Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 6:01 p.m. No.18769080   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9153 >>9169 >>9258 >>9317 >>9515 >>9538

Australia Record migration revealed: 400,000 to arrive this year

 

The soaring intake will spark a debate among political leaders over new housing measures and tougher visa rules to deal with the influx.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/record-migration-revealed-400-000-to-arrive-this-year-20230428-p5d437.html

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 6:15 p.m. No.18769169   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9222 >>9258 >>9317 >>9515 >>9538

>>18769080

>https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/record-migration-revealed-400-000-to-arrive-this-year-20230428-p5d437.html

 

https://www.removepaywall.com

 

Australia’s migrant intake will soar to its highest level on record as 400,000 people enter the country this year in net terms, sparking a debate among federal and state political leaders over new housing measures and tougher visa rules to deal with the influx.

 

Students will make up almost half the intake as they take advantage of the removal of COVID border controls, leading to a one-off surge in net overseas migration that will fall to 315,000 next year and could decline further once the new measures take effect.

 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed to give state and territory leaders more input into migration policy to ease pressure on capital cities, using a national cabinet meeting on Friday to outline three new housing measures and discuss the population forecasts to be included in the federal budget on May 9.

 

Albanese emerged from the meeting to announce a $2 billion increase in support for social and affordable housing as well as two tax changes to increase the financial incentives for investors and developers to build more homes.

 

The national cabinet meeting also launched a push to harmonise protections for renters across the states and territories on issues such as the frequency and amount of rent increases, although Albanese played down the prospect of the laws being the same in each jurisdiction.

 

A key federal objective is the construction of 1 million homes over five years from 2024 in a national housing accord led by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and backed with state support.

 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has backed the housing accord and NSW Premier Chris Minns, attending his first national cabinet meeting after winning the state election, wants greater urban consolidation along transport corridors to ease housing pressures.

 

“More skilled migrants – and more support for skilled migrants so they can build a life in Australia – is key to our economic recovery and growth as a nation,” a Victorian government spokesman said.

 

The revised forecast for net overseas migration is a sharp increase on the estimate of 235,000 in the October budget and reflects the sudden arrival of students after their home countries, such as China, removed restrictions on their travel.

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 6:20 p.m. No.18769201   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9214 >>9258 >>9317 >>9515 >>9538

Former Chief of Staff to Mayor of Lawrence Indicted for Child Pornography Offenses

 

BOSTON – The former Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Lawrence, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

 

Jhovanny Martes-Rosario, 48, was indicted on one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. Martes-Rosario was previously arrested by state authorities on related charges and released on conditions. Martes-Rosario was released on conditions following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley.

 

The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

 

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-chief-staff-mayor-lawrence-indicted-child-pornography-offenses-0

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 6:21 p.m. No.18769211   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9258 >>9317 >>9515 >>9538 >>9540

Colorado Democrat Governor Signs Four Gun Control Bills – Strengthen Red Flag Laws, Imposes 3-Day Waiting Period, & Raises Age Requirement

 

Despite the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding Second Amendment rights, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed four gun control bills into law on Friday morning.

 

The new laws increase the age at which a person can legally purchase a firearm to 21, establishes a three-day waiting period, extends the application of the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law (Red Flag Law), and streamlines the process by which victims of gun violence can file lawsuits against the firearms industry.

 

According to the AP, Democrats in Colorado say the new regulations are meant to reduce suicides and teenage violence, prevent mass shootings, and provide victims of such deaths the right to sue the firearms industry.

 

“Coloradans deserve to be safe in our communities, in our schools, our grocery stores, nightclubs, and everywhere in between,” Polis said during the signing ceremony at the Capitol.

 

Colorado News Online reported:

Under Senate Bill 23-170, district attorneys, educators, mental health professionals and other medical providers will be able to petition a judge to confiscate guns from a potentially dangerous person. Previously, only law enforcement and family members had that power under the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law, also known as the red flag law, which was created in 2019.

 

The expansion aims to increase utilization of the process and extend the petition authority to people who interact with an at-risk person regularly. It is a recognition that some law enforcement officials have been reluctant to use the red flag law when potentially appropriate due to concerns over the Second Amendment.

 

Senate Bill 23-169 raises the age to purchase any gun to 21 years old. Previously, the age restriction was 18 to buy a long gun and 21 to buy a handgun. There are exceptions for members of law enforcement and the military.

 

House Bill 23-1219 imposes a three-day waiting period for people to get a gun after they pay for it. Bill sponsors said that the delayed access to firearms will provide a cooling-off period for people in crisis who might harm themselves or others.

 

Cities will be able to establish longer waiting periods if they choose. If the purchaser’s background check takes longer than three days — which it rarely does — they would still need to wait until the background check clears to get their gun.

 

Finally, Senate Bill 23-168 removes a state protection for gun and ammunition dealers and manufactures against lawsuits. Previously, plaintiffs had to pay the legal fees for defendants in dismissed cases involving gun sellers. That is no longer the case.

