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West Australian
a day ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Top NATO official says China's rapid nuclear build-up poses a deterrence challenge to the US
One of NATO's top officials says China's rapid nuclear build-up poses a deterrence challenge to the United States amid warnings China and Russia could embroil the West in a two-front war as early as 2027. Pentagon official, Jim Stokes and now the head of NATO's Nuclear Policy, made the comments, speaking exclusively to The Nightly in an interview for the Latika Takes podcast. China has added around 100 new warheads to its stockpile since 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, meaning its nuclear arsenal is the fastest-growing in the world. The Institute said China currently has around 600 nuclear warheads and could potentially have at least as many Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) as either Russia or the USA by the 2030s. China has previously said it had no comment on the Institute's estimates and claimed it does not participate in an arms race. Mr Stokes said one explanation for China's quest to stockpile so many nuclear weapons could be to acquire leverage 'if it ever tries to do anything vis-a-vis Taiwan.' 'That does present a deterrence challenge to the United States and all of its allies in terms of how do you potentially deter conflict in two regions and perhaps simultaneously in the Indo-Pacific region and also the Euro-Atlantic region,' Mr Stokes said. 'A lot of people are talking about what that two-nuclear peer challenge would look like.' Last week, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich warned that the Alliance's 32 members must be ready for the possibility that Russia and China could launch wars in Europe and the Pacific simultaneously, possibly in 2027 — the same year that China's President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan, with force, if necessary. There are nine nuclear-armed countries in the world: the US, UK, France, China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, India and Israel, which does not publicly acknowledge possessing nuclear weapons. Asked specifically what Australia, which is not a member of NATO but a partner country, should do in light of China's nuclear build-up, Mr Stokes recommended deepening engagement with NATO and drawing the United States, Australia's top security ally, closer. 'I would say for Australia, while it's good to have dialogue with other Indo-Pacific nations and European nations and other nations from around the world, talk to the United States, continue to cultivate that bilateral relationship there,' he said. 'And if it's a discussion about nuclear issues, that's the power that you should be talking to. 'Engage with the United States and have an understanding about how it is thinking through nuclear strategy and posture, doctrine and capabilities. 'In much the same way, the US has had a more structured dialogue with Japan and also with South Korea in recent years about nuclear issues. 'It's similar in the way that we have consultation mechanisms within NATO about nuclear issues. 'That's one way non-nuclear states can have a better understanding of these things and also some influence or some input into the decision making of nuclear powers by having those relationships and being able to talk about these things, to be able to have their input into, say, policies or any decisions that may be made, and then also be able to better explain it to their own populations.' He also urged engagement with NATO to show combined political will and come up with ways to 'tackle some of these really hard deterrent and defence challenges that we face.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese skipped NATO this year for the second year in a row, despite being one of only four leaders from the Indo-Pacific invited to the annual leaders' summit. He has taken two international trips since his 94-seat landslide, opting to meet the Pope at the Vatican and last week spending six days in China visiting President Xi Jinping with his fiancée Jodie Haydon, to promote deepening business and tourism ties with Beijing. By contrast, he has not visited the White House or met Donald Trump since his re-election last November and inauguration in January. The opposition's foreign spokeswoman, Senator Michaelia Cash urged the Prime Minister to strengthen, and not diminish, the US Alliance. 'We have known for some time that the world faces myriad strategic challenges,' Senator Cash said. 'Mr Albanese has said we live in the most dangerous strategic circumstances since World War II. 'The Opposition has continually called on Mr Albanese to do two things – lift Australia's spending on defence and focus his international attention on securing the AUKUS alliance. 'At a time of global uncertainty, now is a time to strengthen the US-Australia alliance by building our influence in Washington, not diminishing it.' The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment when asked if Mr Albanese raised China's nuclear build-up with President Xi during last week's marathon trip. Mr Stokes said China remained coy on why it was building such an enormous stockpile in peacetime and that while Beijing claimed to have a 'no first-use' policy of using nuclear weapons, it was to be treated with scepticism. 'That buildup … and the diversity of weapons and the delivery systems and why, what is that really for?' Mr Stokes said. 'They're not going to pull some document off the shelf and say, what did it say, what did Chairman Mao talk about back in the 1960s? 'They tried to use that to promote the fact that their nuclear deterrent is peaceful, but then they're using it to obfuscate the fact that they're also building up. 'Ultimately, I believe that decision-making is made by the Chinese President, and so I don't know that any leader is going to feel beholden to some doctrine that's written somewhere. 'They're going to make decisions perhaps in a crisis situation or even a conflict situation based on the advice that they're given, based on their own beliefs.' He said, unlike Western nuclear powers, the US, UK and France, China had never engaged in bilateral arms control talks, risk reduction measures or hotlines. 'There's a lot more that we could do with China if they had it in their interest, but they've shown they're clearly not willing to do that,' he said. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the Institute for Strategic and International Studies on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that China was projecting its military power further into the region. 'And we have seen the worrying pace of China's nuclear and conventional military buildup without the transparency that the region expects,' Senator Wong said.
