Month: August 2022

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Business

RBA interest rates: Otivo reveals the Perth postcodes set to be hardest hit by mortgage stress

RBA interest rates: Otivo reveals the Perth postcodes set to be hardest hit by mortgage stress

Almost a quarter of a million WA homeowners will find themselves in the grips of mortgage stress as interest rates continue to climb, with little sign of a slowdown on the horizon.

The Reserve Bank on Tuesday announced that it would lift its official interest rate by 50 basis points to 1.85 per cent for the fourth month in a row.

The cash rate target has now increased by 1.75 percentage points since the start of May to 1.85 per cent, with the hike expected to add about $472 a month to repayments on a $500,000 loan, with Commonwealth Bank the first of Australia’s big four banks making the move to hit borrowers with the full increase.

With families across Australia already struggling under the weight of the surging cost of living, new data suggests the move will plunge 1.8 million owner-occupied mortgaged households into financial stress — including 228,621 in WA.

The new report by digital financial advice service Otivo, in partnership with Digital Finance Analytics, surveyed 52,000 households to reveal the real impact of interest rate rises on Australians with owner-occupied mortgages — with a household deemed to be under “mortgage stress” if there is more money going out than in.

The Otivo Mortgage Stress Report stated that at the end of July 2022, more than 1.7 million (or 45 per cent) of Australians were already suffering under mortgage stress.

More than 1.8 million Australians will suffer off the back of the RBA’s latest cash rate hike.

The report further predicted Tuesday’s RBA announcement would force an additional 140,839 Australians into the same boat, bringing the total to 1.8 million.

Otivo then drilled down to reveal the top three postcodes in each State or Territory expected to feel the most significant impact off the back of the latest cash rate hike.

The report revealed some of Perth’s most affluent suburbs would soon be hit with mortgage stress, with homes in some of the city’s most prestigious areas warned to curb spending and brace themselves for the bleak outlook.

An eyewatering 59 per cent (or 1760) households in postcode 6153 (Applecross, Ardross, Brentwood, Mount Pleasant) are expected to fall victim to mortgage pain, with the latest rise pushing an additional 644 homes into stress compared with July’s numbers.

Second on the list is 6152 (Como, Karawara, Manning, Salter Point, Waterford), with an extra 580 households bringing the total number of homeowners under stress to 2087.

Further south, 518 more homes in Mandurah’s 6210 postcode area (Coodanup, Dudley Park, Erskine, Falcon, Greenfields, Halls Head, Madora Bay, Mandurah, Meadow Springs, San Remo, Silver Sands, Wannanup) will take the total number in the 6210 postcode area to 3623 homeowners.

Otivo chief executive Paul Feeney said the mortgage stress report reiterated the need for Australians to seek personal financial advice, regardless of what interest rates and inflation do over the coming months.

“With Australians looking down the barrel of the rising cost of living and higher interest rates, and more than 1.8 million Australians set to be suffering from mortgage stress off the back of the RBA’s latest cash rate hike, now more than ever Australians need quality and affordable financial advice to help them stay on top of their finances,” he said.

Mr Feeney’s top tips for Australians under financial pressure due to mortgage stress

Review or create a budget—Understand what money is coming in and what money is going out. What are the non-negotiable costs (such as your mortgage, utilities, groceries and transport costs) and where can you cut back. If you want to avoid mortgage stress, you’ll need to make some small changes to your monthly spending patterns.

Understand the benefit of an offset or redraw — If you have a mortgage, put spare cash into an offset account or redraw facility. This lowers your loan balance that interest is charged on, saving you money each month.

Discuss your mortgage with your lender — If you’re concerned about interest rate rises, discuss this with your lender and understand if there is an opportunity to get a better rate. Banks are often open to helping their clients if they are under financial stress. You will have to make it up eventually but this may provide some short-term relief for your household right now.

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Categories
Technology

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 2 Gets Release Time In UK

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 2 Gets Release Time In UK

Toad Mushroom Gorge
Image: Nintendo

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will be full to the brim with racers new and old as Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass launches later today on Switch!

Finally revealed last week after lots of fan speculation, Wave 2 brings another eight courses to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, on top of the first eight that Wave 1 brought us back in March.

The update drops at 3pm BST today, so get ready to hop back in the driver’s seat. No official times have been confirmed for other regions, but we suspect that it’ll be roughly the same time across the board.

