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It’s one of the biggest security operations in America: Protecting thousands of world leaders and their entourages at the annual high level United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

What is most impressive is seeing a huge wall of monitors in both. It was clear there are cameras everywhere – some well-hidden, scattered all over the UN grounds aimed at doors, the garage, UN hallways, and driveways. There are 1400 cameras in total, UN officials said.

High shots from cameras looking at nearby corners outside the UN are always on. The UN security officials said its impossible to monitor all 1400 cameras at the same time but there are personnel checking out the scene.

If a visitor – or more nefarious character – runs into problems using their credential to enter the complex, an alarm will sound in the security control rooms, with an automated voice warning that the individual has been “Rejected! Rejected! Rejected!”

Remind me to fix my tie when I am walking through the UN grounds.

It’s a team effort between the UN, New York Police Department, Secret Service and diplomatic security. They’ve got a lot of people to watch over – over 22,000 delegates were counted during this year’s UNGA attendees (pronounced like hunger).

Because its an annual event, security keeps a file. UN security says they learn a little bit each year.

“Knock on wood; we have never had a security incident related to heads of state here. We have pulled out all the stops,”, said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on the eve of this year’s global gathering.

New York police and diplomatic security are tasked with rushing long and short motorcades from hotels across Manhattan to the UN and back. And yes, that means traffic backups. More than ever, this year world leaders have spread across the city, from ringing in the New York Stock Exchange to meeting their constituents who live in in the US.

While the United Nations may be increasingly the target of criticism and forum for  “poisonous” barbs traded between ambassadors, handling unwanted attention and security threats has always been part of the job for staffers here.

Last year on New Years Day,  a woman having a “psychiatric episode” drove her vehicle up to the UN’s main entrance for cars and refused to leave. In 2002, a postal worker jumped the perimeter fence, tossed leaflets in the air, and fired shots at the soaring Secretariat building, hitting several floors. (The fence has been built higher now.)

UN security officials say their priority is providing a secure environment. So far so good.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Dame Judi Dench, John Cena and Awkwafina will all voice Meta AI – the artificial intelligence being rolled out by Instagram and Facebook owner Meta.

As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI – the company’s ChatGPT-like chatbot – by speaking and getting responses from the celebrities.

Frozen’s Kristen Bell and comedian Keegan-Michael Key will also be options.

During Meta’s annual Connect conference, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a set of smart glasses he described as “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen”.

As well as Orion, he showed off the updates to a pair of smart glasses Meta has developed with Ray-Ban, which will now be able to do live translation.

While wearing them, Mr Zuckerberg spoke in English to Mexican martial artist Brandon Moreno replying in Spanish – the conversation was translated in real time.

People can also dub their videos in another language so that it looks like they are speaking natively – even going so far as changing the movement of their lips to match.

“We are trying to build a future that is more open, more accessible, more natural, and more about human connection,” Mr Zuckerberg said.

“This is the continuation of the values and ideas that we have brought to the apps and technology that we have built over Meta’s first 20 years.”

An AI update aimed at influencers allows them to craft AI versions of themselves so they can interact with fans.

Read more from Sky News:
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Meta AI now has 500 million users, the company said.

Jeremy Goldman, of the research firm Emarketer, called the number “jaw-dropping”.

“Meta has transformed from just a social media company into an AI powerhouse,” he said.

“Mr Zuckerberg’s move to celebrity voices is not just for fun – it’s a direct challenge to OpenAI, with an emphasis on real-world utility.

“Meta is aggressively undercutting Apple’s Vision Pro to dominate the middle-tier AR/VR market.”

Those VR goggles, which came out earlier this year after much anticipation, cost $3,500 (£2,600).

This post appeared first on sky.com

Train passengers at some of the country’s biggest rail stations have been hit by a “cyber security incident” which saw them exposed to Islamophobic messages.

Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street and 11 stations in London were affected by the cyber attack on Wednesday.

Passengers trying to log on to public wifi at the Network Railway-managed stations were targeted with the Islamophobic message.

The message sent out in place of the wifi login page, which has been seen by Sky News, contained a passage referring to a UK terror attack.

Network Rail has suspended wifi services at stations across the country following the incident.

The only Network Rail-managed station not affected was London’s St Pancras.

A Network Rail spokesperson, said: “Last night the public wifi at 19 of Network Rail’s managed stations was subjected to a cyber security incident and was quickly taken off-line.

“The incident is subject to a full investigation. The wifi is provided by a third party, is self-contained and is a simple ‘click & connect’ service that doesn’t collect any personal data.