7NEWS
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
OnlyFans Annie Knight: Is having sex with 583 men in six hours a public service or a dangerous dopamine trap?
OnlyFans stars are banking more in a week than most Aussies earn each year from performing extreme sexual acts, which they say simultaneously fulfils their wildest 'fantasies'. But experts have revealed the 'alarming race' to become young OnlyFans millionaires by performing increasingly shocking sex stunts for subscribers can have long-term consequences. Even super-successful Australian social media star Annie Knight recently had to 'up the ante' in order to cut through the saturated adult content market. Last month, she slept with 583 men in six hours to make content for her OnlyFans audience. Ms Knight told The Nightly that when she decided to host the Gold Coast gang-bang, she expected about 200 men to show up. Instead, almost 600 Aussie blokes — wearing joggers and gym clothes — lined up around the block for just 30 seconds of intimacy with the glamorous porn star. The tightly-orchestrated event, which a 'grateful' Ms Knight described as 'the best day of my life', tripled her income, which skyrocketed to more than $7 million a year. 'It was such an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun,' she said. 'It was definitely sexually arousing and satisfying. Obviously not every guy made me finish, but six guys did, which I think is pretty good considering they didn't have much time. 'It was my biggest fantasy but also great publicity and marketing. It really was a win win win.' Ms Knight calls these challenges, and her OnlyFans career, 'empowering'. 'I'm doing what I want to do with my body. I choose to do this. I'm going to earn money from it. I'm not being forced into it. I enjoy what I'm doing,' she said. 'It's been a lot of fun stepping into my sexuality and living out all these fantasies. It's my body and my choice, and I'm doing what I love. 'It makes me feel really special that so many people would show up to have an experience with me.' Ms Knight's rage-bait event followed similar stunts by other famous OnlyFans stars. In January, British porn star Bonnie Blue broke a world record when she slept with 1057 men in 12 hours. Last year, Lily Phillips, 23, filmed her 'fantasy' of having sex with 101 men in one day. These women represent a new breed of sex workers achieving fame and financial freedom by selling sexually explicit videos of themselves through OnlyFans. But experts have raised the alarm about the impacts these increasingly extreme challenges have on the performers, young women's perceptions of sex work and men's brains. Relationship counsellor Amanda Lambros said the 'sensational stunts', aimed at maximising attention and profit, are problematic 'in many ways'. 'While they're undeniably headline-grabbing, they also reflect an alarming race to the bottom in pursuit of virality and income,' she said. 'These challenges . . . commodify intimacy, often in ways that desensitise viewers and reduce human connection to a spectacle. 'It also distorts ideas around consent, boundaries and relational sex. 'When women's bodies become battlegrounds for attention economies, we're treading in dehumanising waters.' Ms Lambros — a therapist, author and academic — said these sex challenges formed part of a rapidly shifting sexual landscape in which ever-increasingly extreme sexual acts created an unsustainable 'dopamine trap'. 'What was once shocking becomes standard and creators are forced to escalate in order to stay relevant,' she said. 'That cycle is mentally and physically exhausting, and rarely sustainable. 'It also distorts reality in a major way. When men consume these stunts without context, they may develop unrealistic expectations of women's sexual availability, stamina, and enthusiasm.' And the medical, physical and psychological risks are real. 'Physically, repetitive or extreme sexual activity can lead to injury, infections, and trauma,' the popular PerthNow columnist said. 'Psychologically, the constant need to escalate for attention can feed anxiety, burnout, body dysmorphia, or dissociation. 'Not to mention the pressure of maintaining a hypersexual persona 24/7.' Ms Knight said she was conscious of, and tried to mitigate, the risks. 'If I was filming with 583 porn stars, I would say, yes, there's a large risk involved,' she said. 'But these guys weren't porn stars, so they didn't have huge dicks. 