In case you’ve forgotten what courses are being added in Wave 2, well, we’ve got you covered:

  • Turnip Cup
    • New York Minute Tour (Mario Kart Tour)
    • SNES Mario Circuit 3 (Super Mario Kart)
    • N64 Kalimari Desert (Mario Kart 64)
    • DS Waluigi Pinball (Mario Kart DS)
  • Propeller Cup
    • Sydney Sprint Tour (Mario Kart Tour)
    • GBA Snow Land (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)
    • Wii Mushroom Gorge (Mario Kart Wii)
    • Sky High Sundae

Of particular note is the last course in the Propeller Cup, Sky-High Sundae, which is a brand new course. While all seven other returning tracks have already been added to the mobile game Mario Kart Tour, Sky-High Sundae is debuting in Deluxe before making its way to your phones.

Remember, if you have a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscription, you’ll have access to these new courses for free. If not, and you haven’t already bought the Booster Course Pass, you can grab it right now!

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Will you be playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe today? Which course are you looking forward to trying out? Let us know in the comments!

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Categories
Entertainment

Beauty and the Geek star Aimee Woolley posts revenge photo

Beauty and the Geek star Aimee Woolley posts revenge photo

Looking back at awkward teenage photos, most of us will have changed dramatically – both physically and mentally – since high school.

Many of us got through that time the best we could, all while feeling insecure about our changing bodies as we tried to navigate the awkward teenage years.

High school was hard enough by itself, but add in cruel bullies and the experience can turn into a nightmare.

Looking at blonde “beauty” Aimee Woolley from reality television show Beauty and the Geekyou’d likely assume her time at school was a breeze.

But the 23-year-old nurse opened up to her followers by posting a picture on TikTok of her as a teenager in her high school uniform, with dark brown hair.

The video began with a voiceover stating “remember when you called me ugly?”, suggesting she was bullied at school.

She then continued the video with a montage of her now as a blonde adult on the reality TV show, with a voiceover stating “watch my glow up b**ch.”

Fans of Aimee applauded her openness and loved her “glow up revenge” on her high school bullies.

“You were gorgeous in both, some people suck!” one person commented.

Yas Queen! You look beautiful!”

“You were actually my #1 on the beauty and the geek” another said.

“Broke my heart when you were eliminated. ️”

Aimee was a contestant on this year’s Beauty and the Geek before being eliminated on episode 7 with her “geek” Jayden.

“I’m going to miss Jayden so much,” a tearful Aimee said.

“It’s so refreshing that they are still guys out there that are really nice.”

Beauty and the Geek first launched in Australia in 2009, and is based on the US version of the show that was created in 2005 by actor Ashton Kutcher.

The premise of the show is to pair a “beauty” – typically an attractive woman who is portrayed to lack intellect – with a “geek” – usually a man who is not conventionally attractive and may lack social skills but is very intelligent.

The couple who can get through to the end after competing different challenges will win the grand prize of $100,000.

Read related topics:TikTok

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Categories
Sports

We will no longer sign AFCON players unless they agree to waive

We will no longer sign AFCON players unless they agree to waive

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Tuesday he would not sign any more African players unless they agreed to not take part in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly — now at Premier League side Chelsea — and Cameroon midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa missed several Napoli games while on international duty at this year’s AFCON, which took place between January and February.

“Or they sign a waiver giving up their right to participate to the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments or between AFCON and the championships in South America… I never have them [Napoli players] available,” he said in a Wall Street Italia talk show.

– Top 10 footballers on ESPN in Africa this season
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Koulibaly responded to De Laurentiis’ comments in his first news conference as a Chelsea player and expressed his disappointment.

“You have to have respect for the national team, because you cannot speak about African national team like this,” Koulibaly said.

“As captain of Senegal I think it’s not a good way to speak about an African national team. But I respect what it is. If he thinks the team can play without African players, it’s up to him. Not everybody has the same idea as him in the club.”

De Laurentiis also criticized the fact that clubs were agreeing to more and more games, suggesting a European tournament with the top clubs from the strongest five countries instead of the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

“The world of football cannot self-manage because we do the puppet show for others… if we could play 100 games, it would be a happy ending for everyone and we [clubs] like cretins agree to that.”

The Italian film producer also said he did not support the breakaway European Super League which folded less than 48 hours after it was announced last year as it was an elite club.

