landmark high court case against New South Wales laws criminalizing the use of secretly recorded vision from farms and abattoirs, which they said prevented their attempts to blow the whistle on animal cruelty and abuse.

The state, through its Surveillance Devices Act, makes it a criminal offense to use or possess footage or audio that was obtained using a listening device or hidden camera, and gives no public interest exemptions for doing so.

The Farm Transparency Project, an Australian animal advocacy group, launched a case last year arguing the laws were an unfair burden on freedom of political communication. The laws have previously been used to pursue activists on criminal charges and have prevented media outlets From using footage depicting alleged cruelty or abuse in abattoirs and knackeries across the state.

In the months leading up to filing of the high court case, the laws stymied attempts by the Guardian to show secretly recorded footage of ex-racehorses being sent for slaughter at NSW pet food factories, a clear breach of industry rules.

The laws, through sections 11 and 12 of the act, prohibit the communication or publication of a “record or report” of activities that were obtained as a “direct or indirect result” of the use of an unlawful optical surveillance device. They also prohibit the possession of records obtained using such devices.

The high court on Wednesday morning ruled that the laws do not pose too great a burden on speech. The laws were upheld and the Farm Transparency Project ordered to pay costs.

“The high court, by majority, held that [sections 11 and 12 of the Surveillance Devices] Act did not impermissibly burden the implied freedom in their application to, respectively, the communication or publication by a person of a record or report, or the possession by a person of a record, of the carrying on of a lawful activity, at least where the person was complicit in the record or report being obtained exclusively by breach of [section eight of the surveillance devices act],” the court said in a summary of its judgment.

It ruled the laws had a legitimate purpose to protect privacy.

The court also said the schemes of other states and territories were “not obvious and compelling alternatives”, because they did not “pursue the same purpose and were broader in application”.

“Sections 11 and 12 achieved an adequate balance between the benefit they sought to achieve and the adverse effect on the implied freedom,” the court’s summary said.

The case split the court. Three high court justices dissented from the ruling majority.

Justice James Edelman, one four judges who found against Farm Transparency Australia, noted that still images from some recordings presented to the court as examples involved the “considerable suffering of non-human animals”.

“They reveal shocking cruelty to non-human animals,” he wrote.

“They may very well have been unlawful as well as immoral. But even apart from the lack of submissions about the basis for any illegality, the special case does not assert that any of the recorded activities had been found to be unlawful.”

He said that the “special case was presented on the basis that the activities, albeit undeniably cruel, were not established to be unlawful”. That meant the court was left to consider whether freedom of political communication could be contravened where someone was committing trespass in order to record and publish something that was not illegal.

During the hearing of the case in February, the activists also pointed to the greyhound live baiting scandal as an example of a public interest served by the publication of such footage. The vision of that practice, published by ABC’s Four Corners, helped to spark a huge backlash and reforms to the sector after a public inquiry.

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Chris Delforce, a Farm Transparency Project activist, said the ruling would not stop his organization from conducting its important work.

“Regrettably, the case avoids deciding whether the [secret recording] law itself is invalid, and decides only that a person who has unlawfully trespassed to obtain footage of animal cruelty can be forbidden from publishing that footage,” he said in a statement after the decision. “We were found to have been such persons.

He said the strong implication from the ruling was that a media outlet would have won if it had challenged the case.

“We call on a media outlet to challenge this [secret recording] law in the high court.”

In its written submissions to the high court, the Farm Transparency Project urged the court to consider the consequences of the law for publishers, and not the way that activists were perceived publicly.

“It is about the law that is challenged,” it said.

“Whether the plaintiffs are viewed as admirable activists, or vulgar vigilantes, or something in between, is irrelevant. If anything, the case is about the publishers whose freedom to publish is curtailed.”

The court was told that other states had similar laws, including Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Those laws, however, used carve-outs to allow the use of such footage in a way accommodates the implied right to freedom of political communication.

Categories
US

China withdraws promise not to send troops to Taiwan if it takes control of island

China withdraws promise not to send troops to Taiwan if it takes control of island

Troops in military vehicles take part in the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

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BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) – China has withdrawn a promise not to send troops or administrators to Taiwan if it takes control of the island, an official document showed on Wednesday, signaling a decision by President Xi Jinping to grant less autonomy than previously offered .