'The only time I really haven't made the guys get an STI test was for the challenge, but they all used condoms, of course. 'Thankfully I've been tested twice since then and everything's all good.' The Gold Coast sex worker also insists that her content is 'educational' and emphasises respect and consent. Ms Lambros said that despite this, the 'Instagram-ification of sex work' was filtered, lucrative-looking, and potentially misleading. 'It promises fast money, autonomy, and fame . . . but without showing the full cost,' she said. 'The top earners present a curated highlight reel. 'What's rarely shown is the emotional toll, safety risks, platform instability, or long-term financial planning.' Psychologist Shannon Webb, from The Banyans Healthcare in Brisbane, said the nature of these sex challenges means the women portrayed are often dehumanised by their viewers. 'Intimacy and sex are complex experiences, and pornography, particularly to this extreme, can desensitise people to what sex and intimacy means for them,' she said. 'As viewers become desensitised over time, there is demand for more extreme styles of porn content (putting) pressure on content creators … to do extreme acts they wouldn't ordinarily entertain.' Ms Webb, who treats clients with porn addiction at the luxury rehab clinic, said that in addition to the intensity of these challenges, OnlyFans creators were exposing themselves to the para-social relationships and the perceived intimacy their subscribers expect from them. 'OnlyFans not only makes pornography easily accessible but creates a personalised experience between creators and viewers, which can exist healthily but can easily be abused, resulting in unhealthy dependence and addiction,' she said. 'OnlyFans also promotes 'live' content viewing, which can encourage a greater sense of perceived intimacy, with followers believing they share a personal connection with their content creators.' Ms Knight admits subscribers expect constant attention and interaction. 'It's like a friendship as we do talk every day,' she said. 'I look at it more as if I'm providing them with company. 'A lot of these people work really high-powered jobs and don't have a lot of time to date, so I'm just kind of giving them that company and girlfriend experience.' Due to her fans' dependence, she cannot afford to disconnect. 'At the end of the day, a lot of the subs want to chat to you . . . and if you don't respond, they can often get quite offended, feel that you've ghosted them or ask 'what am I paying for?'' she said. 'So I think people will unsubscribe (if I take a break) and you're just not making as much money from doing video calls, sexting sessions and stuff like that.' The 28-year-old insists her success is 'definitely worth' the sacrifices but 'is not the easy way out'. 'You have to work really hard,' she said. 'I think you've just got to be 100 per cent sure that you want to do it (long-term) and that it's going to be worth it in the end.' Jenna Love, president of Scarlet Alliance, said the Australian Sex Workers Association supports 'sex workers to be able to work in whatever way best suits them' but cautions that most OnlyFans creators cannot survive on that income alone. 'Most OnlyFans content creators earn well under the poverty line,' she said. 'There are a number of big tech companies involved, taking a cut from OnlyFans creators, but the ability to have that level of flexibility and control over your own work is broadly a positive thing.' As for sex challenges, Ms Love rejects the outrage. 'I think most people are switched on enough to know that it's just a stunt and that is not the standard and not what's expected (from women),' she said. Ms Love said she hosted a 30-man gang bang for her 30th birthday which was work-related but also for her own pleasure. 'It was a bit of a stunt, but it was also something I really wanted to do. Sexually, that really appealed to me,' she said. 'I think what's missing from a lot of that conversation is that some people are into that, and that's OK.' For Ms Knight, there is no turning back, and she is now contemplating 'what to do next'. 'I would like to do, not necessarily a numbers challenge, but maybe a different angle, like single dads or virgins,' she said. 'Giving them the opportunity (to be with me) would be cool.' That almost makes it sound like a form of public service. 'Yes, that's exactly how I see it,' she quipped.
