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Australia: 'Bomb cyclone' hits east coast

Australia: 'Bomb cyclone' hits east coast

RNZ News01-07-2025
Well over 100mm of rain is ahead for much of the NSW coast during the next 72 hours.
Photo:
ABC News
Australia correspondent Karen Middleton has the latest on the storm rocking the country's south-east coast, an horrific and widespread child abuse case has been uncovered in Melbourne with nearly 1200 young children advised to get tests for sexually transmitted diseases and the jury retires to consider its verdict in the mushroom poisoning trial of Erin Patterson.
Karen Middleton is a political journalist based in Canberra
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Unexploded WWII ordnance unearthed at American Memorial Park in Saipan
Unexploded WWII ordnance unearthed at American Memorial Park in Saipan

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Unexploded WWII ordnance unearthed at American Memorial Park in Saipan

Decades-old explosive remnants of war - mortar rounds, artillery shells, grenades - removed following following severe coastal erosion caused by Tropical Storm Krosa. Photo: Supplied A cache of unexploded ordnance buried in the sands of American Memorial Park for more than six decades was uncovered and removed last week following severe coastal erosion caused by Tropical Storm Krosa. Local authorities, including the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DFEMS), the Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment Marianas, collaborated to carefully extract land mines, mortar rounds, artillery shells, grenades, and tens of thousands of small arms ammunition from what is suspected was a hidden World War II-era bunker near Micro Beach. DFEMS public information officer Robert Mojica said erosion from the storm exposed the long-buried cache. "When Tropical Storm Krosa hit Saipan in late July, the ocean devastated the beaches. Erosion played a big factor in unearthing the UXOs at American Memorial Park," Mojica said. "We found land mines, mortar rounds, 20mm and 50mm artillery shells, hand grenades, and about 70,000 rifle rounds. The dig took four days-working against the sun, rising tides, and the delicate handling of UXOs-to complete. "The bunker was emptied out, and all items were taken to a holding point controlled by DFEMS and Det. Marianas. A scheduled detonation will take place soon." Authorities collaborated to carefully extract land mines, mortar rounds, artillery shells, grenades, and tens of thousands of small arms ammunition from what is suspected was a hidden World War II-era bunker near Micro Beach. Photo: Supplied The discovery highlights the hidden risks posed by ongoing shoreline erosion along Saipan's most popular beachfront. Mary Fem Urena, coastal resources planner and head of the Shoreline Monitoring Program at the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality-Division of Coastal Resources Management, said the shoreline fronting Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, the former Hyatt Regency Saipan (now Marianas Beach Resort), and Micro Beach has experienced dramatic changes in recent years. "Beach profiles inform us that this shoreline has lost more than 60 feet of beach width from 2019 to 2024," Urena said. "The data and reports are available on DCRM's Shoreline Monitoring webpage." Authorities collaborated to carefully extract land mines, mortar rounds, artillery shells, grenades, and tens of thousands of small arms ammunition from what is suspected was a hidden World War II-era bunker near Micro Beach. Photo: Supplied Urena added that while erosion is a natural process in lagoons and shoreline areas, its impacts on recreational beaches and infrastructure are becoming more pressing. "BECQ-DCRM joins NOAA and the rest of the nation in advocating for nature-based solutions and living shorelines before considering traditional hardening such as sea walls," she said. "Other coastal areas, such as Puerto Rico and Hawaii, show us that shoreline hardening may result in sandy beach loss due to downdrift erosion or scouring." Unexploded ordnance is regularly discovered and disposed of by the US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. Photo: Supplied The Micro Beach operation underscores how climate-driven coastal changes continue to unearth remnants of Saipan's wartime past-posing both safety hazards and a reminder of the island's history. The Battle of Saipan in June-July 1944 was one of the bloodiest campaigns in the Pacific theater of World War II. U.S. forces stormed the island to wrest control from Japan, leaving behind heavy bombardment sites, underground bunkers, and scattered ordnance across the landscape. Unexploded ordnance is regularly discovered and disposed of by the US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. For example, in November 2022, about 50 lbs of World War II-era UXO-including U.S. and Japanese projectiles, grenades, and small arms ammunition-were safely disposed of. The US military's Explosive Ordnance Disposal units regularly work with local authorities to safely recover and neutralize these remnants of war. Detonations are typically carried out at controlled sites far from residential areas. Officials remind the public never to touch suspected ordnance and to report any finds immediately to local authorities.

Large earthquake hits Australia's Queensland
Large earthquake hits Australia's Queensland

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Large earthquake hits Australia's Queensland

People commenting on social media said they felt a large quake that rattled dishes and shook houses and roads, after the earthquake in Queensland. Photo: Supplied/ Geoscience Australia A large earthquake has struck the Australian state of Queensland. Geoscience Australia measured the quake at magnitude 5.6, and 10km depth. It struck close to the town of Kilkivan, which is inland from the Sunshine Coast and north of Brisbane, shortly before 10am Saturday Queensland time (close to midday, New Zealand time). More than 12000 people lodged 'felt reports', Geoscience Australia said, and energy authorities estimate 11,000 people are without power following the quake, ABC news said. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said there was no tsunami threat to Australia, and New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency website also reported "no declared emergencies" following the Australian quake. Region: Kilkivan, QLD Mag: 5.6 UTC: 2025-08-15 23:49:25 Lat: -26.26, Lon: 152.17 Dep: 2km For more info and updates, or if you felt this earthquake, go to The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported the quake as a magnitude 5.7 at a depth of 10km, but it later revised it to magnitude 5.4, and then to 4.9, Reuters said.

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