Latest news with #militarytraining
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Abandoned UK village dating back to Domesday Book is reopening next month – but visitors must beware of hidden danger
AN ABANDONED village is set to reopen next month, as visitors are warned about historic dangers. Imber Village in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, dates back to the Domesday Book, and has also operated as a military training site. 8 8 8 8 Visiting the village Next month, from August 23 to 25, the site will be reopening to the public, providing a unique opportunity to explore its empty buildings and abandoned military vehicles. However, a number of signs around the site warn visitors about a potential safety hazard. The signs read: "Danger unexploded military debris. Do not leave the carriageway." Behind the sign, pictures show a disused military tank, as well as a set of tank tracks next to a grassy mound. Getting to the village The annual bus service, known as Imberbus, will return on Saturday, August 16. It includes up to 30 Routemaster buses, as well as other vehicles, that will run from Warminster to Imber, in addition to other villages in Salisbury Plain. Buses will operate for one day only on a regular service between 10am and 6pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £2 for children and can be used an unlimited amount on the day. This gives visitors the opportunity to explore other villages in the area. The following week Imber village will reopen to the public. History While much of the village is no longer in tact, there are still a number of empty houses and cottages that can be explored. A pub called The Bell Inn still stands. Other buildings still standing include the manor house, Imber Court, a farmhouse, farm cottages, a small schoolhouse, and four housing blocks built in 1938. The nearby St Giles' Church dates back to the 13th century and became a Grade I listed building in 1987. A record of the Wiltshire village in the Domesday Book of 1086 shows it was an isolated community that relied heavily on agriculture. Having been owned by the Ministry of Defence since 1932, visitors are only welcome at the site for a few days each year. The opening times usually fall once in the spring, summer, and over the Christmas and New Year period. In 1943, its population of around 150 was evicted to provide a training ground for American troops during WW2. The site is still controlled by the Ministry of Defence, despite attempts from some locals to return. It was last open to the public at Easter, with photos showing the eerie village streets. 8 8 8 8
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
30% of PLKN 3.0 trainees fail to report for duty, says Khaled
Defence minister Khaled Nordin said PLKN 3.0 is still in the trial phase, with full implementation expected to begin next year. (Bernama pic) KOTA TINGGI : Around 30% of participants from the first two series of the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 failed to report for training due to various reasons, according to defence minister Khaled Nordin. He said the main reasons cited were health issues and offers to pursue higher education. 'So far, each series of PLKN 3.0 has recorded an absentee rate of about 10% to 15%, mostly due to valid reasons such as illness or having just been offered a university placement,' he told reporters after attending the opening ceremony of the Kembara Lestari Kota Tinggi with Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah at Felda Lok Heng Barat here today. Khaled said PLKN 3.0 was still in the trial phase, with full implementation expected to begin next year. The 45-day programme has received positive feedback from participants, particularly on the military training elements which are deemed effective in instilling discipline and building identity. 'Participants from the previous two series gave good feedback and requested that the military training content be improved,' Khaled said.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
At least 19 dead as military plane crashes into school in Bangladesh
At least 19 people, mostly students, have died and more than 164 have been injured after a military training aircraft crashed into a school campus in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka. The Air Force plane was taking part in a routine training mission when it experienced a mechanical issue and hit the Milestone School and College campus in the Uttara neighbourhood in the city's north on Monday afternoon. Bangladesh Air Force's F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1:06pm local time (5:06pm AEST) from the military base in Kurmitola, and crashed shortly afterwards. The pilot is among the dead. 'The pilot ... made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft ... crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone school and college,' military spokesperson Lt Col Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury said. At least 83 people are undergoing treatment in several hospitals, many of them with burns, the office of Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus said. Students attending the school range in age from four to 18 years old. An intense fire and thick smoke can be seen engulfing part of the building in video footage taken in the aftermath of the crash. An AFP photographer at the scene saw fire and rescue officials taking away the injured students on stretchers. A witness said he heard a huge blast that felt like an earthquake. 'We have two playgrounds, one for the senior students and one for the juniors,' said Shafiur Rahman Shafi, 18, a student of the school. 'We were on the playground for the seniors. Suddenly one of the two fighter planes crashed here (in the junior playground),' he told AFP. 'It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire, and the army reached the spot later.' Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down in tears on learning that his young cousin had been killed. 'We frantically searched for my cousin in different hospitals,' Hossain told AFP. 'He was an eighth grader. Finally, we found his body.' The interim government announced a day of national mourning on Tuesday. Grieving parents and relatives of the victims thronged the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in the capital, local media reported. Many were trying to identify their children by their uniform and other belongings. Yunus expressed 'deep grief and sorrow' over the incident in a post on X. 'The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,' he said. 'This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.' The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in the country in several decades. The deadliest ever disaster happened in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board. Last month, a commercial aircraft crashed in neighbouring India, killing 260 people.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Army secretary vows 'grievous error' targeting pro-life groups will never happen again