China’s white paper on its position on self-ruled Taiwan follows days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises near the island, which Beijing claims as its territory, in protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit last week. read more

China had said in two previous white papers on Taiwan, in 1993 and 2000, that it “will not send troops or administrative personnel to be based in Taiwan” after achieving what Beijing terms “reunification”.

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That line, meant to assure Taiwan it would enjoy autonomy after becoming a special administrative region of China, did not appear in the latest white paper.

China’s ruling Communist Party had proposed that Taiwan could return to its rule under a “one country, two systems” model, similar to the formula under which the former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

That would offer some autonomy to democratically ruled Taiwan to partially preserve its social and political systems.

All mainstream Taiwanese political parties have rejected the “one country, two systems” proposal and it enjoys almost no public support according to opinion polls. Taiwan’s government says only the island’s people can decide their future.

A line in the 2000 white paper that said “anything can be negotiated” as long as Taiwan accepts that there is only one China and does not seek independence, is also missing from the latest white paper.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council condemned the white paper, saying it was “full of lies of wishful thinking and disregarded the facts” and that the Republic of China – Taiwan’s official name – was a sovereign state.

“Only Taiwan’s 23 million people have the right to decide on the future of Taiwan, and they will never accept an outcome set by an autocratic regime.”

The updated white paper is called “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era.” The “new era” is a term commonly associated with Xi’s rule. Xi is expected to secure a third term at a Communist Party congress later this year.

Taiwan has lived under the threat of Chinese invasion since 1949, when the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island after Mao Zedong’s Communist Party won a civil war.

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Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Robert Birsel and Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Categories
Business

Elon Musk cited this tool in his bot dispute with Twitter. Its creator has some thoughts

Kaicheng Yang, a researcher at Indiana University’s Observatory on Social Media, received quite the surprise last week.

Botometer, a tool he helped build to examine automated activity on Twitterhad been mentioned in court documents in the legal battle between Twitter and Elon Musk over their $63 billion ($USD44 billion) acquisition deal.

Musk, who originally said part of his plan for owning Twitter was to “defeat the spam bots,” has more recently accused Twitter of lying about the number of bots on its platform, and has argued he should be able to walk away from the deal if Twitter won’t provide the information necessary to back up its publicly reported estimates. Twitter has sued Musk in an effort to compel him to complete the deal.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (REUTERS)

Musk’s answer to Twitter’s lawsuit, which was made public last Friday, states that the billionaire’s team used Twitter’s “firehose” of tweets and Botometer to analyze the number of bots on the platform.

Musk’s answer claimed that based on his analysis, “false or spam accounts” comprised 33 per cent of visible accounts on the platform during the first week of July, and about 10 per cent of its monetizable daily active users during the period.

Twitter has long maintained in public filings that such accounts represent less than five per cent of its monetizable daily active users.

Yang, one of the creators of Botometer, said he hadn’t heard from Musk’s team and was surprised to see the world’s richest man had used his tool.

“To be honest, you know, Elon Musk is really rich, right? I had assumed he would spend money on hiring people to build some sophisticated tool or methods by himself,” Yang told CNN Business on Monday.

Instead, Musk opted to use the Indiana University team’s free, publicly available tool.

Musk says his planned takeover of Twitter should move forward if the company can confirm some details about how it measures whether user accounts are 'spam bots' or real people.
Musk previously said his planned takeover of Twitter would move forward if the company could confirm some details about how it measures whether user accounts are ‘spam bots’ or real people. (AP)

Twitter has repeatedly argued bots are not actually germane to the completion of the deal, after Musk signed a binding contract that does not include any bot-related carve-outs. Still, the company hit back in a response to Musk’s answer noting that Botometer uses a different method than the company to classify accounts and “earlier this year designated Musk himself as highly likely to be a bot.”

Botometer does indeed look at the issue somewhat differently, according to Yang. The tool does not show whether an account is fake or spam, nor does it attempt to make any other judgment about the account’s intent.

Instead, it shows how likely an account is to be automated — or managed using software — using various considerations such as the time of day it tweets, or whether it’s self-declared to be a bot.