“You cannot create a super club of privileged members who invite others [to the league]. You need to democratically keep the door open for everyone,” he said.

De Laurentiis added he was tired of offers from investment funds for the club, adding that he was offered €900 million around four to five years ago by American investors.

“You [bidders] did not understand a thing [about me]. I am a pure entrepreneur who enjoys doing business … let me play,” he said.

“I want to be the 12th player on the pitch. Actually the 12th player is the fan, I can be the 13th or even the 14th, as 14 is my favorite number.”

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Categories
US

Russian prosecutor in Brittney Griner case asks for 9-and-a-half year sentence

Russian prosecutor in Brittney Griner case asks for 9-and-a-half year sentence

Comment

A Russian prosecutor on Thursday asked a judge to sentence WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner to nine-and-a-half years in prison for drug charges, and the defense team in her trial said the judge was expected to hand down her sentence by evening.

In seeking close to the 10-year maximum, the state’s request ignored the athlete’s plea of ​​leniency. Griner pleaded guilty in July to carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil into the country.

The prosecutor’s call for a tough sentence for Griner — as well as a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,590) — came amid calls from the United States for Russia to seriously weigh its offer on a prisoner exchange to bring her home.

A member of Griner’s legal team, Alexander Boykov, told the judge that Griner deserved to be acquitted despite her guilty plea, saying the prosecution had failed to prove criminal intent. In addition, he said, her rights were breached during the investigation and legal process.

“We know that in Russia the laws regarding drugs are very strict,” Boikov said, “but Russia also cares about its prestige in sports.” Griner’s career de ella, and her play de ella for the UMMC Ekaterinburg team during the WNBA offseason, has been a celebration of friendship between people, he continued. “She had many offers, but she for some reason chose cold Yekaterinburg, knowing how warmly she would be received there.”

The prosecution contains that the 0.702 grams of cannabis found in the Griner’s luggage after she landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport in February was a “significant amount.” Griner testified last week that she was in a hurry when she packed, had no idea the items were in her bags and did not intend to break Russian law.

The Phoenix Mercury star testified that she uses cannabis oil in the United States for treatment of chronic pain from injuries but knew that carrying cannabis into Russia was illegal. She said she flew to Russia despite US State Department warnings about such travel because she did not want to let her Russian team down.

The Biden administration is feeling massive public pressure to secure her release, a behind-the-scenes negotiation greatly complicated by the collapse of relations between Washington and Moscow because of the Ukraine war.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov late last week, urging him to accept a deal involving Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, an American who is serving a 16-year prison term in Russia. Whelan, who was arrested in 2018 and convicted of spying in 2020, says he was framed.

Blinken, Lavrov discussed potential prisoner exchange for Griner, Whelan

The United States has declined to say whether the pair would be swapped for Russian Viktor Bout, an arms trafficker who was arrested in a US sting operation in Thailand in 2008.

The administration’s announcement of its proposed deal appears to be an effort to curb criticism of its handling of the Griner case. But the Kremlin has told Washington to refrain from “megaphone diplomacy,” with Russian Foreign Ministry officials repeatedly warning that public calls will not help her cause.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said Tuesday that the administration was not going to negotiate in public.

“We’ve made a serious proposal, made a serious offer,” Kirby said. “And we urge the Russians to take that offer because it was done with sincerity, and we know we can back it up.”

In past years, the United States has resisted Russian pressures to exchange Bout given the seriousness of his offenses. He was convicted in New York in 2011 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to sell surface-to-air missiles, AK-47s and explosives to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, knowing that they planned to shoot down US helicopters.

A deal to bring Bout home would be a major political victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling to his domestic audience that despite unprecedented Western criticisms and sanctions, he still has the clout to force the White House to negotiate with him.

Bloomberg has reported that as part of an exchange, Moscow may seek the release of a wealthy Russian businessman close to the Kremlin, Vladislav Klyushin, who pleaded not guilty in a Boston court in January over an alleged $82 million insider trading scam. Klyushin claimed the case against him was “politically motivated” because of his ties to the Russian government.

Categories
Technology

A new, faster way to browse physics-based animations

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Computer-based animators who are tasked with bringing to life imaginary worlds and characters are aided by simulators that can model the many possible ways an object or fluid might move through a physical space. Known as “solvers,” these simulators provide a significant head start on the work of animation. But there’s a catch. As computers have gotten faster, these solvers often create too many options for the animator to effectively sort through looking for just the right one.

