Latest news with #LordHoweIsland
SBS Australia
03-07-2025
- Climate
- SBS Australia
SBS News In Easy English 3 July 2025
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat. Warning - this story includes content that may distress some listeners. Hundreds of families are demanding answers after unknowingly handing their children into the care of an alleged sex offender at childcare centres. The alleged offender, 26-year-old Joshua Dale Brown, worked at 20 different childcare centres in Victoria since 2017, and faces over 70 charges including the sexual penetration of a child under 12. More than 1,200 families with young children who attended the centres have been told to have their children screened for potential diseases. The Victorian government has ordered an urgent child safety review, a register of all early childhood educators and moved forward a mobile phone ban in facilities to late September with $50,000 fines for breaches. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare told Nine's Today Show the federal government will also make changes. "We've got to act here, there's steps that we've already taken, but not enough and not fast enough. One of the things that I will do as the Minister for Education is when the parliament returns later this month, introduced legislation that will cut off funding to childcare centres that aren't meeting our safety standards or our quality standards." And listeners needing support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kidshelpline on 1800 55 1800 Residents on Lord Howe Island are being urged to prepare as a complex and damaging weather system is forecast to bring rain, storms, wind and elevated seas for the coming days. Thousands remain without power across Australia's east coast after a wild weather system swept the region. Emergency services in New South Wales say almost 4,000 incidents have been reported since the weather event began on Monday. The Bureau of Meteorology's Gabrielle Woodhouse has given an update from Wollongong. "Starting to see the tail end of this event in terms of the weather and flooding, but there is still flooding occurring at the moment. We're expecting the damaging wind severe weather warning as well as the coastal hazard warning for damaging surf to be cancelled later this morning, and with that we're starting to see that easing trend in the waves and the wind. In saying that it is still going to be fairly wind. windy near the coast today, it's just not going to be reaching those damaging thresholds." The United States Defence Department says US strikes on Iran heavily degraded its nuclear program by up to two years, despite previous assessments suggesting it was only set back by a few months. The claim comes as Iran officially suspends cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, accusing the agency of siding with Western nations after Israel's strikes. A preliminary assessment last week from the Defence Intelligence Agency suggested the strikes may have only set back Iran's nuclear program by months. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell says the sites have been 'completely obliterated'. "All of the conversations that we've had since Operation Midnight Hammer with our allies all around the world, but certainly also in the region, you know, they say a couple of things. They share our sentiments about, you know, the degradation of Iran's nuclear program and the fact that we have degraded their program by one to two years at least, Intel assessments inside the department assess that." As well as strikes on the nuclear facilities, Iranian officials say Israeli and U-S strikes on Iran killed at least 935 people over the 12 days. Israeli officials says Iran's retaliatory strikes killed 28 people in Israel. Australia are two steps away from ending a decades-long medal drought at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup after advancing to the quarter-finals with a 106-96 win over the Dominican Republic. Jacob Furphy led all scorers with five three-pointers, and Jack Whitbourn posted a double-double for the Emus, who never trailed in their round-of-16 encounter. The win sees the Emus advancing to the last eight of the tournament for the first time since 2015. They next face Germany on Friday, after the European team continued their strong tournament with a win over Serbia. That was SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
NSW wild weather: dam spill heightens flood threat as storm wreaks havoc
Water flowing out of Australia's largest urban water supply will add to the risk of flooding after a damaging and complex low-pressure system caused widespread havoc. Warragamba Dam, west of Sydney, was expected to begin a 'moderate spill' overnight into Thursday after days of heavy rain, WaterNSW said. 'The duration and volume of the spill will ultimately be determined by rainfall received across the catchment,' it said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Thousands of people are without power, trees have been uprooted and beaches eroded after the wild weather system battered large parts of Australia's east coast. State regulations do not allow water to be released at Warragamba Dam before predicted rainfall or to mitigate floods as it supplies 80% of Sydney's drinking water. Spills at the dam are not uncommon, previously occurring in May, and three times in 2024. Warragamba Dam flows into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river catchment, where the bureau has warned flooding could occur on Thursday. Other, smaller dams were also spilling after reaching capacity after heavy rains. The downpours formed part of a 'vigorous' east coast low the Bureau of Meteorology predicted would move into the Tasman Sea. Lord Howe Island residents were warned to prepare for increased winds and elevated seas, with waves up above five metres. Damaging winds with gusts up to 100km/h were expected to continue through the morning around parts of northern NSW. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion More than 3,400 incidents were reported to the SES during the weather event, beginning on Monday, with 10 flood rescues. Additional crews from the ACT were joining the response and recovery efforts late on Wednesday. About 8,000 Endeavour Energy customers were without electricity as crews worked to restore power on Wednesday night, down from a peak of 30,000. Dozens of properties were under evacuation warnings due to flooding at Burrill Lake and Sanctuary Point near Jervis Bay. In nearby Sussex Inlet, Fay Brown was stranded when roads approaching the Badgee Bridge flooded. Without a four-wheel drive, Brown would have used a flood access road, but the local council continued a longstanding practice of blocking the road rather than allowing residential access. 'This happens every time we have heavy days of rain. I've lived here 11 years and been stuck on at least five occasions,' she said. 'Once we were stuck there for four days.'
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Sydney weather: Bomb cyclone hits NSW - what you need to know
Welcome to Daily Mail Australia's live weather blog. Millions of Aussies are in the path of a 'bomb cyclone' which has formed off Australia's east coast. Severe weather warnings have been issued for NSW, eastern Victoria and southeast Queensland as the explosive 'cyclone' has been confirmed off the coast and heads inland. 21:22 Where will be most affected? The most intense rainfalls are expected over the Central Coast, delivering up to 200mm of rain. Affected areas will stretch from the far south of the Mid North Coast, through the Eastern Hunter, Sydney, the Illawarra, and the South Coast, continuing all the way into Victoria's Gippsland. '100 to 200mm of rain possible through these areas over 48 hours, and I expect some locations will pick up even more than that,' Mr Hines said. A strong wind warning has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology for the East Gippsland Coast in Victoria. A severe weather warning has been issued in NSW for the Mid North Coast, Northern Tablelands and parts of Northern Rivers, Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast and North West Slopes and Plains Forecast Districts. Damaging, locally destructive winds are expected along with heavy rainfall. Flood watches are in place for Mid North Coast, Hunter, Hawkesbury-Nepean, Sydney Illawarra Coast and Snowy catchments. A harzardous surf warning is also in place for the NSW Coast, along with a generalised warning for Lord Howe Island, which is expected to be smashed with five metre waves. A marine wind warning is also in place for most of the Queensland coast. 21:22 How much rain is expected? Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines explained that the powerful weather system would batter parts of NSW and Victoria from the start of the week, with up to 200mm of rain expected. Aussies should be prepared for Tuesday and Wednesday to be the two biggest days when it comes to rainfall and weather impacts. 'Tuesday's the day when it is really going to deteriorate, and it's going to be very wet and very windy, so the rain will likely last through much of the day,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'We will see the winds absolutely howling up that NSW coast. 'We could certainly see those gusts upwards of 80, 90, even 100 kilometres per hour around parts of the Sydney Metro area on Tuesday – that's definitely enough to cause a bit of damage, bring down some trees. 'We could be talking about power outages as well.' Aussies can expect the affects of the bomb cyclone to last through Thursday. 21:21 What is a bomb cyclone? A bomb cyclone is a term used by meteorologists for bombogenesis, which refers to a storm that occurs when atmospheric pressure suddenly drops below a certain point. This creates a volatile, fast-flowing air mass which results in a rapidly developing storm. The pressure drop required for a bomb cyclone in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand, is 18 hectopascals near Tasmania to 13 hectopascals near the Queensland-NSW border. This weather event will see the air pressure plunge by 22 and 24 hectopascals each day, which will lead to heavy rains and high winds. The low is on course for a 24-hour drop in pressure of around 25 hectopascals, more than reaching the threshold for a bomb cyclone of 15hPa. 21:10 Urgent warning issued about the 'bomb cyclone' that will smash three states Millions of Aussies are in the path of a 'bomb cyclone' which has formed off the New South Wales coast. Severe weather warnings have been issued for NSW, eastern Victoria and southeast Queensland as the explosive 'cyclone' has been confirmed off the coast and heads inland. On Tuesday morning, meteorologists warned the system had developed in the western Tasman Sea and would be 'even more explosive than initially forecast'. The vigorous coastal low pressure system is expected to deepen throughout the day with damaging winds reaching up to 125km/h, including in parts of Sydney 's east. Heavy rain and damaging surf conditions, with waves exceeding five metres in the surf zone have also been forecast. More details in the link below. Why Aussies should be terrified about 'bomb cyclone' Millions of Australians are in the path of a 'bomb cyclone' which has formed off the New South Wales coast.