“There’s overlap of course, but they’re not exactly the same thing,” he said.

The distinction highlights what could become a key challenge in the legal fight between Musk and Twitter: There is no singular, clear definition of a “bot”.

Some bots are harmless (and in certain cases, even helpful) automated accounts, such as those that tweet out weather or news updates. In other cases, a human might be behind a fake or scam account, making it hard to catch with automated systems designed to weed out bots.

Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington on March 9, 2020.
Musk is headed into a lawsuit with Twitter over the botched deal. (AP)

Botometer provides a score from zero to five that indicates whether an account appears “human-like” or “bot-like”. Contrary to Twitter’s characterisation, the tool has at least since June rated Musk’s account as around one out of five on the bot scale — indicating there’s almost certainly a human behind the account.

It shows, for example, that Musk tweets fairly consistently across all days of the week and the average hours of his tweeting mirror a human schedule. (A bot, by contrast, might tweet all throughout the night, during hours when most humans are sleeping.)

But in many cases, Yang said, the difference between bot and not can be blurry. For example, a human could log in and tweet from what is normally an automated account. With that in mind, the tool isn’t necessarily useful for affirmatively classifying accounts.

“It’s tempting to set some arbitrary threshold score and consider everything above that number a bot and everything below a human, but we do not recommend this approach,” according to an explanation on the Botometer site.

“Binary classification of accounts using two classes is problematic because few accounts are completely automated.”

Celebrity tweets that cost companies billions

What’s more, Twitter’s firehose only shows accounts that tweet, so evaluating it would leave out bot accounts whose purpose is, for example, simply to boost the follower counts of other users — a form of inauthentic behavior that doesn’t involve tweeting, Yang said .

Musk’s legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story. But Musk’s answer does acknowledge that his analysis of him was “constrained” due to limited data provided by Twitter and the limited time he had to conduct the evaluation. It added that he continues to seek additional data from Twitter.

There is private data from Twitter — such as IP addresses and how much time a user spends looking at the app on their devices — that could make it easier to estimate whether an account is a bot, according to Yang.

However, Twitter claims that it’s already provided more than enough information to Musk. It may be hesitant to hand over such data, which could be a competitive risk or undermine user privacy, to a billionaire who now says he no longer wants to buy the company and has even hinted at starting a rival platform.

Categories
Technology

Video Games Coming Out in August 2022

Games Coming Out

Keeping track of all the latest video games coming out is an increasingly complex task, what with multiple PC storefronts, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, mobile, and more to keep track of, but don’t worry, I’m here to help . Every month I’ll be running down the games you need to be keeping an eye on, from the big triple-A headliners, to the intriguing indies you might otherwise overlook.

August may seem a bit slow at first glance, but there’s plenty to look forward to if you just scratch the surface. Headliners include the rebooted Saints Row, Atlus’ latest demon-training adventure Soul Hackers 2, and the latest Genshin-style anime-infused F2P RPG, Tower of Fantasy. On the indie front, players can look forward to the dark ‘n’ cuddly Cult of the Lamb, roller skating shoot ’em up Rollerdrome, Bloodborne-esque action-RPG Thymesia, and more.

Note: While I may have played demos or got early access to some of the games recommended in this article, in most cases I’m simply choosing games that look promising, and can’t vouch for the end product. Do wait for reviews before buying!

That said, here are the games you should be looking out for in August…

The Headliners

Two Point Campus (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 9)

From the makers of Two Point Hospital comes another attempt to make institutional bureaucracy fun. Much like its predecessor, Two Point Campus is a management sim that offers a combination of relatively deep mechanics and goofy British humor. Campus may provide even more opportunities for the latter, with an array of silly majors like clown college and “Knight School.” Sometimes you have to accept a few groans with your fun. You can pre-order the game here.

Madden NFL 23 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 19)

As always, August is Madden month. With Madden NFL 23, the big new bullet-point is the “FieldSense” system that promises to deliver more realistic, adaptive animations and gameplay. EA is also promising some new features for the game’s Franchise and Career modes. Of course, if you’re a Madden fan, you don’t really need me to tell you to buy it. You can pre-order the game here.

