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Technology

Sony fears that Microsoft owning Call of Duty could create a monopoly

Sony fears that Microsoft owning Call of Duty could create a monopoly

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Call of Duty is a massive, sprawling video game franchise that has sent players through dozens of battlefields ranging from the beaches of Normandy to the abandoned city of Pripyat to the frozen moon Europe. Now, it has become the staging ground for a new conflict brewing between Sony and Microsoft.

In January, Microsoft announced its intention to buy Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. While the Federal Trade Commission has been scrutinizing the deal in the United States, Brazil also placed Microsoft under review by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (or CADE), the country’s national antitrust regulator, and asked various gaming companies such as Ubisoft, Riot Games , Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Sony for comments on the potential merger. Out of the 11 companies CADE reached out to, Sony was the sole objector.

At the heart of Sony’s concern was Microsoft potentially owning Call of Duty, which Sony claimed would position Microsoft at the critical mass of a gaming monopoly. Microsoft had already gained some of gaming’s most revered franchises such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Doom after purchasing ZeniMax Media in 2020. These high profile acquisitions have been integral to Microsoft’s plan to solidify the power of Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service where users gain access to a rotating catalog of downloadable games for a monthly fee.

“One of the reasons Microsoft’s Game Pass has grown so quickly is because, since 2017, Microsoft has acquired several third-party studios,” wrote Sony in its response to CADE, as translated by The Washington Post. Sony noted those studios included Double Fine, Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory and Bethesda, adding content from each to Game Pass. “Such acquisitions have given Microsoft a greater mass of content — even without Activision’s games. Adding Activision’s games to that content would represent a turning point.”

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Sony described Call of Duty as an exceptional property in the gaming world, one to which Activision devotes a staggering amount of resources with impressive returns. To date, the series has generated $30 billion in revenue for Activision Blizzard.

Each annual Call of Duty title is the collective effort of multiple studios working together for years. In a 2021 investor report, Activision stated there are over 3,000 workers assigned to the franchise. With production values ​​that high, Sony maintained that no other publisher could possibly challenge Activision’s position in the market, citing Electronic Arts’ Battlefield (another blockbuster military action series) as a competitor that has still failed woefully short of threatening the world’s most lucrative first- person shooter. Call of Duty has sold 425 million copies in its lifetime. Comparatively, Battlefield has sold roughly 88 million copies as of 2018. EA has not yet revealed the sales numbers for its latest Battlefield game, 2021′s “Battlefield 2042.” “Battlefield 2042′s” sales were described as “disappointing” by then-EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen during the publisher’s February investor call.

“No other developer can devote the same level of resources and expertise to game development,” wrote Sony. “Even if they could, Call of Duty is overly entrenched so that no rival — no matter how relevant — can catch up.”

From 2019: The making of Modern Warfare

Moreover, Call of Duty is a wildly popular series among PlayStation owners, a devotion which Activision Blizzard has promoted and rewarded. PlayStation players have long enjoyed exclusive Call of Duty perks unavailable to gamers on other platforms such as earlier access to in-game gear, experience bonuses, Battle Pass tier skips, player skins and more. The Call of Duty League, Activision’s premier esports league for the series, competed exclusively on the PlayStation in its inaugural season. Fans on PlayStation who preorder “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,” the highly anticipated sequel to 2019′s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” also get first dibs to the game’s open beta on Sept. 16 — a full week ahead of Xbox and PC gamers, who must wait until Sept. 22.

Microsoft has assured audiences that Call of Duty will remain multiplatform if the merger goes through. However, someone paying $10 a month for Xbox Game Pass could have access to every Call of Duty ever made and the latest releases upon launch, along with access to hundreds of other games. Microsoft previously utilized a similar tactic with its own popular first-person shooter franchise, Halo. Comparatively, a PlayStation player would have to buy each Call of Duty title separately. The upcoming title, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,” alone is priced at $70 before players consider purchasing any other games or purchasing Sony’s own game subscription service, PlayStation Plus.

But is that encouraging enough for PlayStation owners to jump ship for Xbox? Sony believes it is, describing Call of Duty players as die-hard fans who would readily swap to Xbox if it offered more comprehensive access to their beloved series. As Christopher Dring at GamesIndustry.biz points out, Microsoft owning the most popular video game series on PlayStation puts Sony in a very awkward spot, giving its leading competitor a direct line to its fan base on its own system with each new Call of Duty game. .