Go to the website to view the video.

Video by Purvi Goel

This video abstract explains the Unified Many-Worlds Browsing method and shows examples of how it can simulate scenarios that involve a variety of physical phenomena.

“A simulator can return thousands of options. It’s so time consuming to sort through them that these helpful solvers can’t be used to their full potential,” said Purvi Goel, a doctoral candidate in computer science at Stanford, who with her mentor, professor Doug James, has created a new approach to refine the search and narrow results to the most promising options.

They call it “Unified Many-Worlds Browsing,” and they will debut their approach at the upcoming SIGGRAPH 2022 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, the premier annual gathering for computer graphics and interactive techniques. The approach could both speed the search process for animators and, by limiting the options the simulators must cycle through, reduce compute time and expense. Ultimately, the researchers hope, it will allow artists and scientists to interface with solvers with unparalleled ease and efficiency.

“We’ve got this interesting conflict in the field that every year computers get faster, more parallel, and they can do more, but it’s the humans who are getting maxed out,” said James, who is a professor of computer science.

parameters and time

Solvers are controlled by input parameters – the physical dimensions of the object in the animation. In one example, the researchers used Unified Many-Worlds Browsing to animate an imaginary bowling alley. The parameters include the starting velocity and position of the ball.

A solver simply steps through the parameters incrementally, one by one, and simulates the many potential outcomes over the course of time. The key point is that there can be many input parameters, and the longer and more complex an animation is, the more parameters and compute time are needed to create simulations, and the more options are generated.

“If you are an animator and you have some idea in mind, you have to tune those parameters manually, then sort through all the outcomes one by one,” Goel explained.

Unified Many-Worlds Browsing allows animators to create “queries” to narrow down the options to make the process of identifying very specific outcome options easier. Queries can, for instance, confine outcomes to only those the animator is most interested in – including those that are either “in” a desired range of possibilities or, conversely, excluding those that are “not in” that range. Sample animations are available to view on the researchers’ website.

Asked to animate a stuffed armadillo falling down a spiral staircase, for instance, the animator might create a query in the Unified Browser that says, “Show me only options where the armadillo falls all the way to and comes to rest on the lowest stair. ” Charged with animating cubes of Jell-O bounding into a bowl, the animator could limit options only to those where all the cubes stay in the bowl, or perhaps where one, but only one, falls out. A small blue ball launched at an imaginary sandcastle might specify “give me samples where the front-left turret is smashed” or “the top turret only.”

Categories
Entertainment

Johnny Depp’s Lawyers Accused Amber Heard Of Editing Her Bruises, But Unsealed Documents See The Pirates Actor Accused Of The Same

Johnny Depp's Lawyers Accused Amber Heard Of Editing Her Bruises, But Unsealed Documents See The Pirates Actor Accused Of The Same

Despite the defamation verdict coming in months ago, the conversation surrounding Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s long legal battle hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. This is partly because of both parties filing new appeals, but also because of unsealed court documents that have come to light this week. And while Depp’s lawyers have accused Heard of editing photos of her bruisesthese new docs see the Pirates actor accused of the same thing.

During their long legal battle, Johnny Depp’s team of lawyers attempted to discredit Amber Heard and her allegations of abuse. One of the ways this was done was by questioning the validity of photos the Aquaman actress took of her face while bruised, claiming it was actually done through makeup and/or editing. But the tables are turning thanks to unsealed documents examined by The Daily Beast (via Insider) that claim that Depp might have edited images of himself that were submitted into evidence.

Categories
Sports

Josh Kennedy jumper: How to win West Coast champion’s guernsey from final match

Josh Kennedy jumper: How to win West Coast champion's guernsey from final match

The reality of retirement is slowly sinking in for West Coast great Josh Kennedy as he prepares for his 293rd and final game against Adelaide at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

But the Eagles’ loss will herald a special gain for one lucky reader of The West Australian, who will claim the goal-kicking guru’s final playing guernsey when the battle with the Crows is done.

As part of the celebration of his outstanding career, that reader will win his match jumper featuring his familiar No.17 on the back.