 

The law makes the gun industry susceptible to lawsuits under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

 

Republicans criticized the bills as a violation of Second Amendment rights that would make it more difficult for Coloradans to defend themselves in the face of a rising crime rate.

 

According to Fox News, “the new laws will likely be tested in court, with gun advocates threatening lawsuits and citing a Supreme Court decision last year in New York that expanded Second Amendment rights and opened the door for challenges to gun restrictions nationwide.”

 

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/04/colorado-democrat-governor-signs-four-gun-control-bills-strengthen-red-flag-laws-imposes-3-day-waiting-period-raises-age-requirement/

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 6:28 p.m. No.18769242   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>18769208

 

Why did they take the Golan Heights?

 

The Nimrod Fortress National Park protects the Nimrod Fortress, a medieval Ayyubid castle set on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon. Also known as Nimrod Castle, the fortress is the largest castle from the Middle Ages remaining in the region. It is named after the biblical hunter and warrior, Nimrod.

 

https://private-tours-in-israel.com/nimrod-fortress-national-park/

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 7:01 p.m. No.18769411   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9425 >>9433 >>9439 >>9459 >>9515 >>9538

Biden DOJ: Kids have A Constitutional Right To Puberty Blockers

 

The Biden Administration has a new and unhinged constitutional theory: the 14th Amendment protects the right of a child to take puberty blockers. Bans on hormone treatments for children with gender dysphoria, such as the prescription of testosterone to a transgender 12 year-old, violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

 

That’s the Administration’s position in LW v. Skrmetti, a lawsuit filed in a Nashville, Tennessee federal court by the families of three transgender children – a fifteen year-old transgender daughter (who thought he was transgender at age 12), a fifteen year-old transgender son, and a twelve year-old transgender son. They’re challenging a new Tennessee law that “establishes prohibitions related to the performance on minors of certain medical procedures related to gender identity, creates private causes of action for violations, and establishes additional penalties for violations.”

 

The families of these transgender kids allege that the Tennessee law (1) violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause by targeting the transgender; (2) violates the right of parental autonomy guaranteed by the 14th Amendment’s due process clause; and (3) that the law is preempted by the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination “on the basis of sex.”

 

All the children are “currently receiving medical care” that would be prohibited by the recent Tennessee legislation.

 

What is this medical care? The 15 year-old transgender “girl” – born a male – is currently undergoing estrogen hormone therapy so that his body will “undergo feminine pubertal changes.” The 15 year-old transgender “boy” who was born a girl came out as transgender around the 5th grade. She is on testosterone.

 

The 12 year-old transgender “boy” – born a female – was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the second grade, when she then began her transition. This occurred after her mom “contacted a local LGBTQ resource center” who then connected her with a therapist. The young girl’s mom was also a key factor in the biological changes endured by her daughter, having influenced the girl’s decision to start taking puberty blockers.

 

https://technofog.substack.com/p/biden-doj-kids-have-a-constitutional

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 7:10 p.m. No.18769479   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9515 >>9538

Elon Musk Is Quietly Launching An Artificial Intelligence Company: Report

 

Elon Musk is reportedly working to launch an artificial intelligence company even as he publicly voices concern about possible negative effects from the technology.

 

Leading corporations and investors have poured considerable funds into developing AI tools meant for consumer products and business solutions. Musk is presently in talks with Jimmy Ba, an AI researcher at the University of Toronto, about launching a firm called X.AI, three people familiar with the matter said in a report from The New York Times released on Thursday. The entrepreneur has also hired senior researchers from DeepMind, an AI research laboratory owned by Google, to work at Twitter, the social media behemoth he acquired last year.

 

The move comes after Musk canceled a relationship between Twitter and OpenAI, the startup that produced language processing tool ChatGPT, through which the latter paid $2 million each year to license data and build the breakthrough mass market AI. Musk reportedly believed that the company was not paying Twitter enough for the data.

 

Musk is also a co-founder of OpenAI and resigned his seat on the company’s board of directors five years ago. He renewed his concerns regarding the rapid development of AI in recent weeks as ChatGPT and other tools gained footholds in the marketplace, signing an open letter with hundreds of other technology leaders which called for a six-month moratorium on developing AI solutions stronger than GPT-4 as the world considers the effects of the technology.

 

“Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” the letter asserted. “This confidence must be well justified and increase with the magnitude of a system’s potential effects.”

 

Other news outlets have likewise confirmed that Musk has intentions to launch alternative AI initiatives: he recruited Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who formerly worked at DeepMind and OpenAI, to develop an alternative to ChatGPT, which he characterizes as “woke” because of the system’s tendency to offer left-leaning responses, according to a report from The Information.

 

Musk also met with members of Congress on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of regulating AI from the federal level. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who took part in the discussion with Musk, recently unveiled a broad regulatory framework that will attempt to “increase transparency, responsibility, and accountability” for AI systems while “reducing the potential for misuse” or promoting “misinformation and bias.”

