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9 News
a day ago
- 9 News
Perth couple's dream holiday ruined over US immigration debacle
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Exclusive: An Australian couple were forced to cancel an expensive cruise and now face the prospect of being banned from the US after a bizarre immigration error. Perth retirees Wayne and Carol Burley, aged in their 70s, were at the start of a cruise holiday around Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, the US, Canada and Mexico when their ship pulled into Hawaii in April this year. US Immigration officers then boarded the vessel and performed the usual visa checks on passengers. The couple couldn't have imagined the strange reason their dream holiday would be derailed. Wayne and Carol boarded their cruise ship in Sydney and made it to Hawaii before disaster struck, (Supplied) The Burleys had completed their Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTAs) like many times before and assumed they'd be let into the US without a hitch. "They looked at our ESTAs and took our passports and one of them said, 'Come with us'," Wayne told . "We were told to sit down and a senior officer started asking us questions." Wayne said he and Carol's names and passports had been flagged in the system for having breached the conditions of their previous ESTA. "He said, 'You have overstayed in the USA by more than 1000 days'," Wayne said. The couple were astonished. The last time they'd visited the US was nearly nine years ago in 2016. "He said their records showed we never left America," Wayne said, despite the fact the couple boarded the ship in Sydney. Wayne said the immigration officer all but shrugged and admitted that "sometimes our systems don't match up". The apparent administration error meant their ESTAs were promptly cancelled and US Immigration needed the Burleys to apply for a B2 visitor visa. The last time the Burleys had visited the US was nearly nine years ago in 2016. (Supplied) The fees for this were waived and the couple could continue on the first leg of their cruise. But a condition of this visa came with a huge snag – the officer confirmed they could not leave and re-enter the US. "We were told if we tried to do that, we'd be detained," Wayne explained. It meant their next cruise, which was from Los Angeles to Panama, had to be cancelled, leaving them out of pocket by more than $12,000. He said the immigration officer also warned it was unlikely they'd ever be let back into the US again. The Burleys then cancelled their second cruise with Princess Cruises, booked a hotel in Los Angeles once they reached that port and reluctantly headed back home. They were refunded their port fees and lodged a claim with their insurance agent 1Cover. After an initial denial and some back and forth, Wayne said he received a call from 1Cover saying their claim would be honoured. But the avid travellers are now left wondering if they'll be deported – or worse – if they try to holiday in the US again. Wayne said he and his wife are scared of travelling back to America in fear of being treated like a criminal. Wayne and Carol's enjoyed a cruise around Australia and New Zealand before the ship arrived in the US. (Supplied) Melbourne-based immigration lawyer Sherwin Noorian told this issue sometimes impacts non-US citizens attempting to enter the US after a previous trip. "The US does not have outbound passport control like Australia does for international departures," Noorian said. "At the airport, there are no gates where one must scan their passport before travelling abroad the way Australian airports do." "Customs and Border Protection relies on various data sources such as flight manifests to record departures from the US. "At times, they fail to record departures for foreign nationals and this may result in an 'overstay' being recorded for the traveller that is not accurate." For now, Wayne and Carol are trying to solve their potential travel ban by requesting a record of their travel in and out of Australia from the Department of Home Affairs, but they have not yet heard back. has contacted the US Customs and Border Protection for comment. Exclusive immigration USA Travel cruise Australia Perth Western Australia Hawaii CONTACT US
9 News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Ghost of Yotei developers detail new features of the game
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan dead at 71 I feel it's been the right amount of time between games, with the passionate fans of Ghost of Tsushima more than ready to dive back into this immersive world. But how do you carry it forward? How do you create something new? Ghost of Tsushima was such an epic stand-alone title. So Ghost of Yotei has a big task ahead. Ghost of Yotei is releasing on October 2. (PlayStation) As I sat down with Sucker Punch Productions Jason Connell and Nate Fox, it was the first question I asked. How do we carry this game forward for a true, epic sequel? "We asked almost the exact same questions of ourselves," Connell told "That's the magic judo of making video games. And, for us, it was making sure we carry forward that like lethal precision in the combat, that samurai cinema film inspired sort of vibe, you know. "Respecting the quiet moments, but making sure there's sort of a visceral feeling to all with an awesome story pulling it together," he said. Players will wield deadly weapons as Atsu. (PlayStation) Ghost of Yotei follows the journey of Atsu, a wandering samurai hellbent on vengeance. Set 329 years after the first game, the team at Sucker Punch Productions is pushing open-world exploration to the next level, granting players "unparalleled freedom to discover Ezo". The game heavily leans into its cinematic inspirations, introducing new "director modes" for