FIRST ON FOX: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll called a set of training slides that deemed pro-life groups as terrorist organizations a "grievous error" that he'll work to ensure doesn't happen again, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. "This characterization was not only inaccurate but also deeply inappropriate," Driscoll wrote to a group of attorneys for the American Center for Law and Justice, who represented the pro-life groups affected. Thousands of soldiers at Fort Bragg were trained in counter-terrorism and security practices with slides that listed groups such as National Right to Life and Operation Rescue alongside recognized extremist organizations, and even pointed to pro‑life license plates as potential warning signs. The practice went on for seven years, until 2024. "Equally concerning was the previous administration's inadequate response to this serious incident. Its failure to provide full transparency or take responsibility for such a grievous error is wholly unacceptable." Driscoll said the Army has since reviewed all security training materials, including anti-terrorism training, and removed the slides that referenced pro-life groups, along with a slew of pro-animal and green groups like PETA, as "terrorist organizations." "Please be assured that I am firmly committed to rigorous oversight of all Army training materials to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future." Agnes Schaefer, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and Reserve affairs, said that the training deck, which was used to teach 9,100 Army soldiers, was "inconsistent with Army's antiterrorism policy and training." The training module was used to instruct soldiers on what to look out for when guarding points of base access. She claimed there is "no evidence" to suggest the individual who created the slide deck did so to "deliberately subvert" Army policy or to "further a personal viewpoint." The slides caused a stir among congressional Republicans, who demanded answers from Army officials in a hearing last year and took issue with Schaefer's assurances the slide did not represent a personal viewpoint. "It's downright ridiculous to claim the slide deck doesn't 'further a personal viewpoint,' but there have been no consequences for the employee who ran anti-life training sessions at Fort Liberty that clearly violated Army policy," Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital in September. It's not clear if anyone involved in the slide's production and use has been fired or reprimanded.
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
SAS Who Dares Wins signs up fan-favourite Gladiators star ahead of celeb-packed new series
CELEBRITY SAS: Who Dares Wins has signed up a fan-favourite Gladiators star ahead of the celeb-packed new series. The hit Channel 4 show puts a group of famous faces through a tough quasi military training course - and now we can reveal who will be joining the star-studded line-up. 5 5 5 5 The civilian series of SAS: Who Dares Wins ended in 2023, but the star version lives on. The Sun can now reveal that Celeb SAS has signed up Gladiators star Phantom AKA Toby Olubi. A show insider said: "Phantom is a great signing. "Not only is he rock hard, so he won't be afraid of what the special forces officers throw at him, he's also very easy on the eye with loads of female fans who'll be tuning in to see him flex his muscles in the desert." The Sun has approached a rep for Celeb SAS for comment. During his time on Gladiators, Phantom has become a huge hit with fans, so he'll prove VERY popular on SAS. Phantom also has the physical prowess to take on the challenge. STAR SIGN UPS This latest news comes after The Sun revealed how former Love Island star Dani Dyer would also be part of the line-up. We were also the first to reveal that cricket Graeme Swann would be taking on the challenge. Celeb SAS Who Dares Wins winners revealed They will be joined by MAFS star Jessika Powe r, and also rugby and Strictly star Ben Cohen. SHOW SHAKE-UP The Sun's latest revelations come after we exclusively revealed how Celebrity SAS is set for a major shake-up. It came after we revealed how the new series will take place in a new location. A show insider said: 'Last series, there was a bit of a cash crisis at Channel 4 so the series shunned exotic locales and filmed in Wales. "Bosses made it work but it felt like it wasn't on as big a scale as when they have filmed in foreign climes, so for the next series, execs are blowing the budget and pushing the boat out to film in Marrakech instead. "It's more expensive but will look amazing on camera.' Earlier this year, The Sun revealed how Celebrity SAS had been saved from the axe - after bosses had considered quietly ending the series. But after seeing footage of the upcoming series, execs couldn't let it go. A TV insider revealed: 'Channel 4 never officially announced that Celebrity SAS had been dropped, but behind closed doors, they had decided not to bring it back — at least for the time being. 'It's an expensive show to make, as far as reality shows go, and budgets have been tightened.' The hit series originally featured Ant Middleton as Head Instructor from 2015 to 2021. Since his departure, Mark "Billy" Billingham has taken over that position. Other Directing Staff (DS) includes Jason "Foxy" Fox, Rudy Reyes and Chris Oliver.