Video game giants see hundred million dollar dip in revenue amid recession fears

Sony, however, has been building its own powerful stable of exclusive titles for years, also by purchasing talented studios. Bungie, the studio that created the Microsoft-exclusive Halo series, was the latest developer to be bought by Sony. The Last of Us series as well as Uncharted, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon and “Ghost of Tsushima” are all critically acclaimed Sony exclusives made by previously independent studios now owned by Sony.

Microsoft pointed this out to CADE in its rebuttal to Sony’s comments, saying Sony had fortified its own subscription service by partnering with Ubisoft, maker of the Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy Rainbow Six franchises, among others.

“The launch of the new PlayStation Plus, perceived by the industry as ‘a rival to Xbox Game Pass,’ reflects the intense rivalry in the game distribution industry,” Microsoft wrote. “The offering of Ubisoft’s catalog of ‘popular’ and ‘best-selling’ games on PlayStation Plus reinforces such rivalry and also emphasizes the diversity of high-quality third-party games available to subscription service providers.”

In a recent CADE filing, Microsoft claimed that Sony has paid for “blocking rights” to stonewall developers from adding content to Xbox Game Pass, as reported by the Verge. Microsoft also said that it invested heavily in Xbox Game Pass as a counterattack to Sony’s superior buy-to-play strategy in the previous console generation, according to a translator in the gaming forum ResetEra.

Project Magma: The origins of “Call of Duty: Warzone”

Third-party companies Ubisoft, Riot Games, Bandai Namco and Google all agreed that Call of Duty does indeed have competitors such as “Apex Legends,” “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” and “Valorant.” Sony disagreed, arguing that no major developer has ever managed to create a franchise that could top Call of Duty.

Recently, Respawn Entertainment’s “Apex Legends,” published by Electronic Arts, has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to swift updates, new gameplay modes, frequent competitions, detailed worldbuilding and a steady stream of overall content. Respawn is also led by Vince Zampella, who is one of the co-founders of Infinity Ward and oversaw the production “Call of Duty,” “Call of Duty 2,” the original “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare″ in 2007 and 2009 ′s “Modern Warfare 2” (not the upcoming reboot).

Nonetheless, Sony insists that Call of Duty is just too big to contend against, referring to the franchise as “a category of games in itself.” And the company is fighting to prove it.

Gabriela Sa Pessoa in São Paulo contributed to this report.

Categories
Australia

Mother says 13yo under care of child protection ‘sexually abused by paedophiles and addicted to ice’

Mother says 13yo under care of child protection 'sexually abused by paedophiles and addicted to ice'

A Queensland mother has described the “soul-destroying” ordeal of her teenage daughter being sexually abused by paedophiles and becoming addicted to ice while she was under the care of the Department of Child Safety, saying every day was “just waiting for her to die “.

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.

Three years ago, Helena* was in fear of her life and felt she had no choice but to contact the department.

Her 13-year-old daughter Xanthe* was becoming increasingly violent, hitting her, smashing holes in walls, and ripping doors off their hinges.

“She threw something at me and it split my leg open,” Helena said.

“I realized one of us was going to die.

“I was scared she was going to kill me. Not on purpose, she’s not vindictive or anything like that, it was more that she was so out of control that I was scared she was going to kill me by accident and that she was going to have to live with that.

“That was my biggest fear.”

Helena desperately sought counseling and mental health support for her daughter, but with a limited number of professionals in the regional part of Queensland where she lives, it was around five months before she could get an appointment.

Her daughter was later diagnosed with conduct disorder with traits of borderline personality disorder.

But by this time, Helena had already made the heartbreaking decision to relinquish care.

But worse was to come.

A graphic shows a rope fraying and a woman covering her face with her arm.
Helena relinquished care after facing increasing violence from her daughter.(ABC News: Paul Yeomans)

Men ‘injected her with meth’

Helena said Xanthe has made a number of disclosures to her and her carers about what has transpired during her time in out-of-home care.

She said she learned that a youth worker dropped her daughter at a 16-year-old boy’s house for a “sleepover” four days after she went into care.

She said her daughter was allowed to do whatever she wanted, including being driven by youth workers to buy marijuana every Friday, “then they would come back to resi (residential care) and smoke that until it was gone.”

Helena said her daughter was later moved to another care placement against her wishes and preyed upon for sex by some older men in the area with a criminal history.