Saints Row (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 23)

The Saints Row series eventually took things to such crazy heights that there wasn’t really anywhere else to push the bar. And thus we have the Saints Row reboot, which is developer Volition’s attempt at a (somewhat) more grounded, realistic open-world adventure. That said, the game’s character creator will allow for all manner of wackiness and there’s still some more subtle humor to be found, particularly if you tackle the game’s unique side hustles. This isn’t the Saints Row of old, but hopefully, it can find its own groove. You can pre-order the game here.

Soul Hackers 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 26)

For those who can’t keep track of Atlus’ sprawling Shin Megami Tensei franchise, Soul Hackers 2 is the sequel to the spinoff of a spinoff. Shin Megami Tensei spawned Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, which led to Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, which finally led to Soul Hackers 2. But don’t get too hung up on the lineage – this is classic Shin Megami Tensei, which is to say, challenging dungeon hacking and demon recruiting. This time around, some Persona-style social elements have also been included. This one ought to hack into Atlus fans’ happy places. You can pre-order the game here.

Promising Indies

Cult of the Lamb (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 11)

Haven’t we all wondered what it might be like to lead our own cult from time to time? Come on, I know it’s not just me. Well, Cult of the Lamb lets you do just that – build your flock of loyal followers, build up your cult’s home base, and then delve into a challenging procedurally-generated world to defeat the unbelievers. This one looks adorably dark. Here’s the Steam page for Cult of the Lamb.

Rollerdrome (PC, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 16)

From the creators of the acclaimed OlliOlli world comes something a little more aggressive. In Rollerdrome, tricks are still important with players flipping and grinding on roller skates, but this time around, you’re also equipped with a pair of guns and have enemies to worry about. Test your skills in more ways than one! Here’s the Steam page for Rollerdrome.

Thymesia (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Aug. 18)

Still pining for that Bloodborne remake or sequel that’s probably never going to come? Well then, you might want to give Thymesia a look. The game is clearly inspired by FromSoftware’s works, to the point of perhaps being a bit derivative, but its action looks solid, and it should be every bit as punishing as you Souls freaks like it. Here’s the Steam page for Cult of the Lamb.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (PC, Aug. 25)

Being a teenager is hard. Being a teen growing up on a distant space colony is harder. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist largely focuses on your social life as you grow up amongst the stars, but there’s also a card-based combat system, with your deck being determined by your experiences and choices. And there are a lot of different directions your teen drama can go, with the game promising over 30 “wildly different” endings. Here’s the Steam Page for I was a Teenage Exocolonist.

Tinykin (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 30)

One part Mario 64, one part Pikmin, with a stylish 2D-3D hybrid art style, Tinykin looks to deliver no small amount of charm. The bug-sized Milo must make his way around various household environments with the help of dozens of tinykin with unique powers — can he find his way home? It ought to be an entertaining (and cute) journey. Here’s the Steam page for Tinykin.

Full List of Games Worth Watching in August:

  • Frogun (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 2)
  • Hard West II (PC, Aug. 4)
  • Hindsight (PC & Switch, Aug. 4)
  • Sword and Fairy: Together Forever (PS4 & PS5, Aug. 4)
  • GigaBash (PC, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 5)
  • Two Point Campus (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 9)
  • Lost in Play (PC & Switch, Aug. 10)
  • Tower of Fantasy (PC & mobile, Aug. 10)
  • Arcade Paradise (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 11)
  • Cult of the Lamb (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 11)
  • Rumbleverse (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 11)
  • Rollerdrome (PC, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 16)
  • Way of the Hunter (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Aug. 16)
  • Cursed to Golf (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 18)
  • Thymesia (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Aug. 18)
  • A Tale of Paper: Refolded (PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S, Aug. 19)
  • Madden NFL 23 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 19)
  • Deadwater Saloon (PC, Aug. 22)
  • Midnight Fight Express (PC, Xbox One, PS4 & Switch, Aug. 23)
  • Saints Row (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 23)
  • Yars: Recharted (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia & Atari VCS, Aug. 23)
  • I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (PC, Aug. 25)
  • SD Gundam Battle Alliance (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 25)
  • Soul Hackers 2 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 26)
  • Pac-Man World Re-Pac (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 26)
  • Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed (PC, Xbox Series X/S & PS5, Aug. 30)
  • F1 Manager 2022 (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 & PS5, Aug. 30)
  • Immortality (PC, Xbox Series X/S & mobile, Aug. 30)
  • Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3 (PC & Switch, Aug. 30)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 30)
  • Tinykin (PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 & Switch, Aug. 30)
  • Scathe (PC, Aug. 31)
  • Mondealy (PC, Aug. 31)

