Latest news with #Bonfire
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Anger after effigy of migrants in boat set on fire in Northern Ireland bonfire
A loyalist Bonfire in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, was lit, featuring a controversial effigy of migrants in a boat and an Irish tricolour flag. The display included more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets, alongside placards stating 'stop the boats' and 'veterans before refugees'. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed they are investigating the pyre as a hate incident. The contentious display drew widespread criticism from political representatives and human rights organisations, with one archbishop describing it as 'racist, threatening and offensive'. A prominent loyalist activist defended the Bonfire as a form of 'artistic protest' against 'mass illegal immigration', while the Moygashel Bonfire has a history of controversial displays.
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Bonfire effigy of migrant vessel widely condemned in Northern Ireland
Bonfire effigy of migrant vessel widely condemned in Northern Ireland NewsFeed Plans to burn an effigy of migrants in a boat as part of Twelfth of July celebrations has been widely condemned as racist and threatening by politicians and public figures in Northern Ireland. Video Duration 02 minutes 38 seconds 02:38 Video Duration 01 minutes 01 seconds 01:01 Video Duration 02 minutes 55 seconds 02:55 Video Duration 00 minutes 21 seconds 00:21 Video Duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05 Video Duration 01 minutes 03 seconds 01:03 Video Duration 01 minutes 31 seconds 01:31
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Man's Way of Telling Deaf Rescue It's Time for Walk Leaves Viewers in Tears
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Trying to communicate with a deaf dog can have its challenges, but one couple have found a way by teaching their rescue pup his own version of sign language. Skye and Daniel Tibbetts rescued Bruno in 2022, after a charity transported him from a shelter in Spain to the U.K. While there's no way of knowing what he previously endured, Skye, 27, tells Newsweek that his "life was at risk" in the shelter. His owners can't be sure if he was born deaf or if it developed by the time they adopted him at 18 months old. Although Skye explained that he had "a pretty nasty ear infection" when they picked him up, which makes her wonder if that was related. "We've tried clapping, whistling, and even speaking Spanish to see if he can hear anything—no luck yet," Skye said. "This makes it easier on Bonfire night, though, because he doesn't react to any of the noises." Daniel Tibbetts with his deaf dog Bruno, showing him the signal for 'walk'. Daniel Tibbetts with his deaf dog Bruno, showing him the signal for 'walk'. @brunothedogface / TikTok In the years since adopting Bruno, Skye and Daniel have had to get creative with how they communicate. Indeed, they've even managed to teach Bruno their very own sign language to alert him when it's time for a walk, to give paw, and another one for stay. Some of the hand signals work better than others, but the one for "walk" never seems to fail. "We've got quite a few signals, including stay, roll over, paw shake, twist, and he'll even do a dramatic drop for one sign which is absolutely adorable. Bruno's quite a clever boy when he wants to be," Skye said. "Walkies works every time, but other signs can be treat-dependent. He's good at looking away to ignore you if he doesn't want to do something. We let Bruno know we're going for a walk by putting a hand out and walking our fingers over the palm." Both of Daniel's parents are deaf, so Skye says this version of sign language for Bruno came naturally to him. They felt that it "just made sense" to teach Bruno, and it was remarkable how quickly he picked it up. For the most part, Bruno doesn't let being deaf hold him back. There are adjustments that his owners have to make of course, but he's just like any other good boy. Skye continued: "The only thing it really impacts is his ability to go off the lead because we obviously can't call him back. If we're on a walk, he can get distracted and just keep walking. He sticks with us around the house, so we don't have to worry about opening the front door or things like that." A video showing how the owners communicate with hand signals was shared on Bruno's dedicated TikTok account (@brunothedogface) and the clip went viral. In just a matter of days, the video has gained over 445,800 views and more than 79,700 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. The clip shows Daniel doing the signal for "walk" with his hands, before Bruno instantly starts barking and jumping around with excitement. Skye has been blown away by the online reaction to the video, as she joked that Bruno has the personality to become "a dogfluencer." By sharing videos of him online, she hopes to show that deaf dogs can still have very joyful and fulfilling lives, and they deserve a forever home. She told Newsweek: "Deaf dogs are far less likely to be adopted, maybe because people think they're limited. Part of our mission is to start bringing in some funds so that Bruno can pledge for other deaf dogs to encourage them to get adopted. That's the long-term goal, but for now, we will keep posting to show just how much they deserve to be adopted." Social media users have praised the couple for teaching Bruno hand signals, leading to more than 270 comments on the TikTok post so far. One comment reads: "Aw this is the cutest thing ever, the way he understands, and you made him understand." Another TikTok user wrote: "This is the cutest thing I've ever seen." While another person replied: "I just burst out crying. The way I just know he has the best life with you." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hong Kong police warn users over downloading ‘secessionist' mobile game