Gizmodo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
These Birds Are So Stuffed With Plastic, You Can Hear Them Crunch
A dead baby bird—found with 778 pieces of plastic in its stomach—has shattered a grim 15-year record. Squeaky stuffed animals are endearing. But when the animal is a real baby bird and its stomach makes crunching noises from all the plastic it has ingested, the endearment quickly turns into a dystopian nightmare. This, however, is not happening in a faraway dystopia. Scientists from the Adrift Lab ocean research group were horrified to discover 'crunchy birds' on Australia's UNESCO World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island. What's more, on their first day of fieldwork on the island this year, the researchers found a dead baby bird that had ingested 778 pieces of plastic, breaking the lab's 15-year record for the greatest amount of plastic ingested by a single bird—and by a long shot. 'This year we decided we're no longer going to say to each other 'it can't possibly get worse' because each year it just does,' the researchers wrote in an Adrift Lab news release. 'Terms like 'unprecedented' and 'horrific' really don't do it justice. As scientists on the front lines of the environment/pollution/biodiversity crises, we can barely begin to describe what witnessing this for two decades has done to our mental and physical well being.' The team visits the island every year to monitor the impact of plastic pollution on shearwaters—dark-colored, long-winged migratory seabirds, as reported by CNN. Though the cases and quantities of ingested plastic have been rising, this year's fieldwork 'left us all speechless,' Adrift Lab marine biologist Jennifer Lavers, who was on the island, told CNN. Lavers and her colleagues think parent birds are mistaking plastic for food, and feeding it to their chicks. A total of 778 plastic pieces in the bird, which died when it was between 80 and 90 days old, suggests its parents fed it approximately 10 pieces of plastic litter per day. The previous record was around 400 pieces, according to the lab's statement. 'This bird, and so many others in recent years, now contain such enormous quantities of plastic that when our research team gently presses on their stomachs, we hear awful crunching noises as the plastics shift around inside,' the researchers wrote. 'We literally call them 'crunchy birds' because…what other name could we give them.' Alex Bond, an ecologist at Adrift Lab, tells the Washington Post that they can even hear it in some live birds. And it's not just microplastics, which scientists have already found everywhere from chewing gum to human testicles and brains. Bond reported finding objects as large as bottle caps and takeaway soy sauce fish bottles, as well as cutlery, clothes pegs, and countless amounts of unidentified hunks of plastic. The ingested plastic is, unsurprisingly, harming the birds. During dissections, the team found scarring on the birds' kidneys and hearts, as well as 'dementia-like' brain damage in baby shearwaters, according to CNN. 'They don't kill the animal instantly, but they do cause it to have a shorter life span (and) lots of pain and suffering,' Lavers told CNN. Furthermore, she and her colleagues have noted a consistent decrease in the birds' body mass and wingspan over the years. This spring, Australian Senator Peter Whish-Wilson traveled to Lord Howe Island along with the researchers. 'I wish every politician and every decision maker in parliaments around the world, because this is a global problem, I wish they could all experience what I experienced just for 24 hours, to come down here and do it themselves, and then they'll get it,' he told ABC Australia. 'We are not winning the war on waste.' Scientists often treat seabirds as marine ecosystem health indicators, looking to them to understand how our oceans are doing. These sentinels are sending us a stark warning.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- ABC News
New transport era on Lord Howe Island as Qantas touches down for final time