And those are the games you should be keeping an eye on this coming month. What games are you planning to pick up in August? Did I miss anything you’re looking forward to?

Products mentioned in this post

Categories
Sports

Nick Kyrgios hot streak continues in Montreal to set up blockbuster with No 1 Daniil Medvedev | Sport

Nick Kyrgios has set up a second-round blockbuster with world No 1 Daniil Medvedev as Australia’s tennis ace continued his promising US Open preparations in Montreal. Fresh from his historic singles-doubles title double in Washington on Sunday, the 27-year-old Kyrgios defeated Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-4 6-4 to extend his hard-court winning streak to seven matches.

However, after going 64 games unbroken in the American capital, Kyrgios finally had his sequence stopped at 67 when he dropped serve in the opening set on Wednesday. Kyrgios held a comfortable 5-1 lead in the opening set, but Baez fought back to 4-5 before dropping the set. The Aussie managed to staunch the bleeding and was ruthless with his groundstrokes in the second set as he regained control and sealed victory after 85 exhilarating minutes.

Kyrgios has now won 14 of his last 15 matches and risen to No 37 in the ATP rankings. The win also elevated him into a seeding position for Flushing Meadows, the year’s final grand slam starting in New York on August 29. But the Wimbledon runner-up admitted he was a little jaded after claiming his first title in three years last week.

“Physically I feel fine. Mentally I’m just so tired,” Kyrgios said. “It’s never easy. I haven’t had much sleep the last couple of nights. But I’m trying to put that behind me. I’m in Montreal and I haven’t really played great tennis in Montreal in the past so I wanted to come out here today and get that match-up. Playing Medvedev next is a great test. It will be great fun.”

After being banned from Wimbledon, the Russian-born Medvedev has hit the ground running back on hard courts, winning the title last week in Los Cabos, Mexico without losing a set. He is still ranked No 1 on the ATP tour and will this month defend the 2021 US Open crown he won by defeating Novak Djokovic to deny the Serbian great a Grand Slam. His 2022 Australian Open defeat in five sets by Rafael Nadal, after taking a two-set lead was the second longest final ever played at five hours and 24 minutes.

“Medvedev is a hell of a player. He’s so unorthodox, he’s a great competitor and he’s just an animal and I’d like to see where I’m at,” Kyrgios said. “He’ll probably be feeling a little bit fatigued as well. I know I definitely am but I’m going to give it my best shot.”

Earlier, Australian Alex de Minaur moved comfortably in to the second round of the Masters 1000 event. The pocket rocket Australian No 1 needed only five points and three minutes to mop up a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) win after rain had forced the suspension of play on Monday with the second-set tiebreak locked up at 3- 3.

After claiming his sixth career title last month in Atlanta, de Minaur’s victory was his eighth from his past 10 hard-court matches. He is now ranked No 21 in the world. The 2020 US Open quarter-finalist next plays Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian beat Canadian wildcard Alexis Galarneau 6-4 7-5 in his opener.

Categories
Australia

South Coast line train services canceled as industrial action continues

An empty train platform.

Rail commuters from the Illawarra are urging the government and unions to reach a final agreement so trains can return to normal after weeks of disruption.

Extensive delays will occur throughout today, with no trains running at all between 10am and 4pm on the Illawarra, South Coast and Eastern Suburbs lines due to industrial action over train safety.

Buses will replace some but not all trains and customers are being encouraged to use other forms of transport if possible.

Tony Horneman of the Illawarra Rail Fail says the unions and the government have let the dispute drag on for far too long.

“Because of this ongoing industrial action, the consequences of it is people like me who just want to get to work and earn a buck are inconvenienced,” he said.