A woman sits with her head in her hands, lit by an open door in the background.
Helena said Xanthe would constantly go missing and that “she was with the paedophiles.”(ABC News: Paul Yeomans)

“They injected her with meth (methamphetamines) in the neck and she has been addicted to it since,” she said.

“There were people taking videos of her… while she was flipping out.”

Helena made numerous complaints to the department and asked for her daughter to be moved.

“When her drug addiction started, the department refused to accept that it was happening,” she said.

“They believed [she] was making it up.”

She said her daughter would constantly go missing — “she was with the paedophiles.”

But she said the police could not charge anyone unless her daughter was prepared to make a statement.

“Xanthe constantly stated she didn’t feel safe to press charges until she was moved away from the area.”

Mother constantly feared the worst

Helena said at the age of 14, her daughter was used for sex by a man in his 40s who also had a criminal history.

“That’s when she started getting really sick,” she said.

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Categories
US

CDC drops quarantine, screening recommendations for COVID-19

CDC drops quarantine, screening recommendations for COVID-19

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.

The changes, which come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic, are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.

“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC’s Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines.

The CDC recommendations apply to everyone in the US, but the changes could be particularly important for schools, which summarize classes this month in many parts of the country.

Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice can be reinstated in certain situations during a surge in infections, officials said.

The CDC also dropped a “test-to-stay” recommendation, which said students exposed to COVID-19 could regularly test — instead of quarantining at home — to keep attending school. With no quarantine recommendation anymore, the testing option disappeared too.

Masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is considered high, or if a person is considered at high risk of severe illness.

School districts across the US have scaled back their COVID-19 precautions in recent weeks even before the latest guidance was issued. Some have promised to return to pre-pandemic schooling.

Masks will be optional in most districts when classes resume this fall, and some of the nation’s largest districts have dialed back or eliminated COVID-19 testing requirements.

Public schools in Los Angeles are ending weekly COVID-19 tests, instead making at-home tests available to families, the district announced last week. Schools in North Carolina’s Wake County also dropped weekly testing.

Some others have moved away from test-to-stay programs that became unmanageable during surges of the omicron variant last school year.

The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, said it welcomes the guidance.

“Every educator and every parent starts every school year with great hope, and this year even more so,” President Randi Weingarten said. “After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what kids need.”

The new recommendations prioritize keeping children in school as much as possible, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s healthy building program. Previous isolation policies forced millions of students to stay home from school, he said, even though the virus poses a relatively low risk to young people.

“Entire classrooms of kids had to miss school if they were deemed a close contact,” he said. “The closed schools and learning disruption have been devastating.”

Others say the CDC is going too far in relaxing its guidelines.

Allowing students to return to school five days after infection, without proof of a negative COVID-19 test, could lead to outbreaks in schools, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College. That could force entire schools to close temporarily if teachers get sick in large numbers, a dilemma that some schools faced last year.

“All of us want a stable school year, but wishful thinking is not the strategy for getting there,” she said. “If we want a return to normal in our schools, we have to invest in the conditions for that, not just drop everything haphazardly like we’re seeing across the country.”

The average numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have been relatively flat this summer, at around 100,000 cases a day and 300 to 400 deaths.

The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.

The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate themselves from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.

___

Binkley reported from Washington.

___

The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Categories
Australia

Fair Work Ombudsman launches legal action against Melbourne University over alleged coercion of casual academics

Fair Work Ombudsman launches legal action against Melbourne University over alleged coercion of casual academics

On August 1, she emailed the university’s People and Culture department saying she was having issues with her supervisor and her contracts. She received a contract for the winter intensive period on August 3, but was told the university was cutting 450 jobs and her second semester contract was “in the pipeline”.

Fair Work alleges Tsongas’ supervisor said words to the effect of, “if you claim outside your contracted hours, don’t expect work next year”.

The Fair Work Ombudsman alleges the staff were threatened because they complained about needing to work more than the anticipated hours in their contracts. It also claims their supervisor prevented them from claiming extra hours.

In January 2021, Tsongas again submitted a time card that included extra hours worked. But she was allegedly told she’d only be paid for hours agreed in her contract de ella, with an initial reference to “anticipated hours” deleted. She was allegedly told to resubmit her time card.

In an email exchange to a professor outlined in court documents, a supervisor allegedly called Tsongas a “self-entitled Y-genner”.

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Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the university’s conduct undermined fundamental employee rights.

