Latest news with #explosives
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Newtownards: Man charged following security alert
A 42-year-old man has been charged following a security alert in Newtownards on man has been charged with a threatening communications offence and possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to is due to appear at Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Monday 2 object, which is believed to be viable, was found during a search of residential premises in the Mill Street area shortly after 13:45 BST on Friday.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
The Australian first which could save thousands worldwide
An Australian company has achieved the "holy grail" of landmine detection, developing technology which it says can definitively tell if hidden explosives lie underground. Those looking to build technology capable of scanning for explosives — rather than for the metal in landmines — have searched for a solution for more than two decades, Nick Cutmore of tech company MRead said. Around 6,000 people are killed and wounded every year by landmines, despite the international adoption of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty nearly three decades ago. Cutmore, the firm's chief technology officer, said the company has developed a device similar to a metal detector but uses magnetic resonance to detect explosive compounds. "[There's] nothing around in current technology that can look into the ground and tell you that there's absolutely explosive there and count the number of explosive molecules present," he said. "That's exactly what we do." "The closest analogy that you could think of in your daily life is the MRI scan in a hospital, where you basically have radio waves going into you as the object and the radio waves that come back help to form the image of that scan. We do something similar," Cutmore said. Landmine clearance operations are slow, and current devices typically detect metal, leading to hundreds of false positives, as former battlefields are also littered with shrapnel, debris and other metal. Many mines are now made from plastic, partly because it's difficult to detect. Trials for the MRead technology took place in Angola on the same minefields that Princess Diana visited in the 1990s. Conducted in collaboration with demining organisation The HALO Trust, the trials demonstrated the device's ability to detect the explosive compound RDX. But the team was only halfway there. TNT, the most common explosive used in landmines, was successfully identified in laboratory testing in Australia last month — a major breakthrough. Bruce Edwards, head of partnerships at The Halo Trust, said, "I'm a big fan of saying there is no silver bullet in our work, and people ask about game changers all the time." "If we can have a detector that does detect both RDX and TNT within metal and plastic mines, then this has got to be close to a game changer. " The team hopes the lab results will translate to reality. A new prototype that can detect both TNT and RDX, explosives believed to be found in 90 per cent of mines globally, is now in development, with active minefield trials expected to start in 2026. Edwards said: "As I said, no silver bullet, but definitely a breakthrough. It is exciting. Absolutely. And as an Australian, I've got to say, it is quite nice to have this Australian contribution being made across the world and I'd love to see them in Ukraine." Ukraine is now believed to be the most dangerous place on Earth for unexploded weapons. It's estimated millions of explosives have been strewn across battlefields in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022. Almost a quarter of the country is at risk of contamination, and it could take decades to eliminate these invisible threats from the land. Edwards, who is now based in Mykolaiv, is the former Australian Ambassador to Ukraine, said: "Our CEO has described landmines as the 'eternal vigilant sentry' and no better is that demonstrated in the likes of Angola, one of our largest programs. "In Cambodia, in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka ... still we're seeing deaths and inaccessibility due to these wars that for many people will be far, far from their memory."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE First look at Guy Martin's new show Our Guy in Vietnam as he stumbles across an unexpected US bomb while filming adventure travel series
Guy Martin stumbles across an unexpected US bomb while searching for some explosives in his new adventure series Our Guy in Vietnam. The new programme is set to our our screens on Channel 4 this Sunday (June 1 2025). The show's synopsis reads: 'On the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Guy Martin gets on his bike to explore Vietnam's past, present and future.' In an exclusive first look clip, obtained by MailOnline, the former motorcycle racer turned documentary maker, 43, keeps his cool after finding a deadly device. Guy says to the camera: 'Yeah what we have found... a BLU24B. 'They call it an antipersonnel cluster bomb. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'The soul goal of that is just to kill people.' While pointing in the distance, he adds: 'There's one here. There's one over there. I found one over there. 'A bomber has come over head this way or that way, 50 odd year ago, dumped a load and that is one of these!' He adds: 'The only way to deal with this is to have a controlled explosion. So fuse in there, bag it up with loads of sandbags... 'Boom!' The star can be seen helping put sand in green bags. The voiceover explains: 'Today they will be exploding two bombs while the detonation cord is laid out to a safe distance of 250 meters away. 'The explosives charged is readied and the rest of the team warn the locals to clear the area.' Guy and one of the team stand from afar and get to flick the switch. They tell him: 'You have to press this button and keep holding it until the red light comes on. 'Then I will count down from 10 to zero. Then at zero you press this button.' Guy makes it clear that he understands and puts his thumb up. After counting down, the star presses the button and the bombs explode. A shocked Guy confesses: 'We weren't expecting that, were we?!' Fans don't have long to wait until the show hits our screens. Guy recently took to Instagram to give an insight into what fans can expect from the series. He wrote on his profile: 'On the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Guy explores the past, present and future of Vietnam, to see how the country is still dealing with the effects of the controversial conflict, and how it is planning a high-tech future. 'In the first episode, Guy charts the history of the war by riding his motorcycle down the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, visiting a Huey helicopter graveyard at an abandoned American combat base, making his own version of the lethal weapon napalm, and coming face to face with a live cluster bomb left over from the war – which he then helps detonate in a controlled explosion.' Fans rushed to the comments section to share their excitement, with one saying: 'Two of my favorite things. Guy and Vietnam.' 'Banging can't think of a better combo Guy and Nam, what a place love it there.' 'Something actually worth watching on the TV.' Watch Our Guy in Vietnam on Channel 4 at 9:00pm this Sunday (1 June 2025).