Hong Kong police have warned people against downloading a Taiwan-developed mobile game which they say is 'secessionist' and could lead to arrest. The game, Reversed Front: Bonfire, allows users to 'pledge allegiance' to various groups linked to locations that have been major flashpoints or targets for China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Manchuria, in order to 'overthrow the communist regime' known as the 'People's Republic'. While some aspects and place names of the game's worldview are imagined, the website says the game is 'a work of NON-FICTION' and 'any similarity to actual agencies, policies, or ethnic groups of the PRC [China] in this game is INTENTIONAL.' Players may also choose to 'lead the communists to defeat all enemies' in the game, but it has provoked a reaction from authorities aligned with the Chinese Communist party (CCP). On Tuesday Hong Kong police said Reversed Front was 'advocating armed revolution' and promoting Taiwanese and Hong Kong independence 'under the guise of a game'. Downloading the game could see players charged with possessing seditious material, while making in-app purchases could be viewed as providing funding to the developers 'for the commission of secession or subversion', the police said. Recommending the game could also constitute the offence of 'incitement to secession'. In Reversed Front's worldview, communists have conquered surrounding lands and formed a mega state, ruling it as a 'colonial power with unprecedented cruelty', and forcing many of the conquered peoples to flee. Decades later, only Taiwan still stands its ground, 'fending off the persistent aggravation'. The game asks players if Taiwan can stay safe by avoiding provocative action, or if it should 'refrain from repeating the same mistakes of the last 30 years which allowed thecommunists to grow into the behemoth today'. In player descriptions, the game describes the communists as 'heavy-handed, reckless and inept' and accused of 'widespread corruption, embezzlement, exploitation, slaughter and defilement'. On their Facebook page, the developers – known as ESC Taiwan or Taiwan Overseas Strategic Communication Working Group (ESC) – said the attention had boosted downloads. On Wednesday it said the game had topped the Hong Kong App Store's downloads chart on Tuesday night, before being taken down in the morning. 'We encourage users to change the country or region of their Apple ID in order to successfully download the game.' The developers vowed not to actively filter or review any words or phrases in the game – a nod to recent controversies over censorship in Chinese-made or China-related games. It is unclear where ESC Taiwan is based. The police warning over the game forms part of an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong, where CCP control has steadily tightened around the once semi-autonomous city. In 2020 Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, with the city government's blessing, outlawing a broad range of dissenting behaviours as criminal. Critics have accused authorities of weaponising the law to target opposition voices, including activists, politicians, labour unions, journalists and media outlets, as well as children's books and bookshops. Additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hong Kong bans mobile game about overthrowing communist regime
Hong Kong has invoked the national security law to ban a mobile game for allegedly advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionism in the Chinese city and self-governed Taiwan. Hong Kong residents were unable to find Reversed Front: Bonfire, developed by ESC Taiwan, on Apple's app store on Wednesday after authorities warned against downloading the application. Police claimed the app was released in April under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as "Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence' and advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China". The app in its description says players can "pledge allegiance" to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, or Uyghurs, among other options, "to overthrow the Communist regime". They may also choose to lead the communists to defeat all enemies. On the app's Facebook page, the developer posted about surging searches for the game name and a news report about Tuesday's development. The game's website declares that it 'is a work of nonfiction'. 'Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC in this game is intentional.' Police said any person found to have downloaded the game "may be regarded as in possession of a publication that has a seditious intention". The game publisher last month said Google Play had taken the app down because it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful language in naming. Reversed Front is the first app to be banned in Hong Kong under the national security law in what appears to be a widening crackdown on dissent following the pro-democracy protests of 2019. The city authorities have silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a similar local law enacted last year. China also faces allegations of eradicating any possibility of unrest in regions that are home to sizeable ethnic populations by imprisoning dissenters, reshaping societies and religions to align them with the views of the Communist Party. The approach has allegedly hardened in the past decade under the leadership of Xi Jinping, who has been accused of a brutal crackdown on the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang region. After playing the game for about three months, Kuo Hao Fu in Taiwan said he found its content took a humorous approach to describe serious political issues. Mr Fu disagreed with the Hong Kong police's accusations, saying players could choose to be part of the force representing China. 'The Hong Kong police's actions demonstrate how Hong Kong's democratic freedoms have been controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,' he told the Associated Press. 'When even this level cannot be tolerated, it completely destroys creative freedom in gaming.' Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to bring self-governed Taiwan under its control and routinely conducts military exercises circling the island. Beijing and Hong Kong insist that the national security laws are necessary to return stability to the city following the 2019 protests.