“We treat allegations of employers taking action to stop or prevent employees from claiming their lawful entitlements very seriously. Adverse action and coercion directly undermine workplace laws and the ability of employees to exercise their lawful rights,” Parker said.

A University of Melbourne spokesperson said the university was committed to complying with all of its obligations to staff under the enterprise agreement and “highly values” all its employees, including casual staff and “the significant contribution they make”.

The university is looking over the allegations and will respond through relevant court processes.

The spokesperson said the university was working to identify any practices that were inconsistent with their obligations and doing “everything we can” to remediate and “fully comply”.

The legal action comes while a separate ombudsman’s investigation is underway into alleged underpayments of casual academics by the University of Melbourne.

National Tertiary Education Union branch president Annette Herrera said it was shocking and that investigations were continuing “school by school, faculty by faculty”.

“How many more inquiries do we have to do to make this change?”

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.

Categories
US

Cause sought for Indiana house explosion that killed 3

Cause sought for Indiana house explosion that killed 3

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Authorities worked Thursday to determine the cause of a house explosion in a southern Indiana neighborhood that killed three people and left another person hospitalized.

The explosion Wednesday afternoon in Evansville damaged 39 homes and crews on Thursday morning completed a secondary search of buildings that had been left unstable by the explosion and no more victims were found, Fire Chief Mike Connelly told reporters.

“It’s a huge relief, for everybody,” the chief said of the results of the secondary search.

Eleven of the damaged homes were uninhabitable and will have to be demolished, Connelly said, and finding a cause is expected to be a “very tedious process — and lengthy.”

The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office identified the victims Thursday as a married couple, 43-year-old Charles Hite and 37-year-old Martina Hite, and 29-year-old neighbor Jessica Teague.

The cause and manner of their deaths are pending autopsies, the office said.

Suzanne Dabkowski, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, spokeswoman, said Thursday the agency can’t speak to any possible causes of the explosion. Dabkowski said the ATF has certified explosive specialists and certified firearms investigators on-site in Evansville, and currently they were assisting in the investigation.

Evansville is located along Indiana’s border with Kentucky. The blast left debris strewn over a 100-foot (30-meter) radius. Debris included construction materials like wooden boards, window glass and insulation.

CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said Wednesday.

“CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues,” the utility said.

It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017killed two people and injured three others.

Wednesday’s explosion also brought to mind a massive blast in 2012 that destroyed or damaged more than 80 homes on Indianapolis’ south side and killed two people. A man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home in an attempt to commit insurance fraud.

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Categories
Australia

Infectious disease experts warn Omicron wave not the last of Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic

An array of 3D molecule models, the largest to the left and in focus, the other three are out of focus behind it, to the right

Infectious disease experts have warned that, while Australia might have passed the peak of its winter COVID-19 wave, there could still be future surges and strains of the deadly virus in the future.

James Cook University’s Professor Emma McBryde told the ABC that, while she was “cautiously optimistic” about the latest Omicron wave being over, there was still a risk of new COVID-19 variants.

“We’re still seeing a lot of deaths, [more than] 100 a day across Australia, which is an alarming number,” she said.

“We should be concerned about it rather than just dismissing it, but we should be cautiously optimistic that, bit by bit, we’re going to see a decline in cases in the medium term.

“I’m much-less optimistic about it being all over, as in the whole COVID pandemic being over,” she said.

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“Because we’ve seen this virus mutate again and again, and some of those mutations make it milder and more infectious, and other mutations make it more severe and more infectious.

“So we don’t know what’s coming next.

“I wouldn’t be bold enough to make any statements on [the end of the pandemic].”

On Wednesday, Australia recorded 27,263 new cases of COVID-19 and 133 deaths. There were 4,415 cases being treated in hospital.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler also said last week he was cautiously optimistic the most-recent wave had peaked.

“The data we’re seeing right now indicates we might have reached the peak earlier than we expected to,” he said on August 4.

A man in a dark suit and spotted tie speaks at a press conference while another man, head tilted back, looks on from behind
Health Minister Mark Butler has warned of the “school holiday effect” on case numbers. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

“We’re being a bit cautious about that because what we’ve seen through the pandemic is the ‘school holiday effect’, which shows numbers and transmission takes a slightly different course because of different activity in the school holidays.”

Professor Robert Booy — an infectious diseases pediatrician at the University of Sydney — said there was a “lot of good news.”