On remote Lord Howe Island, historical eras have been largely defined not by leaders or monarchs but modes of transport, which provide a critical connection to mainland Australia. The island's transport eras have spanned from 1834 when the first island settlers used whaling boats, to the romanticised post-World War II flying boat era, through to the past three decades when Qantas has served the island community. "The history of an extremely isolated place like Lord Howe Island, 586 kilometres from the closest point on the Australian coast, is always defined by transport and communication," Lord Howe Island resident and historian Chris Murray said. "How one gets on and off that isolated place." Recently the final Qantas-branded and crewed plane touched down on Lord Howe Island's tiny airstrip. It marks an emotional end of an era for island residents and a crowd gathered under rainy skies to wave goodbye to the final flight. "There were lots of tears," Lord Howe resident Bronwyn Tofaeono said. Qantas has held the route licence since 1991, but is phasing out its Dash-8 Q200 series, the only aircraft in its fleet able to operate on Lord Howe Island's very short runway. Regional carrier, north Queensland-based Skytrans is now transitioning in to take over the route and rebranding the planes. Ms Tofaeono said, over the decades, their community connection to the airline and the route's regular pilots and crew had developed into something that went far beyond just transport. "The Qantas Dash 8 has become more than just a plane to us," she said. "It brought our newborn babies home, carried our children to and from boarding school, and connected us with the world beyond our shores. "After my father passed away, I will never forget the moment we brought him home — the Qantas crew stood quietly on the tarmac as his coffin was unloaded. "It was an act of profound respect that I will carry with me forever." Mr Murray managed ground operations at Lord Howe for Qantas for nearly three decades, from 1991 to 2020. He said planes sometimes needed to stay overnight on the island due to bad weather or breakdowns, and friendships had developed between the pilots and crew and island families. "Quite a number [of pilots and crew] come out on holidays to see us as they've developed attachments to the place," Mr Murray said. Island resident Cindy Shick worked with Mr Murray as a Qantas agent for almost 30 years. "For many of us, you go over to the mainland, and you come back with your baby," Ms Shick said. "There's a generation of kids who've never flown on anything but QantasLink as they came back in their mum's arms." Ms Shick's husband, fifth-generation islander Jack Shick, said the ending of the Qantas era was a significant milestone. Lord Howe Island's flying boat era spanned from 1947 to 1974 and Qantas operated the large craft until 1951. Ansett later took over and Mr Murray's father was the Ansett manager on Lord Howe Island from 1958 to 1974. "The flying boats were just exceptional," Mr Murray said. "We are all flying boat 'tragics' on Lord Howe. "We love the era [and] seeing the grace of a very large aircraft skimming across the lagoon. "The aircraft could only alight here at high tide … quite a swell can come in over our reef, so the runway, if I can term it that, was rather uneven at times." Mr Shick said many island residents had fond memories of the flying boat days. "They [flying boats] were very comfortable, the seats were like small lounge chairs and when a meal was served it came on a proper plate, [with a] knife and fork, nothing like air travel nowadays," he said. "The highlight of the trip was landing on the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon. QantasLink chief operating officer Nick Collie said, moving forward, the airline would have a codeshare partnership with Skytrans and would continue a connection with Lord Howe Island. "As a nod to our longstanding history … we will be naming one of our newest A321 XLR aircraft, Seven Peaks Walk, after the iconic Lord Howe Island track," Mr Collie said. Skytrans has been awarded the licence to operate the regulated route to Lord Howe Island until March 2030, and its transition mode with Qantas ends in February 2026, after which it will exclusively operate all flights. Skytrans CEO Alan Milne said: "Skytrans is honoured to be able to continue this essential air service and looks forward to working closely with the Lord Howe Island community to ensure a safe, reliable and customer-focused operation continues."