“That’s the consequence and it’s adding more stress.”

Two men in suits stand speaking outside a train station.
Paul Scully (left), pictured here with Ryan Park, blames Transport for NSW for escalating the conflict.(ABCNews)

Wollongong MP Paul Scully says the union bargained with the government in good faith for the inner-city fleet improvements.

He said promises were made and that the unions wanted those promises in writing.

Mr Scully said the decision by Transport for NSW to escalate the dispute from limited action to shutting down the line was an extreme response.

“The union has been asking for some pretty simple responses, which includes signing the deed of agreement to fix the new inner-city fleet,” he said.

“If the government can’t do that then the union has every right to be cynical about whether the government is actually committed to doing it.”

Promises delivered: TrainLink

NSW TrainLink chief operating officer Dale Merrick said he had been directly involved in the negotiations and that written guarantees had now been provided.

“The government has absolutely committed – and committed in writing – to making the changes to the trains to address the concerns that the unions have,” he said.

“There is a signed document that gives that commitment from two ministers and the unions have that document.”

“That is a written commitment to make the changes that they have sought for them to feel comfortable about the trains.”

Wollongong rail commuters asked about the industrial action have provided mixed responses.

“We definitely need the strikes, and we need the strikes to win,” said one commuter.

“It’s how I get back to Kiama from school so it will probably just increase the length of the trip by probably having to catch a bus,” a local school student at Wollongong station said.

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Categories
US

Man hands money to migrants as they arrive in NYC on buses from Texas

Man hands money to migrants as they arrive in NYC on buses from Texas

Three buses packed with migrants from Texas arrived in New York City early Wednesday — welcomed by supporters who thrust $20 bills in their hands.

The buses arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown, days after Mayor Eric Adams blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as “anti-American” for relocating the asylum-seekers, which Abbott says he is doing to emphasize the crisis being created by the Biden administration allowing asylum seekers to stay in the US while their applications are processed.

The migrants appeared to be a mix of asylum seekers aided with bus tickets by the administration and by independent charities in addition to any shipped up here by the Republican Texas governor. Some had claims that could potentially qualify for asylum being granted while others were simply seeking a better life, which, depending on other circumstances, would not qualify them to stay in the US

Migrant gives a thumbs up
Three buses packed with migrants from Texas arrived in New York City early Wednesday.
Georgette Roberts
Supporters thrust $20 bills into the migrants' hands as they exited the bus.
Supporters thrust $20 bills into the migrants’ hands as they exited the bus.
Georgette Roberts
Supporters thrust $20 bills into the migrants' hands as they exited the bus.
Abbott says he is relocating the migrants to emphasize the crisis being created by the Biden administration.
Georgette Roberts

John Torres, who migrated from Colombia as a boy, took a four-hour bus ride from Maryland to New York to greet the new arrivals — with $200 in cash to give away.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Torres, 45, told The Post as to why he came. “It’s something that somebody would do for me if I’m in poverty, if I am starting out, someone would do that for me.”

Torres said he empathized with the migrants who arrived with few or no prospects for a job and no family or friends.

“You know, if I’m coming in a bus, if I’m scared, I don’t know where I am going, I don’t know what’s going on or nothing,” Torres said. “at least you know, if somebody gives me something for breakfast, at least I could start out that way, and then buy me a shirt, buy me clothes and then, I don’t know… figure it out from there.”

A City Hall official said Tuesday at least three more buses carrying migrants from Texas would arrive in the Big Apple by Wednesday and keep showing up “basically daily.”
A City Hall official said Tuesday at least three more buses carrying migrants from Texas would arrive in the Big Apple by Wednesday and keep showing up “basically daily.”
Georgette Roberts
Migrant child holding cash
Major Eric Adams blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as “anti-American” for relocating the asylum-seekers.
Ken Lopez/FreedomNewsTV

One migrant who got off at the Port Authority told The Post he started his trek to America from Venezuela on July 8.

Jairo Gamardo said he crossed into the US via Texas and then spent two days being processed by immigration officials before he was taken to a church in a city where he got onto a bus that headed directly for the Big Apple – stopping only for bathroom breaks.