“The possibility of a new variant remains there, but we don’t see one on the horizon,” he said.

“[The Indian sub variant BA2.75] has fizzled out and we’ve had BA5 now for six months without a new variant taking over.

“So our immunity to BA5 is getting better and better.

A bearded, brown-haired man in a maroon, checked shirt and maroon knitted vest in an office environment
Professor Robert Booy warns against complacency towards COVID-19. (ABC: 7.30)

“There isn’t a variant yet that looks likely to replace it, so there is hope on the horizon.”

However, I added, it was “no time for complacency.”

“We’re still seeing rampant deaths,” he said.

“It’s in front of our eyes and we’re looking at it with rose-tinted glasses. We’re seeing the positive and forgetting so many people are still dying and being damaged.”

He said the elderly and disabled were, “first of all”, precious people.

University of South Australia epidemiologist and biostatistician Professor Adrian Esterman said three key things needed to be done to improve case numbers:

  1. 1.Higher percentage of the population getting their booster shot
  2. two.Encouraging correct usage of face masks in the correct places
  3. 3.Better ventilation of indoor areas.

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Categories
US

Bolton calls Iran assassination plot an ‘act of war,’ calls on Biden admin to ‘terminate’ nuclear talks

Bolton calls Iran assassination plot an 'act of war,' calls on Biden admin to 'terminate' nuclear talks

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

EXCLUSIVE: Former White House national security adviser Amb. John Bolton said the assassination plot against him by an Iranian operative, and continued threats from Iran to American citizens on American soil is “unprecedented” and “an act of war,” telling Fox News the Biden administration has been “signaling weakness” to Tehran and should “terminate” negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal.

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against Iranian operative Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, for an alleged plot to assassinate Bolton, who served as former President Trump’s national security adviser until 2019.

US officials said the plot was likely planned in retaliation for the January 2020 strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a revered Iranian leader and the head of Iran’s Quds Force.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday, Bolton said he had been “aware” of plots against him for “some time.”

IRANIAN OPERATIVE CHARGED IN ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE JOHN BOLTON

Bolton said in the spring of 2020, the FBI contacted him with a “duty to warn.”

“I was given several duties to warn as time went on, and each one was becoming a little more serious,” Bolton said, noting that he went to a meeting at the FBI in the fall of 2021, where officials explained the latest information they had on plots against him.

National security adviser John Bolton speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Dec. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

National security adviser John Bolton speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Dec. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Bolton told Fox News he requested US Secret Service protection, which he had during the Trump administration but which was terminated upon his resignation.

The FBI granted the request for USSS protection in December 2021, and Bolton told Fox News that protection is ongoing.

But Bolton said he is not so concerned about the individual plot against him, but rather, threats from Iran against all Americans.

“It’s not just me,” Bolton said. “The regime in Tehran has targeted a lot of Americans.”

“The aim here is to kill Americans on American soil, and its former government officials,” Bolton explained. “This is a broad threat to private American citizens on American soil, and I think it is essentially unprecedented.”

Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani attends a meeting with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 18, 2016.

Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani attends a meeting with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 18, 2016.
(Pool/Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

He added: “You could call it an act of war, and it tells you everything you need to know about the government in Tehran.”

The Justice Department, upon charging Poursafi this week, said it “has the solemn duty to defend our citizens from hostile governments who seek to hurt or kill them.”

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said this “is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge against individuals on US soil, and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt every one of these efforts.” .”

According to the Justice Department, Poursafi approached a US resident he had met online and asked for pictures of the former national security adviser, claiming they would be used for a book he was writing. The resident connected Poursafi to someone willing to take the pictures for $5,000-$10,000.

National security adviser John Bolton speaks to reporters during a news conference at the White House, Oct. 3, 2018. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

National security adviser John Bolton speaks to reporters during a news conference at the White House, Oct. 3, 2018. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

Poursafi then contacted another person over encrypted messaging applications and offered $250,000 to hire someone to “eliminate” Bolton, an amount that was eventually negotiated to $300,000. Poursafi also alluded to another “job” in the future, noting that it would pay $1 million.

Poursafi then guided the individual on how to carry out the operation, noting that the use of a small weapon would require the individual to get close to the former Trump administration adviser.

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, through the Defendant, tried to hatch a brazen plot: assassinate a former US official on US soil in retaliation for US actions,” US Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia said this week.

Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal, including Trump administration officials, argue the agreement emboldened Iran's non-nuclear activity such as its support of extremism, ballistic missile development and cyberattacks.

Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal, including Trump administration officials, argue the agreement emboldened Iran’s non-nuclear activity such as its support of extremism, ballistic missile development and cyberattacks.
(Reuters)

Meanwhile, Bolton went on to slam the Biden administration for engaging in negotiations with Tehran to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, known as the Iran nuclear deal.

“To me, more important than the threats to individuals is that catastrophic strategic policy that the administration is pursuing to try and revive the 2015 nuclear deal,” Bolton said. “You’ve got a government that absolutely won’t honor any commitments it makes—it will do whatever it thinks is necessary to get nuclear weapons.”

He added: “People are deluding themselves if they think that if we give Iran enough concessions, that they gain to let us back into the nuclear deal—they’ll do what they want to do.”

IN DESPERATE EFFORT TO SALVAGE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL, WILL US CAVE TO EU APPEASEMENT?

President Trump’s administration withdrew from the accord in 2018.

Bolton told Fox News he thinks the threat Iran poses to the United States has been “intensifying for some time,” but said it is at “its highest level now.”

This image taken from video footage aired by Iranian state television on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, shows the launch of a rocket by Iran's Revolutionary Guard carrying a Noor-2 satellite in northeastern Shahroud Desert, Iran.

This image taken from video footage aired by Iranian state television on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, shows the launch of a rocket by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard carrying a Noor-2 satellite in northeastern Shahroud Desert, Iran.
(Iranian state television via AP)

Iran’s regime has boasted over the last few weeks that it can develop a nuclear weaponand even it went as far to threaten to obliterate New York with an atomic bomb, turning the metropolis into “hellish ruins.”

“The Biden administration has been signaling weakness,” Bolton said, noting that officials have said that they consider talks on the nuclear deal “separate from terrorism.

“Well, that may be fine for the White House, but in Tehran, they don’t have those compartments,” he continued. “And Iran sees this jumble of inconsistent policies that we’re pursuing and, that, too, is a sign of weakness.”

President Biden’s negotiators in Vienna, Austria, have not sought to restrict Iran’s production of its long-range missile program.

The Iran nuclear deal contains no provisions to stop Tehran’s sponsorship of terrorism across the globe.

IRAN DECLARES IT CAN USE NUCLEAR MISSILES TO TURN ‘NEW YORK INTO HELLISH RUINS’

Bolton told Fox News that he would “terminate the negotiations” in light of the threats against him and American citizens.

“I don’t think the deal as written would stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, I don’t think the passage of time has made it any better, I don’t think the concessions the Biden administration has made have strengthened the deal— I think they’ve weakened the deal,” Bolton said.

The flag of Iran is seen in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The flag of Iran is seen in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
(Michael Gruber/Getty Images)

Bolton said Iran uses “negotiations as camouflage and as a weapon.”

Bolton went on to tell Fox News that adversaries of the United States took the Biden Administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan last year “as a signal of retreat.”

US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.

US soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.
(AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)

“I thought it was a terrible mistake to withdraw, I mean, the manner in which the withdrawal was conducted was also embarrassing and dangerous, but the decision was a mistake,” Bolton said, adding that “the past year has demonstrated the United States gave up an incredibly important strategic position in Central Asia.”

“They just abandoned it for nothing and it has increased the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan,” Bolton told Fox News. “It has increased Russia and China’s strategic circumstances in Central Asia; it has reflected the Taliban ignoring one commitment after another.”

“We ought to learn the terrorists, whether they are terrorist states or terrorist groups, don’t honor their commitments,” Bolton continued. “The Taliban didn’t do it. The Iranians don’t do it.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Bolton told Fox News that the withdrawal was seen by Beijing and Moscow “as a sign of American retreat and isolationism and they have acted accordingly.”

“Very detrimentally to our interest,” Bolton said.

Brooke Singman is a Fox News Digital politics reporter. You can reach her from her at [email protected] or @BrookeSingman on Twitter.

Categories
Sports

Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers, Cameron Munster, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Craig Bellamy

Consider it a Craig Bellamy masterstroke.

Melbourne arrived on Penrith’s home patch as the underdog on Thursday night, but Bellamy played Cameron Munster at fullback and Nelson Asofa-Solomona as an edge backrower.