Kennedy told The West Australian on Wednesday he was relieved at having announced his retirement and now being able to set his focus one last time on producing the type of performance that has turned him from knockabout Northampton kid, to all-time great of the game.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 27: Josh Kennedy of the Eagles celebrates after scoring his 600th career goal during the 2019 AFL round 19 match between the West Coast Eagles and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Optus Stadium on July 27, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Camera IconAs part of the celebration of his outstanding career, that reader will win his match jumper featuring his familiar No.17 on the back. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

“I’ve sat with it for a long time, but with the build-up to announcing it officially and talking to the players and the footy department, there is a bit of relief, I suppose. . . even though most of the crew here internally probably already knew this was going to be the last week,” the 34-year-old said.

Kennedy, who will also pass his initial West Coast captain Darren Glass’ club tally of 270 games on Sunday (he also played 22 matches for Carlton), said the reaction to his pending retirement had been overwhelming.

“The phone has been a bit crazy,” he said.

“But I wake up early, just before five and before my kids wake up at about 6-6.30. I had an hour-and-a-half to get back to everyone, so apologies to anyone who had a phone pinging off at about 5.30.”

West Coast’s all-time leading goal-kicker, with 704 from his 15 years with the Eagles, has not always been at his most productive against Adelaide.

He has kicked just 35 goals in 20 matches against the Crows, almost half of his personal high tally of 61 against the Western Bulldogs in the same number of clashes.

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Categories
US

China fires missiles in ‘unprecedented’ drills around Taiwan | Military News

China fires missiles in 'unprecedented' drills around Taiwan | Military News

China has fired several ballistic missiles into the waters around Taiwan as it launched large-scale military exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island.

Chinese state media said the live-fire drills in six areas around Taiwan got under way at noon local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday and will continue until the same time on Sunday.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, the spokesman for China’s Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement carried by state media that rocket forces launched several types of missiles in multiple locations on the mainland into designated waters off the eastern coast of Taiwan.

The missiles carried conventional warheads and all of them hit their targets accurately, he said, adding that the aim of the drills was to test the precision of the weapons and ability to deny an enemy access to or control of an area.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense confirmed the launches, identifying them as Dongfeng-class ballistic missiles. It said the weapons were fired into waters to the northeast and southwest of Taiwan at about 1:56pm local time (05:56 GMT), and condemned the exercises as “irrational actions that undermine regional peace”.

Japan’s defense minister said on Thursday that five of the ballistic missiles fired by China were believed to have landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tokyo had “lodged a protest with China through diplomatic channels” over the incident, Nobuo Kishi told reporters.

I have added it was the first time Chinese ballistic missiles had landed in Japan’s EEZ, which extends up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) from the country’s coastline, beyond the limits of its territorial waters.

The last time China fired missiles into waters around Taiwan was in 1996, in the run-up to the re-election of President Lee Teng-hui, who had visited the United States the previous year. Beijing, which had threatened “serious consequences” over Pelosi’s visit, claims Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island.

Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on Wednesday was the first by a sitting speaker of the House, the third most senior politician in the US, in 25 years.

The US, while having formal diplomatic relations with China, follows a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan and is bound by law to provide the island of 23 million people with the means to defend itself.

Map showing Taiwan, mainland China and locations where China is holding military exercises until Sunday
The six areas around Taiwan where China is holding live-fire military exercises until Sunday [Al Jazeera]

Taiwan on alert

The Global Times, a Chinese state-run tabloid, framed Thursday’s drills as a rehearsal for “reunification operation(s)”.

“In the event of a future military conflict, it is likely that the operational plans currently being rehearsed will be directly translated into combat operations,” it quoted Chinese mainland military expert Song Zhongping as saying.

Another expert, Zhang Xuefeng, told the paper that “if the conventional missiles of the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] were to be launched from the mainland toward the west of Taiwan and hit targets to its east, this means that the missiles would fly over the island”. This would be “unprecedented”, he was quoted as saying.

Some of the six areas where Beijing has indicated the exercises are being held fall within Taiwan’s territorial waters.

The island has already warned shipping firms and airlines to avoid the locations.

The defense ministry said the island’s armed forces remained in a state of alert and were closely monitoring the PLA’s activities.

Taiwan will “uphold the principle of preparing for war without seeking war, and with an attitude of ‘not escalating conflict and not causing disputes’”, the ministry said in its statement.

Earlier, it revealed suspected Chinese drones had flown above the Kinmen Islands, Taiwanese territory off China’s southeastern coast, and it had fired flares to drive them away.

