Latest news with #DepartmentOfDefence
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Queensland town in limbo after sonic boom; Australian universities drop in rankings; and river swimming in Europe
Good afternoon. Residents in a tiny north Queensland town say they have been ignored for two years by the RAAF after a sonic boom from a fighter jet shattered windows and damaged roofs. In June 2023, an F-35 fighter from the nearby Townsville RAAF base broke the sound barrier over Greenvale, causing what locals say was a 'bloody terrifying' explosion initially mistaken for a car crash or gas bottle eruption. When the dust settled, about 14 homes in a straight line across the town of 192 people were damaged. But since then there's been silence from the air force – and unable to afford replacements, and with no local tradespeople – shattered windows are still replaced with temporary timber boards. The Department of Defence said the episode occurred 'within an area where overland supersonic airspeeds are approved', but the local MP, Robbie Katter, has described the defence force response as 'indifference at best'. Israel attacks Iran's Arak heavy water reactor as Iran hits Israeli hospital NSW Labor's anti-protest laws protecting places of worship have 'chilling effect' on democracy, court told Victoria's crime rate surges with young offenders contributing to record arrests Bruce Lehrmann pleads not guilty to stealing four-wheel drive in Tasmania Cambodia bans fruit imports and soap operas from Thailand as border dispute sours New Zealand halts millions of dollars in aid to Cook Islands over deals struck with China As the threat of war looms, are these four horsemen out of a job? It's all looking a bit apocalyptic, reckons Fiona Katauskas. 'Behind the filters and followers was a sophisticated criminal enterprise exploiting digital platforms to sell counterfeit luxury goods.' NSW police charged three men in Sydney on Wednesday as part of what Det Supt Peter Faux alleged was a $10m scheme to sell counterfeit luxury goods on social media. Police seized nine cars worth about $3m, more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, $270,000 in cash and a gel blaster imitation firearm. Twenty-five of Australia's 36 ranked universities have dropped in this year's QS World University Rankings, and just seven moved up – the third-biggest percentage drop in the world behind Austria (88%) and Russia (85%). The University of Melbourne, Australia's highest performer, dropped seven places to 19th, while the University of Sydney dropped from 18th in the world to 25th. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Across Europe, emboldened by a nine-year plan to clean up the Seine River in time for last year's Paris Olympics, city residents are pushing authorities to make their waterways swimmable. From Berlin to Oslo, Guardian reporters detail some of urban Europe's swimming hotspots – both those that are coming, and those that have been delighting city swimmers for years. Today's starter word is: KIER. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email
ABC News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- ABC News
Man injured in army vehicle rollover near Australian military training area
A man has been taken to hospital after an army vehicle rollover near a major Australian military training ground in central Queensland. Emergency services were called to the St Lawrence Road section of the Bruce Highway at Ogmore about 2.20pm after a Bushmaster truck rolled. The Queensland Ambulance Service said one man with minor injuries to his leg was treated by paramedics and was taken to the Rockhampton Hospital in a stable condition. At 4.30pm, a Queensland Police spokesperson said the Bruce Highway remained open to motorists. The incident happened just north of the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, located about 100 kilometres north of Rockhampton. The Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area is a large area primarily used for military training exercises by the Australian Defence Force [ADF] and the Singapore Armed Forces [SAF]. The Bushmaster is a Protected Mobility Vehicle that serves many roles in the army. It can deploy up to ten troops and it's armoured V-shaped hull protects its passengers from landmines and other explosive devices. The ABC has contacted the Department of Defence for comment.
Irish Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
National Guard arrives in LA on Trump's orders to quell protests against immigration raids
National Guard troops began arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday on orders from president Donald Trump , in response to clashes in recent days between federal immigration authorities and protesters seeking to block them from carrying out deportations. Members of California's National Guard were seen mobilising at the federal complex in central Los Angeles that includes the Metropolitan Detention Centre, one of several sites that have seen confrontations involving hundreds of people in last two days. The troops included members of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, according to a social media post from the Department of Defence that showed dozens of National Guard members with long guns and an armoured vehicle. Mr Trump has said he is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called 'a form of rebellion'. READ MORE The deployment was limited to a small area in central Los Angeles. The protests have been relatively small and limited to that area. The rest of the city of four million people is largely unaffected. Their arrival follows clashes near a Home Depot in the heavily Latino city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles. As protesters sought to block Border Patrol vehicles, some hurling rocks and chunks of cement, federal agents unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls. Tensions were high after a series of sweeps by immigration authorities the previous day, as the weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the city climbed past 100. A prominent union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement. Members of the National Guard stand guard in front of the Federal building in downtown Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP via Getty Images On Sunday, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said the National Guard would 'keep peace and allow people to be able to protest but also to keep law and order'. In a signal of the administration's aggressive approach, defence secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened to deploy active-duty marines 'if violence continues' in the region. The move came over the objections of governor Gavin Newsom , marking the first time in decades that a state's national guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice. Mr Newsom, a Democrat, said Mr Trump's decision to call in the National Guard was 'purposefully inflammatory'. He described Mr Hegseth's threat to deploy marines on American soil as 'deranged behaviour'. Mr Trump's order came after clashes in Paramount and neighbouring Compton, where a car was set on fire. [ Riot police and anti-ICE protesters clash in Los Angeles after immigration raids Opens in new window ] Protests continued into the evening in Paramount, with several hundred demonstrators gathered near a doughnut shop, and authorities holding up barbed wire to keep the crowd back. Crowds also gathered again outside federal buildings in central Los Angeles, including a detention centre, where police declared an unlawful assembly and began to arrest people. – AP