Perth Now
03-07-2025
- Perth Now
Disney Dream cruise accident: Five-year-old girl fell, father jumps after her, authorities clarify rumours
Authorities have dismissed viral social media speculation after a five-year-old fell from a Disney cruise ship. Credit: The Nightly A dramatic rescue unfolded on the Disney Dream cruise ship as it sailed back to Fort Lauderdale from the Bahamas. Passengers watched in shock as crew members launched into action and a lifeboat was deployed into choppy waters. Authorities have now confirmed that a five-year-old girl fell overboard from the ship, sparking the emergency response. According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the child lost her balance while sitting on a railing and fell backward through a porthole. The incident occurred around 11.30am on Sunday, with hundreds of passengers witnessing the chaos. In video footage posted on Facebook by passenger Janice Martin-Asuque, who is believed to have witnessed the incident, a lifeboat can be seen floating in the choppy waters with people sitting inside. Another angle of the rescue has been shared on TikTok, with the user describing the scene as a 'miracle'. After the girl's mother alerted her husband, he jumped into the water to save their daughter. The sheriff confirmed the father did not put his daughter on the railing for a photo, debunking online rumours that had circulated in the days after the accident. 'The girl was sitting on the railing and fell backwards through a porthole, but her father didn't put her there,' Sheriff Gregory Tony said. The Disney crew quickly launched a rescue boat and brought both father and daughter back on board within minutes. 'The Disney crew was well prepared. Clearly, their training and readiness paid off because they executed a successful ocean rescue,' the sheriff's office said. Both the father and daughter were checked by the ship's medical staff and later transported to hospital, with the father reportedly treated for an unspecified injury. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances, but emphasise there is no suspicion of foul play. Detectives have reviewed the ship's security video, which corroborates the family's account and statements from crew. The sheriff's office said personal details of the family are being withheld for privacy reasons, but confirmed they live out of state. Disney Cruise Line commended its staff for their swift actions and highlighted the effectiveness of their safety protocols. Passengers described the rescue as a 'miracle', with one eyewitness saying the mother screamed, 'she's five and can't swim' as the dramatic scene unfolded. Video footage posted to social media shows the moment the rescue boat reached the pair and brought them safely back to the ship.
West Australian
27-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Minister Tim Ayres says job fears shouldn't hold Australia back on Artificial Intelligence, productivity
Australia must embrace the opportunities of artificial intelligence in the job market or risk falling behind in the global race to adopt digital technology, says new Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres. In an exclusive interview with The Nightly, Senator Ayres said that eschewing the advantages of cutting-edge AI in the workplace over job fears would be more detrimental to the employment market overall, urging the country to adapt with the times to boost productivity. Investing in technology was 'not a zero-sum game' for the labour market, he said, calling for a 'big national conversation' between institutions, trade unions, business groups and the research and development sector to set objectives in the country's best interests. In wide-ranging comments, he spruiked his ambition to make Australia a top-shelf destination for data centres and to invest in infrastructure that would shape the nation's digital future rather than leave it 'at the end of someone else's technological supply chain.' He also hinted at a lighter touch approach to regulating rapidly advancing technology while stressing the urgency of finding the right safeguards. Senator Ayres had just moved into his new ministerial office in Parliament House when The Nightly spoke with him, but Toby Walsh's The Shortest History of AI was already one of two books sitting prominently on his desk. It offers a glimpse into the daunting challenges he faces to maximise the benefits of artificial intelligence while protecting the country from its risks. This includes concerns about how to weigh up technological progress with the impact of AI on jobs in manufacturing and other sectors. Senator Ayres, who had a long career as a senior official in the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union before entering parliament, acknowledged the hurdles but underscored the potential for more job creation. 'The only thing that would be more disruptive in terms of employment and job opportunities is stepping back, having economies that pass us by,' he said. 'I'm absolutely seized of the importance of investment and economic growth and good jobs and productivity in terms of leaning into the challenge. 'That's not without risks, and we need to work together in an Australian formulation, working collectively across the economy to make sure we get the best outcome for the country.' Every wave of technological change involved reshaping the labour market, Senator Ayres argued. 'My experience in manufacturing, as automation stepped up, as adoption of digital technology stepped up, is that involved jobs changing, some jobs going and investment in new jobs and capability,' he said. Senator Ayres said he was seeking a 'pragmatic' path between 'artificial intelligence boosters' promoting a utopian approach and 'artificial intelligence doomsayers.' The Minister said he was determined to put the tech sector and investment in new industrial capabilities at the centre of the debate as the Government prepares to host a productivity roundtable on August 19 to 21. The meeting in the Cabinet room will draw together senior politicians with business, union and civil society representatives to find common ground on long-term economic reform. Australia's challenges in tackling sluggish productivity growth were not unique among Western nations, argued Senator Ayres. 