Major General Chang Zone-sung of the military’s Kinmen Defense Command told the Reuters news agency that the Chinese drones came in a pair and flew into the Kinmen area twice on Wednesday night, at about 9pm (13:00 GMT) and 10pm (14: 00 GMT).

“We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away. After that, they turned around. They came into our restricted area and that’s why we dispersed them,” he said.

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of her delegation wave as they board a plane in Taipei, Taiwan.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves with other delegation members as they board a plane to leave Taipei. Her visit de ella to the self-ruled island riled Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own [Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters]

Journalist Patrick Fok, reporting from Beijing, said China’s government had claimed it was “compelled to act in self-defence”.

“China’s foreign ministry said … all the action that was being taken was targeted at Taiwan’s separatist forces,” Fok said.

“Taiwan also said that it had had to chase away aircraft as well as warships that had crossed over the median line – an unofficial border that is generally seen as a means to prevent any possible mishaps from either side,” he added.

“Analysts did say that they expected the reaction [to Pelosi’s visit] to be greater than anything that we have seen in recent years but China says the US is the provocateur and urged it to immediately recognize the One-China principle for the sake of security in the region.”

The Group of Seven developed nations has expressed concern at China’s response to Pelosi’s visit, calling for calm and saying the moves by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) risked unnecessary escalation.

“There is no justification to use a visit as a pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait,” a statement from the G7 foreign ministers said. “It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC’s escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region.”

Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who are meeting in Phnom Penh, also expressed their concern that the rising tension around Taiwan could lead to “miscalculation” and called for “maximum restraint”.

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Categories
Technology

Diablo Devs Say Activision Back To Its Old ‘Union-Busting’ Tricks

Diablo Devs Say Activision Back To Its Old ‘Union-Busting’ Tricks

Nearly two months after Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick announced the company would finally begin bargaining its first union contract with the Game Workers Alliance at Raven Software, staff at Blizzard Albany, currently working on Devil IV, say the publisher is back to trying to union-bust. They accuse Activision Blizzard of rehiring the law firm Reed Smith to undermine their own organizing effort rather than voluntarily recognize the company’s second union.

“Instead of following Microsoft’s lead and committing to a labor neutrality agreement, Activision has made the clear and conscious decision to deny us our basic labor rights while once again spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a union-busting firm,” Albany Game Workers Alliance , which is organizing for things like better pay, healthcare, and work/life balance, among other issues, wrote in a press release Wednesday. The group says Activision Blizzard is re-enlisting the help of Reed Smith, an organization that offers “union-avoidance” services, in a “futile effort” to “delay recognition.” As the workers tell it, Reed Smith intends to urge the National Labor Relations Board to deny the individual QA group’s right to unionize.

When asked for comment, the Call of Duty publisher didn’t say why it had rehired the law firm Reed Smith or how much it was paying, but it did confirm it would once again push for a studio-wide vote on unionization. “Given the significant impact this change could have for roughly 150 people in Albany (formerly Vicarious Visions), we believe every employee in Albany who works on Diablo should have a direct say in this decision; it should not be made by fewer than 15% of employees,” company spokesman Rich George wrote in an emailed statement.

It went on:

The team based out of the Albany location is an integrated group that shares a focus on the same game franchise and works on related game features and functionality. These employees share significant commonalities in their work and maintaining cohesiveness throughout the complex game development and production process is essential.

Screenshot: Reed SmithScreenshot: Reed Smith

This is the same playbook the company rolled out last time when Raven Software first sought to unionize. First it integrated QA staff directly into other disciplines within the wider studio and later it argued that for this and other reasons the entire studio should vote on a union rather than just those in QA who already overwhelmingly supported it. Ultimately the NLRB sided with the workers, but it still delayed proceedings by months.

In the meantime, Activision Blizzard worked with Reed Smith, an international firm that boasted on its website at the time of helping companies avoid and fight unionization. It even kept a PowerPoint Presentation on its website that included slides about how unions sought to exploit lazy workers and strategies for persuading workers that unions were a bad idea. That presentation has since been removed.

Activision Blizzard’s renewed fight against unionization comes just two months after Microsoft, currently set to acquire it for $US69 ($96) billion, announced it would remain “neutral” on union efforts moving forward. Part of a campaign to get regulatory approval for the biggest tech acquisition in history, it seemed like it might signal a new playbook for Activision as well. Apparently not. The deal is expected to close before June 2023.