players. Beyond the returning Akira Kurosawa mode, which celebrates earlier samurai films, two new modes expand the experience, including one that gets players up close and personal with enemies. The setting incorporates "Wild West film tropes" with classic samurai movie influences, creating a unique blend that evokes a sense of being on the "edge of, the sort of the civilised world where anything could happen", Connell said. The game features a large and expansive open world set in Ezo, Japan. (PlayStation) Sucker Punch emphasised their collaborative approach with advisors, building upon the "epic training wheels called Tsushima". These advisors help ensure authenticity and accuracy. "Advisors really help us understand everything from our writing style to our historical, and like, geographical locations that we want to depict… Each of them understand we're making a piece of entertainment," Connell said. Connell and Fox stressed that their goal is not a "stone for stone sort of recreation", but rather to "capture the feeling of a place with enough authenticity and accuracy that really transports people". Ghost of Yotei is coming to PlayStation 5 on October 2. More from our interview with Jason Connell and Nate Fox in the player above. Tech Technology PlayStation Playstation 5 Video Games CONTACT US
9 News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- 9 News
The Aussie drone technology helping make some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Watching Tom Cruise drive off a cliff is a stunt etched in Hollywood history. It was real, it took months of training, and it was filmed by Melbourne's XM2. "We make the impossible possible," quipped chief executive Stephen Oh from the company's headquarters, hidden in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. XM2 co-founders Stephen Oh, Aidan Kelly and Luke Annells met flying hobby helicopters. (Nine) He was controlling the camera that tracked Cruise off the cliff. "The environment was very difficult - the pressure was immense," Oh said. "It was millions and millions of dollars for a 20-something-second clip and there was a chance that we could only do that once." They ended up filming it six times. XM2 o-founder Aidan Kelly was piloting the drone itself. "We took quite a while to build up to that shot," admits Kelly, who trained with Cruise at a quarry in the UK before attempting the stunt in Norway. "As Tom got more comfortable with the drone and as I got more comfortable with what Tom was doing, there was this iteration as we rehearsed and figured out the exact angels and speed we wanted to do it at. "It just came together slowly into this one shot which is one of the biggest stunts in film history. "It was awesome to be a part of it." When visited XM2, Kelly was gearing up to film the next Spider-Man film. It adds to the company's growing resume of blockbusters, including Jurassic World , John Wick and The Fall Guys , which shut down Sydney Harbour Bridge for a full day. "I was in the back of a ute controlling the drone, flying at 60-70km/h, weaving through traffic," Kelly said. "We were weaving through traffic, weaving left and right … we flew up inside the bridge and then back down the other side. It was super intense." "It's one of the highlights of my career." Oh and Kelly and their co-founder Luke Annells met flying hobby helicopters. They started XM2 in 2011 to build a drone that could carry a 25 kilogram camera. They quickly found work with David Attenborough and on Kate Winslet's The Dress Maker , but it wasn't enough when the director of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 came knocking. "He said we want something bigger and better and I said that's not possible," Oh said. "[For the camera he wanted], that drone will need to carry about 40 kilos and he said, well, if you can't fly it, don't worry about it. "We put our heads together and developed exactly what he wanted very quickly, the world's first 40-kilo drone. "It was supposed to be for three weeks, but they loved it so much that we ended up staying for six months." XM2 quickly found work with David Attenborough and on Kate Winslet's The Dress Maker, but it wasn't enough when the director of Pirates of the Caribbean 5 came knocking. (Nine) Since then, the company has expanded to Los Angeles and London, and designed stability rigs for everything from cars to motorbikes and even horses for the Michelle Payne movie, Ride Like a Girl . That technology caught the eye of Ridley Scott and drew support from the Victorian government's creative industries minister, Colin Brooks. "Full credit to this company, they are so innovative and so agile," Brooks said. "It doesn't seem like there's a challenge that they won't take on." Soon that challenge will extend well beyond Hollywood. The company is developing tethered drones that can fly for weeks to restore network signals in areas devastated by natural disasters. XM2 is also working on a prototype that can feed native animals, stranded without food, for Parks Victoria. Oh believes "this is Melbourne technology, that's going to save lives around the world". Melbourne Australia national Victoria Hollywood Movies drones CONTACT US Auto news: Why Australians are still driving around without insurance.
The Age
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Sucker Punch pulls back the curtain on Ghost of Yotei's 'Darker, More Emotional' journey
Sucker Punch Productions' Jason Connell and Nate Fox sit down with to speak all about Ghost of Yotei ahead of it's release on October 2.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sucker Punch pulls back the curtain on Ghost of Yotei's 'Darker, More Emotional' journey
Sucker Punch Productions' Jason Connell and Nate Fox sit down with to speak all about Ghost of Yotei ahead of it's release on October 2.