“Once our final security checks have been completed, we anticipate the service will be restored by the weekend.”

A British Transport police spokesperson said: “We received reports at around 5.03pm yesterday (Wednesday) of a cyber attack displaying Islamophobic messaging on some Network Rail Wi-Fi services.

“We are working alongside Network Rail to investigate the incident at pace.”

This post appeared first on sky.com

Elon Musk has lashed out at the UK after reports he had been snubbed by a government investment summit. 

The tech billionaire hasn’t been invited to the summit next month after his posts on his X platform regarding the violent riots in the UK last month, according to a BBC report.

In response, he made the inaccurate claim that the government was releasing convicted paedophiles to allow for the imprisonment of people over social media posts.

“I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted paedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts,” Mr Musk said on X, in response to a post on the report.

His comments appear to be a reference to the government’s early release scheme, which saw more than 1,700 prisoners released early this month.

It was an effort by the prime minister to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

Those serving sentences for sex offences were not included in the scheme.

During the riots that shook the UK in August, Mr Musk, who has nearly 200 million followers on X, sent a series of posts on X, including one saying civil war was “inevitable”.

He was quickly criticised by the government and others. Sir Keir Starmer’s team said at the time there was “no justification” for such comments.

Read more from Sky News:
Train passengers receive Islamophobic messages after cyber attack
Musk denies ‘romantic relationship’ with Italian PM Meloni
‘We’re already at war’, Lebanese minister says

More than 1,000 arrests have been made in relation to the riots, and some people have been jailed for stirring up racial hatred on social media.

The investment summit next month is designed to attract investors to the UK economy and will see leaders from global tech and financial groups attend.

Mr Musk was last publicly seen in London in November 2023, when he attended the AI Safety Summit before being interviewed by then-Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury did not respond to requests for comment on either the BBC report or Musk’s response.

This post appeared first on sky.com

The Federal Communications Commission expedited a decision to allow Democrat megadonor George Soros to obtain a major stake in more than 200 radio stations—a move the House Oversight Committee is investigating amid concerns of ‘politicization’ and interference in the 2024 presidential election. 

The FCC seemingly approved a deal that would approve left-wing billionaire George Soros’ acquisition of more than 200 Audacy radio stations across America, irking a Republican commissioner who ‘objected.’

The New York Post first reported that the FCC last week ‘adopted an order to approve Soros’ purchase of more than 200 radio stations in 40 markets just weeks before the presidential election,’ potentially allowing the far-left kingmaker to reach more than 165 million Americans at a critical time.  

According to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., the FCC expedited a required review of broadcast licenses by bypassing its standard procedures and processes. 

Comer and Langworthy penned a letter to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel requesting documents and communications to understand the FCC’s actions. 

Audacy Inc. owns more than 200 radio stations. Soros is attempting to purchase $415 million in debt in a chapter 11 reorganization of the company. 

Comer and Langworthy warned that Soros is a financier of organizations ‘advocating for speech restriction and censorship of conservatives online.’ 

‘He will ultimately become a ‘major’ shareholder when the bankruptcy deal concludes,’ they wrote. 

But Comer and Langworthy warned that Soros has ‘sought to consolidate control over the airwaves.’ 

‘For example, Soros Fund Management is investing in podcast platforms and purchasing radio stations in major media markets, which has ramifications for what Americans hear and influences political dialogue in this country,’ they wrote. ‘Indeed, 31 percent of all media consumption in the United States consists of audio, even more than television consumption at 24 percent.’ 

Comer and Langworthy said that the Audacy Inc. deal would lead to the company being partially ‘directly or indirectly controlled’ by ‘foreign individuals or entities holding more than one-fourth of the capital stock.’ 

The deal would require FCC approval to determine whether ‘the public interest will be served by the refusal or revocation of such license.’ 

‘In carrying out this statutory mandate under the Communications Act, FCC has years-long established processes and procedures for adjudicating broadcast licenses in such situations, most recently updated in 2016,’ they wrote. 

The lawmakers reminded that during a hearing before their committee, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr noted FCC rules pertaining to foreign ownership of radio stations, and how the FCC, in this case, ‘is not following its normal process for reviewing a transaction.’

‘Commissioner Carr further noted that ‘the full commission itself has never signed off on a shortcut like this. What we usually do is we require people to file a petition with us. We bring in national security agencies, they can review the foreign ownership… Here, they’re trying to do something that’s never been done before at the commission level,’’ they wrote, adding that Carr ‘noted that the national security review could take ‘3 to 4 to 5 to 6 months’ saying further that ‘[i]t looks like we got the cart before the horse this time.’’