 

“That which affects safety of the public has, over time, become regulated to ensure that companies do not cut corners,” the world’s current second-richest man commented after the meeting. “AI has great power to do good and evil. Better the former.”

 

http://www.yourdestinationnow.com/2023/04/elon-musk-is-quietly-launching.html

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 7:13 p.m. No.18769504   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9515 >>9538

Hobbs’ Appointee Judicial Commission Resigns, Accused Of Questionable Conduct

 

An appointee of Governor Katie Hobbs has withdrawn her name just days before her confirmation hearing to the Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments was set to take place. Catherine Sigmon was named to the post by Hobbs roughly four months ago, but resigned her position as part of abandoning her nomination, after “disturbing revelations came to light,” according to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 

According to her LinkedIn profile, Sigmon is the finance manager and co-founder of the controversial anti-school choice group, Save Our Schools in Arizona.

 

The Commission, established by the Arizona Constitution, is tasked with nominating the most highly qualified judge applicants to the Governor for appointment to the Maricopa County Superior Court. The Constitution specifies “merit” should be the Commission’s primary consideration when choosing these applicants.

 

According to Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Anthony Kern, “while members of the Senate Judiciary Committee looked into Ms. Sigmon’s background prior to her confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday, disturbing revelations came to light. Those include her co-founding of “Civic Engagement Beyond Voting,” an organization that routinely attacks conservative Arizona judges through its “Gavel Watch Report” and advocates for their removal, despite recommendations of retention from the Commission on Judicial Performance Review.”

 

“After reviewing the Constitutional requirements for the Commission on Trial Court Appointments, two big factors jump out at me,” said Kern in a press release. “First, the Commission is to be nonpartisan. Second, the Commission’s primary task is to recommend qualified judge candidates to the Governor for appointment. Based on initial vetting of Ms. Sigmon, it’s quite clear she’s an extremist who wants to portray the role of ‘non-partisan.’ Hobbs would have realized this, had she done her own vetting prior to appointing Ms. Sigmon to the Commission. However, as Hobbs has shown, vetting is not at the top of her ‘to-do’ list. As such, we’re thankful that Ms. Sigmon realized she likely would not be a proper fit for the job and resigned. We’re looking forward to Hobbs providing us with a more reasonable appointment.”

 

Kern noted that Sigmon’s “organization has campaigned against judges based on written briefs for religious liberty and free speech cases, as well as their memberships with professional associations, strictly because their views don’t fall in line with the political ideology favored by her organization.”

 

https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2023/04/26/hobbs-appointee-judicial-commission-resigns-accused-of-questionable-conduct/

Anonymous ID: b157f5 April 28, 2023, 7:14 p.m. No.18769512   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9521

Major American Firm Raided By Police In China, Had Phones And Computers Taken

 

Chinese authorities raided the offices of Bain and Company in Shanghai, marking the second such crackdown against an American company with operations in the communist nation.

 

Police questioned employees of the management consulting firm two weeks ago and confiscated a number of computers and phones, according to a Wednesday report from the Financial Times based upon the accounts of six people familiar with the situation. “We can confirm that the Chinese authorities have questioned staff in our Shanghai office. We are co-operating as appropriate with the Chinese authorities,” Bain and Company said in a statement to the outlet. “At this time, we have no further comment.”

 

The raid of Bain and Company offices in Shanghai came weeks after officers detained five staff members from the Beijing offices of American corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group. The company said in a statement made to Reuters that authorities shuttered operations for the business in China, additionally clarifying that the five detailed employees were all Chinese nationals. “Mintz Group has not received any official legal notice regarding a case against the company and has requested that the authorities release its employees,” the company added.

 

Beyond the two incidents, however, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other senior officials have broadly welcomed foreign investments as the nation’s economy recovers from some of the most aggressive government lockdown mandates in the world. Cities such as Shanghai were closed such that many residents were unable to leave their homes for months, policies which further disrupted the worldwide supply chain and prompted some American firms to shift their manufacturing operations toward developing countries such as Vietnam and India.

 

The gross domestic product of China has expanded at an average of 9% since the country opened and reformed its economy more than four decades ago, according to data from the World Bank, enabling more than 800 million residents to escape poverty. The nation’s economy grew 4.5% year-over-year between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, according to data released by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics earlier this month.

 

The raids also occur as tensions between the United States and China heighten over several recent espionage efforts from the rising communist power, including a spy balloon that traversed the continental United States and reports of social media platform TikTok collecting data on American citizens. Other technology firms based in China have provoked concerns among lawmakers and prompted the Biden administration to increase trade restrictions.

 

The White House investigated Chinese telecommunications company Huawei last year over concerns that American cell towers using the company’s devices were transmitting data on military bases and missile silos to Chinese government actors. Worries over espionage have prompted state lawmakers to restrict the capacity of Chinese entities to hold land near military installations: the North Carolina House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill this week to ban the Chinese purchase of land within 25 miles of a military facility.

 

http://www.womensystems.com/2023/04/major-american-firm-raided-by-police-in.html