Gamardo said the government-funded trip was provided to him and other migrants hailing from Texas at no cost. He said he previously worked for the military in Venezuela and was seeking political asylum in the United States.

“It’s a beautiful city,” Gamardo said when asked why he wanted to come to New York.

Gamardo, who doesn’t know anyone in the Big Apple, traveled alone and is now searching for work and better days ahead, he said.

Another native of Venezuela said he worked several jobs back home, but could only earn about $30 monthly — far less than needed to support his family.

“That’s everyone’s dream, to help their families,” Ernesto Bose, 41, told The Post, adding that he hopes to eventually bring his parents and sons to the United States.

Bose said the trip he endured was “horrible,” but thanked the city officials who greeted him in New York.

“Everyone has been so nice and welcoming,” Bose said. “Everyone is so willing to help.”

Ernesto Bose, a 41-year-old native of Venezuela, arrived Wednesday in New York. He told The Post the trip was "horrible," but had a warm welcome in the Big Apple.
Ernesto Bose, a 41-year-old native of Venezuela, arrived Wednesday in New York. He told The Post the trip was “horrible,” but he had a warm welcome in the Big Apple.
George Roberts

Heading to New York became an option for Bose upon getting bus tickets destined for the city or the nation’s capital from a church in Eagle Pass, Texas, Bose said.

“And it’s the only place that accepts us here like this,” Bose continued.

A City Hall official said Tuesday at least three more buses carrying migrants from Texas would arrive in the Big Apple by Wednesday and keep showing up “basically daily.”

Abbott hired a charter bus company to send the migrants across the country, but the company signed a non-disclosure agreement preventing the city from obtaining details on its itineraries, Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro told reporters Tuesday.

Some 45 migrants got off a bus that arrived in the city on Friday, as Abbott said he planned to continue the program indefinitely, claiming New York City is the “ideal destination” for the migrants due to its services for homeless people.

Adams said Sunday that only 14 migrants had gotten off the bus that officials were “led to believe” held about 40 people. It’s unclear what happened to the others, but Adams said Monday some were sent to “new locations.”

Three busloads of migrants arrive at the Port Authority in Midtown, Manhattan.
Abbott began relocating migrants to Washington, DC, in April in response to what he calls President Biden’s “open border policies.” City Hall officials estimate around 4,000 migrants in all have arrived in recent weeks.
Georgette Roberts

Abbott began relocating migrants to Washington, DC, in April in response to what he calls President Biden’s “open border policies.” City Hall officials estimate around 4,000 migrants in all have arrived in recent weeks.

Torres said he believed Abbott was “trying to do the best he can” by busing the migrants to New York, a sanctuary city.

“But there’s only so many people you can help,” Torres said. “There are thousands of people every day, so I mean I respect his opinion of him but I think you gotta do some reform in each state to help out.”

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Sports

Lisa Keightley steps down as England Women head coach

Lisa Keightley steps down as England Women head coach

Lisa Keightley will leave her position as England Women’s head coach at the end of the summer after deciding not to pursue the option of a contract extension.

Keightley was appointed in late 2019, and guided England to the final of the 2022 ODI World Cup. She also oversaw runs to the semi-finals of the 2020 T20 World Cup and Commonwealth Games, where England were beaten in the bronze-medal match on Sunday.

She will continue to coach the team until the end of the home season, with limited-overs series against India scheduled next month. It is understood the decision to part ways was mutually agreed on before the Commonwealth Games.

The ECB will now begin the process of recruiting a new head coach ahead of the next Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.

Although England failed to defend the World Cup they won in 2017, and missed out on successive T20 titles, Keightley’s period in charge was marked by an injection of younger talent into the side, with Sophia Dunkley establishing herself as a first-choice pick and the likes of Issy Wong, Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp coming through.

Jonathan Finch, the ECB’s director of England women’s cricket, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the commitment and passion Lisa has shown over the last two-and-a-half years in the role. We have seen increased competition for places over the Last 12 months and the squad Lisa leaves is an exciting blend of youth and experience.

“Leading an international team is challenging at the best of times. It is more challenging during a pandemic, and Lisa has been able to continue the development of the team during what has been the toughest period we have faced off the field.”