Comer and Langworthy said that ‘despite the unprecedented nature of this action, the FCC majority has apparently decided to approve licenses on an accelerated timeframe for a company in which George Soros has a major ownership stake, and with stations in 40 media markets reaching ‘more than 165 million Americans.’’ 

‘By all appearances, the FCC majority isn’t just expediting, but is bypassing an established process to do a favor for George Soros and facilitate his influence over hundreds of radio stations before the November election,’ they wrote. 

Comer and Langworthy are demanding records between Jan. 7, 2024 and the present, and giving the FCC a deadline of Oct. 3. 

A Soros spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

An FCC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it received the letter from Comer and ‘will respond as we regularly do.’

As for the Audacy transaction, the FCC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Audacy ‘application before the Commission pertains to a transfer from Audacy in bankruptcy, to Audacy post-bankruptcy.’ 

‘No decision is final until the Commission releases it, which we have not,’ the spokesperson stressed. ‘Commission-level releases are made available on the main page of the Commission’s website. On a more general note, the Commission has a long-standing process for reviewing transactions that involve emergence from bankruptcy.’

According to officials, the licenses in question would not be transferred to Soros, but rather a transfer from Audacy as a debtor-in-possession to New Audacy. Soros would be a ‘major shareholder’ but ‘he would not be the owner.’ 

Some inside the FCC object to the notion the move was some sort of shortcut or ‘fast-tracked’ for Soros, pointing to a similar process used to under the previous administration in the bankruptcy proceedings of Cumulus Media in 2018, iHeart Media in 2019, Liberman Television in 2019, Fusion Connect in 2019, Windstream Holdings in 2020, America-CV Station Group in 2021, and Alpha Media in 2021. 

Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Three more Republicans are crossing the aisle to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House.

Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, R-Kan., former Kansas state senator and Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger and Deanell Reece Tacha, a retired federal judge, condemned the current state of the GOP in a statement shared with Fox News Digital Thursday.

‘This election presents a stark choice that is not easy for any of us. The Republican Party of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bob Dole, Frank Carlson, Jan Meyers, and generations of Kansas leaders does not exist within the current Republican Party,’ the former officials wrote.

‘But, it requires Republicans speaking out and putting country over party when those values are at stake.’

They added that the race between Harris and former President Trump presented a ‘stark choice,’ but not an easy one.

‘No candidate is perfect, and we do not pretend that we subscribe to all the policy positions taken either by the national parties or any individual candidates,’ they wrote.

‘However, we fervently believe that we must do our part to try to build a brighter future, which is why we will be voting for Kamala Harris and [Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] in this election. We believe they most closely align with the aspirations of Kansans and reflect our rich history of working together ‘to the stars through difficulty.’’

All three have backed Democrats in recent elections, however.

Kassebaum, who now goes by Nancy Kassebaum Baker, served in the U.S. Senate from December 1978 through January 1997. 

She was the first woman elected to represent Kansas in the chamber, and her career included a stint as chair of the Senate Labor Committee.

Tacha was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit by former President Reagan in 1985 and served as chief judge from 2001 until 2008.

Praeger served as the Kansas Insurance commissioner from 2003 to 2015.

Harris’ campaign has made a point of courting Republicans in a bid to widen her appeal and cast Trump as an extreme and polarizing choice.

A majority of Republicans, particularly those still in elected office, do support Trump.  

The vice president has scored support from several notable GOP figures, however. Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Trump administration aides Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye have all publicly stated support for Harris.

Troye is one of several people who headlined a Republicans for Harris event Thursday alongside former representatives Barbara Comstock, R-Va., and Denver Riggleman, R-Va.

A new Marist College poll found Harris and Trump neck and neck in three critical states.

The two candidates are tied at 49% among likely voters in North Carolina, while Trump slightly edges Harris in Georgia and Arizona 50% to 49% in both states.

Those statewide polls were conducted Sept. 19-24.

Asked for comment on the Kansas Republicans’ endorsement, the Harris campaign sent Fox News Digital a broader statement on the Republicans for Harris initiative.

‘The Vice President is bringing together voters from across the political spectrum by running a campaign about freedom, democracy and opportunity,’ said Austin Weatherford, National Republican Outreach Director.

‘Our Republicans for Harris program is taking that unifying, inspiring message to anti-Trump Republicans, moderates and independents. While we’re seeing a surge in support, we aren’t taking anyone for granted.’