The result of the double-edged shake-up was a 16-0 triumph.

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As Munster registered 194 run metres, made a linebreak and continually asked questions of the Panthers defence, Asofa-Solomona piled up 130 run metres, including 48 post-contact, churned out 25 tackles and ran damaging lines at Viliame Kikau and Penrith’s halves.

“He was special tonight,” Sonny Bill Williams said of Asofa-Solomona’s game on Nine’s post-match show.

“Those post-contact meters were through the middle of the ruck. I think in that first 20 (minutes) he was special. He laid that platform.

“Melbourne coming into this game needed a couple of their big guys to stand up, and he certainly did that, whether that was through the middle or out wide tonight.

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NRL Highlights: Panthers v Storm – Round 22

“When we talk Melbourne we talk Munster, we talk the Cheese (Brandon Smith), but guys like this — these are the guys who are going to get them that (premiership) ring that they want at the end of the year.”

Andrew Johns was also impressed by Asofa-Solomona’s performance.

“The coaching decision to put him on Kikau — it was a masterstroke,” he said.

Munster began his NRL career as a fullback and returned to his native position last week, filling in for Ryan Papenhuyzen (knee) and Nick Meaney (concussion).

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The Queensland State of Origin playmaker retained the fullback role for the Panthers clash despite the return of Meaney, who played at five-eighth.

“He creates something out of nothing all the time,” Asofa-Solomona said of Munster.

“When they kick the ball down he’s running the ball back and you don’t have to turn to get the ball. He’s already just got the ball and taking it 20 meters.

“When you’ve got Munster in the team you’re a good chance of winning the game, I reckon.”

Cooper Johns, Melbourne’s halfback while Jahrome Hughes is sidelined with a shoulder injury, described Munster at fullback as “dynamic”.

“Pops up (on) both sides,” Johns said.

“But he’s a world-class five-eighth, too.”

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Paul Green’s life in pictures: From Sharks prodigy to premiership-winning coach

Categories
Australia

Youth suicide report urges reform to emergency department care for young people in distress

Jack Heskett, a young person with a beard, sits outside in the bush and smiles towards the camera

Australia’s national peak body for suicide prevention is calling for urgent reforms to care offered at emergency departments for young people in mental distress.

Suicide Prevention Australia consulted dozens of young people with lived experience of self-harm or suicidal ideation and found hospital emergency departments were poorly equipped to deal with young people needing critical mental health support.

The report’s authors recommend all states and territories fund trials for youth-specific “alternatives to ED” to better support young Australians who present to a hospital after self-harming or attempting suicide.

Nieves Murray, the CEO of Suicide Prevention Australia, said young people were being failed by EDs.

“Emergency departments are not the place for people in suicidal distress, particularly not younger people in suicidal distress.

“We need to co-design places for people in suicidal distress with the people who use them … particularly young people.”

A lady speaks into microphones with her hands raised.
Ms Murray warned that youth suicide rates tend to worsen a few years after a traumatic event – ​​like a global pandemic.(Supplied: Facebook)

Ms Murray said evidence showed that poor quality care for a young person’s first suicide attempt tended to lead to worse mental health outcomes, and highlighted the need for specialized “peer support workers”.

“It’s really critical that the first time that somebody tells their story, they’re telling it to someone who can actually assist them, to navigate through that.”

‘Sent home barefoot in a taxi’

Jack Heskett, 25, from Sydney, was 17 when they attempted to take their own life.

Jack said the months and years following were spent in a “revolving door” between home and presenting to emergency departments after multiple suicide attempts.

Jack, who was consulted in Suicide Prevention Australia’s report, believes EDs are a “terrifying” place to be when in acute mental distress, and can make patients like them feel significantly worse – not better.

“It feels overwhelming, it feels terrifying, and very isolating. You’re in a bed with very thin curtain partitions around you. But you can still hear absolutely everything going on around you, and can feel that chaos.

“It only seemed to add to that feeling that I was a burden.”

Jack remembers feeling particularly disappointed after one suicide attempt, when they left the hospital barefoot.

“I’d probably been in the ED for about eight hours… I was told once again, there’s not really anything more they can offer me. And that’s when I had to leave the ED, I didn’t even have any shoes on, and I had to get a taxi home.

“And it was terrifying for me, because I would swing in and out of these acute experiences, and then all of a sudden be at home, left quite isolated.

“Each time I was sent home with no support, it just solidified to me that there was no help.”