'Australia can't afford to step backwards in technological terms, because that will be one of the key drivers of productivity growth over the coming decade,' he said. But beyond the roundtable and ongoing productivity debate, the Senator must also help set the direction for major Government decisions on a national strategy for safety standards for AI and the digital economy, whether through regulation or voluntary codes. Treasurer Jim Chalmers set the tone of the approach earlier this month at a speech at the National Press Club outlining his ministry's priorities for the new term. Dr Chalmers said he would work with Senator Ayres and Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Dr Andrew Charlton to 'capitalise on the huge gains on offer, not just set guardrails'. 'We want to get the best out of new technology and investment in data infrastructure in ways that leverage our strengths, work for our people and best manage impacts on our energy system and natural environment,' Dr Chalmers said. Landing on a risk-based model for regulating AI is unfinished business from Labor's first term, and an issue where the Government is coming under increasing pressure to act and to more clearly define its policy. Senator Ayres' predecessor Ed Husic last term launched a 'mandatory guardrails' consultation to moot an Australian AI Act that would impose minimum standards on high-risk AI models across the economy. Mr Husic backs the proposal of an AI Act to provide certainty about how to mitigate the risks in what he describes as the current 'Swiss cheese landscape' of regulation. But Senator Ayres indicated he was going to take a cautious path, and said he was not yet ready to commit to major policy decisions without further consultation. 'I'm going to work carefully through that set of issues and talk to colleagues before I reach a final view about the right approach on the regulatory front and the legislative front,' he said. As a new Minister, he wanted to evaluate work already underway 'before I shoot my mouth off about where we land on these precise sort of regulatory architecture questions,' he said. He insisted would reach the 'right outcome in short order' to give guidance to industry and the public. 'My instinctive response is leaning into the opportunity. That's the overall setting here, and that's my starting point,' he said. Senator Ayres stressed that no country on Earth believed there should be a completely unregulated approach to artificial intelligence development or adoption and signalled he was assessing the models and approaches of partner economies. But less than two months into the job, the Minister already faces rising calls from industry bodies, experts and civil society groups to better define policies to allow AI to boost innovation, living standards and productivity and also to mitigate the risks. A landmark report by the Business Council of Australia (BCA) released in early June outlined a blueprint to make the nation a global leader in AI by 2028, and called among multiple recommendations for 'clear, practical and risk-based AI regulations that encourage innovation'. The BCA report warned that without immediate action, Australia risked falling behind competitor nations racing ahead in AI capability and adoption. Senator Ayres said he was acting on the 'urgency' of the issues. 'I don't want to set a timeframe but I am absolutely seized of the urgency of it, absolutely engaged with the tech sector and the investment community where there is a very consistent message about the sense of urgency about these questions,' he said. 'I'm absolutely seized as well of aligning this line of effort with the other lines of effort that the Government has on the productivity and investment side.'
Express Tribune
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Bear season four delivers emotional closure and character transformation amid uncertain future
Season four of The Bear may mark the end of the acclaimed FX and Hulu series, though no official decision has been made about a fifth season. If this turns out to be the final chapter, it offers a satisfying conclusion—one that delivers emotional closure while keeping the door open for future storytelling, according to Wenlei Ma of The Nightly. The show, which helped propel Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach to stardom, has notably shifted in tone. Once defined by its high-stress kitchen drama, The Bear now leans into themes of compassion, forgiveness, and personal growth. The chaos hasn't disappeared entirely, but this season is quieter and more introspective. The season focuses on how characters like Carmy, Sydney, and Richie evolve emotionally, becoming more open and vulnerable. While this tonal shift may initially feel like an overcorrection to earlier critiques, Ma argues it is largely justified and feels earned. A standout moment is a 70-minute wedding episode that serves as a serene contrast to season two's chaotic 'Fishes.' Featuring a rich ensemble cast—Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Brie Larson, and John Mulaney among them—it deepens the show's sense of lived-in history and delivers moments of catharsis and reconciliation. Carmy, now more introspective, must contend with a mixed critical review and a looming countdown clock that signals the restaurant's fragile financial future. The emotional and business stakes remain intertwined, as Carmy begins to question his once all-consuming passion for fine dining. While supporting characters like Tina and Marcus have more limited arcs this season, the show broadens its focus to explore the collective growth of its ensemble. As Ma notes, The Bear was always about the people—the messy, passionate journey of 'getting there' together. Season four of The Bear is now streaming on Disney+.