The Trump campaign said of the Harris endorsement, ‘Nobody knows who these people are, and nobody cares.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Ask House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer about Gov. Tim Walz, a fellow Minnesotan and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, and the five-term Republican congressman jokingly takes a shot.

‘I didn’t realize that Tim Walz and I are around the same age. He looks so much older,’ the 63-year-old Emmer said about the 60-year-old Walz.

Emmer was answering a question during a Fox News Digital interview about whether Emmer was playing the role of the Minnesota governor in debate prep with GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance of Ohio because they’re both from the same state and similar ages.

Emmer, a one-time college hockey player and attorney who serves as the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, shared that he and Vance had not yet [as of Thursday afternoon when he spoke to Fox News Digital] conducted a mock debate.

‘We’re going to get together at some point,’ he said, declining to add any details or specifics on the mock session with Vance ahead of Tuesday’s vice presidential debate in New York City.

But Emmer, who steered the House Republicans’ campaign committee in the 2020 and 2022 cycles, had plenty of criticism of Harris and Walz.

‘It’s an honor to be asked to play a very small part in helping JD and President Trump expose the failures of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.’

Emmer argued ‘the hardest part of playing Walz … is trying to tell lies with a straight face, because that’s what he does. He’s good at the debate game, but there isn’t substance there. There’s a lot of air.’

Emmer and Walz overlapped for four years in the House before Walz won election in 2018 as Minnesota’s governor.

‘I do know him probably as well or better than most on the Republican side. And I can tell you that Minnesotans, people at home, know better than anyone that we can’t afford four years of a Harris-Walz administration in the White House,’ Emmer emphasized.

And Emmer claimed ‘it’s very clear today that the Tim Walz that was here in Congress was literally, he was a fraud. He was playing the character of a Greater Minnesota ag-friendly outdoorsman who really cared about the people. Since then, he’s made it very clear to people in Greater Minnesota that he has very little interest in them.

‘It doesn’t get reported enough, but under Walz, Minnesota’s taxes have skyrocketed. Violent crime is up all over, and our communities are worse off,’ Emmer argued. ‘No amount of Minnesota nice … is going to make up for Tim Walz’s failed policy record.’

Emmer claimed that ‘Walz is an empty suit who has worked to turn Minnesota into Harris’ home state of California. … This guy is Gavin Newsom wearing a flannel shirt.’

A Republican hasn’t carried Minnesota in a presidential election since President Richard Nixon’s 1972 landslide re-election over a half century ago. It was the only state President Reagan lost in his 1984 re-election landslide.

Asked if Minnesota is in play in the presidential race, Emmer said, ‘Are we going to be close enough that Donald Trump has a chance to be the first Republican presidential candidate to win Minnesota since 1972? I think the answer is yes.’

Emmer noted that polls suggest Harris’ margin in Minnesota over Trump has dropped since she named Walz as her running mate early last month.

‘He’s not popular in Minnesota. I think by picking Tim Walz, they may have put Minnesota in play,’ Emmer argued.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A watchdog group is suing the Department of Defense (DOD) after it failed to hand over demographics data on who is receiving promotions in the military.

The group, which says it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in March that has gone ignored, is looking for breakdowns by race and gender of military promotions and nominations over the past five years, suspecting that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices might be at play.

They’ve also asked for all communications related to these practices between key DOD officials. 

The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) seeks to analyze whether DEI practices are being implemented transparently and without compromising merit. 

The group said the DOD acknowledged receipt of the FOIA but has not communicated whether it plans to hand over any documents or give a reason for withholding them. 

‘The increased role diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have played in the military is concerning to many Americans. The American people believe that promotions in the military should be based on merit,’ said CASA Director James Fitzpatrick. 

‘Responsive records from this request will show the demographic breakdown of military promotions over the last five years. We know that the DOD has this information readily available and [we] are curious why they are so reluctant to share it with us, which the law requires. This lawsuit will force them to.’

After suing the Air Force to comply with a separate FOIA request, the group obtained slides from Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) recruitment standards last week. One slide, labeled ‘AFROTC White,’ had a graph that showed the percentage of White AFROTC applicants declining from 60% in 2019 to a projected 50% in fiscal 2023. The graph detailed the Air Force’s goal of reducing that percentage down to 43% by fiscal 2029.

The slide deck also included funding requests for diversity recruiting initiatives, including $500,000 for ‘diversity advertising campaigns’ and $250,000 for ‘influencer engagements.’