Jack said they were “lucky and privileged” to eventually receive extensive care at a private hospital with a specialized team to help with their treatment and mental health diagnoses.

‘Stop talking about 1950s solutions’

Ian Hickie from The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, who was not involved in the report, agreed that EDs were at breaking point – and often weren’t appropriate places for young people in distress.

“We saw a movement in the 2000s to wanting to put more mental health in emergency departments as if it would fit easily. It doesn’t.

“It works for some people for some needs, but it hasn’t really worked for young people.

“It’s not that the health professionals don’t care. The system is under pressure. And the physical environment is very challenging.”

Professor Ian Hickie wears a blue suit and red tie and looks into the camera from an office space.
Professor Hickie says EDs often don’t provide quality care for suicidal young people(ABC News: Bryan Milliss)

Professor Hickie said emergency departments played an important role for young people who have physical injuries after self-harming or a suicide attempt, but alternative places for acute care were needed for young people with psychological symptoms.

“It could be another safe location that can be staffed by people who have healthcare experience, or have personal experiences and provide a safe, supportive, warm, human environment.

“It might be close to a hospital, it might be quite separate.”

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Categories
US

Search for missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery is now a homicide investigation, officials say

Search for missing New Hampshire girl Harmony Montgomery is now a homicide investigation, officials say

To “sweet and innocent” New Hampshire girl who has been missing for nearly three years is a homicide victim, though her remains have yet to be found, authorities said Thursday.

Harmony Montgomery was likely killed in Manchester early December 2019, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella told reporters. She was 5 years old at that time.

The state’s top prosecutor said investigators have uncovered “biological evidence” that have “led us to this difficult and tragic conclusion.”

“This is now officially a homicide investigation,” Formella said. “Our investigators will continue to seek justice and look into the circumstances of Harmony’s murder of her and search for her remains of her.”

The prosecutor and Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg did not take question or elaborate on the evidence that lead them to declare the little girl’s death.

Thursday’s development comes more than seven months after police in Manchester, New Hampshire, said that they first learned Harmony hadn’t been seen for two years.

The girl hasn’t been seen since late 2019, but police said they only learned she was missing in December.

Aldenberg called the victim a “sweet and innocent 8-year-old girl.”

Authorities appealed for the public’s help in finding the girl’s remains and identifying her killer.

“The time is now. Time to step up and do the right thing and make the call to that tip line,” Aldenberg said.

“Harmony’s a sweet and innocent child who deserves to be brought home to her family and friends.”

Harmony was in the custody of her father, Adam Montgomery, when she was last seen in late November 2019, New Hampshire law enforcement officials have said.

Adam Montgomery and his wife Kayla, who is not Harmony’s mother, have both been arrested and charged but not in direct connection with the girl’s disappearance. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Image: Harmony Montgomery
Harmony Montgomery.Manchester Police Department

Adam Montgomery was charged with assault after he allegedly told an uncle he’d given Harmony a black eye in June 2019, according to court documents.

Kayla Montgomery has been accused of welfare fraud and collecting more than $1,500 in food stamp benefits for Harmony, even though the girl was no longer living at their home.

Harmony was born in Massachusetts but spent much of her life in the custody of that state’s Department of Children and Families, according to a report from the state Office of the Child Advocate.

Harmony’s mother, Crystal Sorey, and father had substance abuse issues, according to the child advocate agency. In February 2019, a court awarded Adam Montgomery, who lived in New Hampshire, custody.

Sorey contacted Manchester police in November 2021 and said that she was sober but that Adam Montgomery had been blocking all her attempts at communication, and that the last time she had seen her daughter was on video call in April 2019, according to a police affidavit.

Harmony, Adam and Kayla Montgomery, and the couple’s two other children were evicted from a Manchester home Nov. 27, 2019, and people reported seeing Harmony with them in the following days, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has said.

But by early December, it appeared Harmony was no longer with them, the office said.

According to court documents, Kayla Montgomery told investigators that Adam Montgomery informed her in late 2019 that Harmony was going to live with her mother.

Adam Montgomery allegedly told police that Sorey picked the girl up in Manchester, according to a police affidavit filed in his case.

Sorey has said that she had been trying to find her daughter since April 2019 and that she reached out to nearby schools and the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families. She is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Since late December, police and others have pleaded for information, a reward of $60,000 was offered and volunteers joined in looking for any clues.