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Colombia's Bicentenario pipeline stops pumping after attack: operator
BOGOTA, May 29 (Reuters) - Pumping on Colombia's Bicentenario pipeline was suspended after an attack with explosives, its operator Cenit, a subsidiary of state-run energy company Ecopetrol ( opens new tab, said on Thursday. The attack, in Arauca province, was committed by an unknown group, Cenit said in a statement. Bombings of pipelines are common in Colombia and are often carried out by rebel groups like the National Liberation Army (ELN). The company did not say exactly when the attack took place, but added it was working with disaster authorities and the army to clean up the area.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Zarna's Snapchat of a Holden doing a burnout sparked a huge police raid and sent her suburb into a seven-hour bomb squad lockdown - but even cops were shocked by what they allegedly found: 'One spark from disaster'
A Snapchat video shared by a former nurse from inside a Holden Commodore as it did burnout triggered a police raid where cops allegedly found a haul of explosives. Zarna Barbar, 26, appeared in a Frankston court on Thursday charged with a string of offences following the raid of the Cranbourne property early on Wednesday morning. Victoria Police allege about 15kg of explosives was found at the home, along with more than 40kg of chemicals used to make explosives, more than 80 detonation devices, and a quantity of illicit drugs. Detectives had been forwarded the Snapchat clip after the owner of the $50,000 Commodore VF took to a local Facebook group to complain his car had gone missing during the night between April 28 and 29. A schoolfriend of Barbar's then replied with the Snapchat video, which allegedly shows the car's distinctive orange paintjob and Barbar holding up the same brand of NYX lip gloss that the owner's partner had left in the door compartment. Cops then turned up to Barbar's townhouse and allegedly found a hoard of stolen items, drugs, ammunition and more than 100 tubes of Powergel explosive, which required the bomb squad to be called in and the street locked down for seven hours. In the living room, cops allegedly found a JBL speaker that had been in the stolen car, a machete, bags containing white powder and a paramedic first-aid kit labelled Jenkins. A hidden compartment in the coffee table allegedly held about 20 white tablets, bottles of a 'viscous liquid', ammunition, two ice pipes and jewellery. An ID card not belonging to Barbar and two Victoria Police lanyards were allegedly found upstairs. In the garage a blue barrel with 100 tubes of Powergel explosive was allegedly found alongside a Pelican case with more Powergel and 80 detonators. Police said they held serious concerns about the explosives as they were allegedly held in the garage of the townhouse complex near to the detonators, where there was a 'very real potential that a spark could cause the substances to explode'. Police allege Barbar refused to unlock two phones found at the property and that she trafficked meth and 1,4-butanediol. Barbar runs a TikTok page which features a video she filmed with an apparent boyfriend with the caption 'partner in crime ' and referred to herself with the hashtag 'jail wife'. Another video is captioned 'good first date' and showed her smiling by a roadside on a night out with a man, as police arrested and handcuffed him by her side. That video, shared in 2023, has been viewed by more than five million people. Police confirmed the raid was initially carried out as part of an investigation into the theft of cars in the Frankston area in Melbourne's south. 'The Bomb Response Unit was subsequently deployed to render the items safe,' a police spokesman said. Barbar was charged with possessing explosive substances and cartridge ammunition and the theft of a motor vehicle. She was also charged with theft from a motor vehicle, trafficking a drug of dependence, three counts of possessing a drug of dependence, and handling stolen goods. She was remanded in custody and will reappear in court in June. The raid at the Cranbourne property follows a series of unconnected raids this week across the city and regional Victoria as police cracked down on the illicit drug and firearms trade. Detectives, with the support of tactical police, executed warrants across Balwyn, California Gully, Footscray, Footscray West, Rowville, Spotswood, Sunshine North and Warburton. Drugs worth $500,000 were seized along with multiple firearms, large quantities of illegal cigarettes and vapes, and $150,000 in cash. Six people were charged with a total of 40 drug and firearm offences.