RNZ News
06-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
HMAS Canberra accidentally blocks wireless internet and radio services in New Zealand
By Andrew Thorpe , ABC At 230 metres long, HMAS Canberra is the Royal Australian Navy's largest vessel. Photo: AFP The Department of Defence has acknowledged that HMAS Canberra , the Royal Australian Navy's largest warship, accidentally took out a number of wireless internet and radio services across New Zealand earlier this week during a visit intended to celebrate the sister city relationship between Canberra and Wellington. The incident occurred early on Wednesday morning, as the 230-metre navy flagship made its way through the Cook Strait en route to New Zealand's capital, where the ship's crew is set to be welcomed with a parade and concert on Saturday. According to local internet service providers (ISPs), HMAS Canberra' s navigation radar began interfering with 5GHz wireless access points - devices that bridge wired and wireless networks - in regions on both New Zealand's North and South Islands at around 2am. Wireless internet and radio outages caused by HMAS Canberra. Photo: ABC News The radar interference triggered in-built switches in the devices that caused them to go offline, a safety precaution intended to prevent wireless signals from interfering with radar systems in New Zealand's airspace. Stuff reported that the outages were first raised with Radio Spectrum Management, an agency within the government's business ministry. The agency notified the New Zealand Defence Force, which notified the Australian Defence Force. "On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference," a spokesperson for Australia's Department of Defence said. "There are no ongoing disruptions." The outages affected wireless internet and radio services in Taranaki and Marlborough regions, the spokesperson added. Matthew Harrison, managing director of New Zealand-based ISP Primo, said he had never seen anything like the incident before. "This wasn't just a blip. It was full-scale, military-grade radar triggering built-in safety protocols … and it rolled across our network in sync with the ship's movement," he wrote on LinkedIn. "It's not every day a warship takes your gear offline!" Harrison said the incident underlined the fragility of New Zealand's radio spectrum environment, with rural fixed wireless services having to share a frequency band with radar systems. -ABC
Irish Times
01-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Expert group warned military air traffic control staffing issue would re-emerge
An expert group urged four years ago for a special payment to be given to military air traffic controllers to dissuade them from leaving the Defence Forces for the private sector. It is understood the 2021 report was not acted upon, and the service is now facing a new staffing crisis. The group's report argued that problems with the operation of military air traffic control services would continue to emerge every few years if issues continued to be tackled on an ad hoc basis. The report, drawn up by a joint Department of Defence and Defence Forces group, recommended introducing a service commitment scheme that would boost pay for air traffic control personnel. READ MORE The report said 'stability must be ensured through retaining experience and stopping air traffic service personnel numbers dropping further'. It urged adopting a 'blended approach of incentives and undertakings' to minimise 'premature voluntary retirements'. 'Having a pathway for personnel who complete training to take up a role (and technical pay) specific to their skill set, or the ability to pay qualified controllers the appropriate technical pay after completing their training, would mitigate the impact of gaps within the unit,' the report said. It is understood the 2021 report was not acted upon, and the service is now facing a new staffing crisis. Last week it emerged that an acute shortage of trained air traffic controllers (ATCs) at the Air Corps ' only base at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin, is expected to lead to military flight operations being restricted to a five-day-a-week, daytime-only schedule. [ Parlous state of Defence Forces once again laid bare Opens in new window ] The move will have huge implications for rescue, medical and policing services that use the Baldonnel airbase. The 505 Squadron, which is responsible for air traffic control, is supposed to have 21 personnel but in recent years it has been operating at about 50 per cent capacity. Five personnel are due to depart shortly for the private sector, necessitating the move to a reduced schedule, which takes effect from June 7th. The 2021 report recommended reforms to training, recruitment and retention. However, it warned that having non-military personnel run the air traffic service in its entirety or contracting it out to an external provider is 'not an option'. The report said there should be a minimum of 32 personnel in the air traffic control unit. It said personnel undergoing training should have to make a four-year commitment. [ State attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps chemical victims, Tánaiste says Opens in new window ] The Air Corps is responsible for air navigation in airspace designated for use by the Defence Forces. In 2016 the retirement of key personnel led to a restriction on operations. A full 24-hour service was restored in 2021. The joint review group was established to identify options for the long-term sustainability of the air traffic service at Baldonnel. The report said issues related to the air traffic service in the past were 'largely dealt with in an ad hoc manner'. 'Maintaining such an approach will lead to problems continuing or re-emerging from time to time every number of years.' It said the military air traffic service is 'a strategic asset' that ensures air connectivity for the State. 'Casement Aerodrome is the only secure military airfield within the State, and is itself a strategic asset. Military air traffic service plays a vital role in maintaining this capability and in ensuring the security of operations in interactions with other agencies,' the report said.
