Dems seek to ban Chinese EVs at border — some call it a ‘fake problem’

The security act targets the sale of connected vehicles, software, and hardware linked to foreign adversaries, including China. The Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act aims to close cross-border loopholes, banning automakers or brands in which a Chinese corporation holds more than 15-per-cent ownership. That could extend beyond new Chinese EVs to earlier models from…

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Canberra Liberals leader Mark Parton takes aim at financial ‘red hole’ after ACT government releases budget

The Canberra Liberals and ACT Greens have delivered their responses to Wednesday’s annual budget unveiled by Treasurer Chris Steel. In their responses, both parties shared parallel acknowledgements and criticisms of the government’s fiscal plan, principally around cost of living, transport and management of the territory’s finances. Liberal leader Mark Parton, in his first budget reply…

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AI deepfake investigation by Ottawa police not trauma-informed, alleged victims say

WARNING: This story contains details of violence and sexual exploitation, including rape. Multiple women who are alleged victims in a deepfake investigation involving their real faces in AI-generated scenes of rape and torture say the Ottawa Police Service is not leading a “trauma-informed” investigation, despite what the force says. “I’d really like to know who…

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Queensland deputy premier says he has no sympathy for ‘juvenile grubs’ in youth detention lockdown

Queensland’s deputy premier says he has no sympathy for “juvenile grubs” in youth detention centres after concerns were raised about their welfare during lockdowns. Jarrod Bleijie suggested it was often the children’s fault they had been placed in lockdown, pointing to reports of frequent attacks against staff. “A lockdown is for the safety of not…

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Former Tasmanian school principal Gary Raymond Sykes faces ‘inevitable’ prison term for child sex abuse

A former school principal is staring down a prison term after robbing a “vulnerable” teenage girl of her innocence, a Tasmanian court has heard. Gary Raymond Sykes, 70, fronted the Supreme Court in Launceston for a sentencing hearing after earlier pleading guilty to one count of persistent sexual abuse of a child. The offending occurred…

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