Clare Connor, ECB interim chief executive, said: “I’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to Lisa for all her efforts across the last two-and-a-half years.

“Lisa was always a fierce opponent when she represented Australia, and she’s brought that same pride, passion and will to win into everything she’s done with the England Women’s team.

“The team have enjoyed working with her immensely and I know they’ll join me in wishing her all the very best for her next challenge.”

Keightley’s departure follows that of her senior assistant and fellow Australian, Tim Macdonald, who announced in June that he would be leaving after the Commonwealth Games to take up an assistant coaching post with the Perth Scorchers and Western Australian men’s teams.

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US

John Bolton, former adviser to Donald Trump, allegedly targeted by Iran

John Bolton, former adviser to Donald Trump, allegedly targeted by Iran

Comment

The Justice Department has charged a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, accusing the man of attempting to pay individuals $300,000 to kill Bolton in DC or Maryland.

The suspect, Shahram Poursafi, 45, remains at large abroad, the Justice Department said. If found and convicted, he would face up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, and up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 for providing and attempting to provide material support to a transnational murder plot.

Federal officials said the assassination of Bolton would have been retaliation for the US military’s killing in January 2020 of Qasem Soleimani, a top commander of the Revolutionary Guard, which is a branch of Iran’s military. Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad.

Bolton served as national security adviser for 17 months under Trump, resigning in 2019 after reportedly disagreeing with the president over whether to lift some sanctions on Iran as a negotiating tool.

Bolton’s departure allegedly pegged to disagreement over lifting sanctions on Iran

Bolton, who did not want the sanctions lifted, was a main architect of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign of escalating economic sanctions and threats of retaliation for Iran’s alleged support of terrorism. The idea was to cripple Iran’s economy to the point that its leaders felt they must bargain away any nuclear ambitions and missile technology.

“While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran’s rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States,” Bolton said in a statement about the indictment. “Their radical, anti-American objectives are unchanged; their commitments are worthless; and their global threat is growing.”

Bolton was a major backer of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and served in senior arms control roles and eventually as ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.

After the Bush presidency, he worked at right-wing think tanks in Washington, at a global private equity firm and as a Fox News contributor.

He was criticized in July for saying in an interview on CNN that the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol was not a coup — and that he would know because he had helped planned coups.

“As somebody who has helped plan coups d’etat — not here but, you know, other places — it takes a lot of work, and that’s not what [President Donald Trump] did,” Bolton said in the interview. He did not provide details.

This is a developing story that will be updated. Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.

Categories
Technology

Transformers gets the Canon cameras crossover we didn’t know we wanted

Transformers gets the Canon cameras crossover we didn't know we wanted

Don’t you just hate it when you pick up your trusty Canon EOS R5, only to discover it’s actually a sneaky Transformer? Well bad news, because this nightmarish future spotted by TFormers is actually becoming a reality next year thanks to a collaboration between Takara Tomy (the Japanese company behind the Transformers toys) and Canon (the Japanese company behind… well you get the idea).

The collaboration has resulted in a pair of Transformers figurines that are able to fold away into surprisingly realistic looking Canon mirrorless cameras. I say “surprisingly realistic” because at first glance I somehow mistook these for functioning cameras. But in case it wasn’t obvious from their ¥19,800 (around $147) pricing, they’re non-functional replicas that are only 80-percent of the size of the real thing. (The idea that this could be a functioning camera isn’t so wild considering Takara Tomy has previously produced working MP3-player Transformer toys).

A Decepticon, complete with its own miniature camera.
Image: Takara Tomy

In-camera mode.
Image: Takara Tomy

The surprisingly detailed rear of the camera.
Image: Takara Tomy

Optimus Prime, using a lens as a shield.
Image: Takara Tomy

Probably my favorite detail is the lens cap, which in both cases transform into shields for the Transformers to wield. But a close second is the miniature cameras both figurines appear to be holding in some of the promotional images, which is a delightfully silly addition. One figurine is based on Optimus Prime, while the other is Decepticon Refraktor.

Both Transformers are scheduled to release in Japan next year on February 25th, and TFW2005 reports that preorders are open from now until September 28th. It’s unclear if they’ll see a global release.