Recruitment issues in recent years across the military branches have led to the smallest U.S. fighting force since before World War II. The Navy is expected to miss its recruiting goals in 2024, and the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force are expected to meet theirs after the latter two missed theirs in 2022 and 2023.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the coffee chain is committed to bargaining in good faith with the union that represents many of its baristas, as the two sides work to craft a labor deal.

“I deeply respect the right of partners to choose, through a fair and democratic process, to be represented by a union,” Niccol wrote on Tuesday in a letter to the union obtained by CNBC. “If our partners choose to be represented, I am committed to making sure we engage constructively and in good faith with the union and the partners it represents.”

He was responding to a letter from the Starbucks Workers United bargaining delegation sent a day earlier, ahead of another bargaining session between Starbucks and the union. The two sides are negotiating a framework that would be the basis for collective bargaining agreements between individual stores and the company. The union is pushing for fair scheduling, a living wage, and racial and gender equity, the delegation said in its letter.

“We know that many of your dedicated customers — as well as future generations of customers — have a vested interest in the outcome of our negotiations and reaching a foundational agreement,” the group wrote in its letter to Niccol.

Three years ago, Starbucks baristas started unionizing under Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. For two and a half years, the coffee giant tried to curb the union push, leading to battles that played out in headlines, social media and courts.

But the turning point for both parties came six months ago when they agreed to work together on a path forward after mediation to resolve lawsuits sparked by the union’s posts on social media.

Niccol joined Starbucks several weeks ago, making him a newcomer to the union discussions. In his previous role as CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, only one location, in Lansing, Michigan, successfully unionized. Last year, the burrito chain agreed to pay former employees of an Augusta, Maine, location $240,000 as part of a settlement for closing the restaurant when workers tried to unionize. Chipotle denied any wrongdoing.

Today, Workers United represents more than 490 of Starbucks’ U.S. cafes and more than 10,500 of its employees. The company has more than 16,700 locations in the U.S., more than half of which are owned by the company.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

A surge in demand for artificial intelligence-focused semiconductors and AI-enabled smartphones and laptops could lead to the next global chip shortage, according to a report released Wednesday by consultancy Bain & Co.

The last major semiconductor shortage happened during the Covid-19 pandemic amid supply chain disruption and a rise in demand for consumer electronics as people were forced to stay and work at home.

Technology giants have been snapping up graphics processing units, or GPUs, mainly from Nvidia. These GPUs which are housed in data centers are critical for the training of huge AI models which underpin applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, companies like Qualcomm are designing chips that go into smartphones and personal computers and allow those devices to run AI applications locally rather than via an internet connection in the cloud. These are often referred to as AI-enabled devices and companies from Samsung to Microsoft have released such products.

Bain said demand for GPUs and AI consumer electronics could be the cause of a chip shortage.

“Surging demand for graphics processing units (GPUs) has caused shortages in specific elements of the semiconductor value chain,” Anne Hoecker, head of the technology practice in the Americas at Bain, told CNBC by email.

“If we combine the growth in demand for GPUs alongside a wave of AI-enabled devices, which could accelerate PC product refresh cycles, there could be more widespread constraints on semiconductor supply.”

However, it’s unclear at this point how much demand such AI-enabled gadgets will have, given what appears to be a cautious approach to them from consumers so far.

Bain noted that the semiconductor supply chain is “incredibly complex, and a demand increase of about 20% or more has a high likelihood of upsetting the equilibrium and causing a chip shortage.”

“The AI explosion across the confluence of the large end markets could easily surpass that threshold, creating vulnerable chokepoints throughout the supply chain,” the report added.

The semiconductor supply chain is spread across multiple companies. For example, while Nvidia might design its GPUs, they are made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, in Taiwan. TSMC relies on chipmaking tools from countries around the world, such as the Netherlands. Furthermore, the most cutting-edge chips can only be made at a large scale by TSMC and Samsung Electronics.

Geopolitics could also be a factor prompting a chip shortage. Semiconductors are seen by governments around the world as strategic technology. The U.S. has been on a campaign, via export restrictions and other sanctions, of trying to restrict China’s access to the most advanced chips. Meanwhile, Washington has sought to shore up its own domestic capacity to produce semiconductors.

“Geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, and multinational tech companies’ decoupling of their supply chains from China continue to pose serious risks to semiconductor supply. Delays in factory construction, materials shortages, and other unpredictable factors could also create pinch points,” Bain said.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS