Latest news with #turfwar
ABC News
11-08-2025
- ABC News
Three shootings and arson in suburban Perth potentially linked to organised crime
A string of shootings and fires targeted at tobacco stores in Perth's suburbs are part of a potential turf war racket of "arson and extortion", detectives say. WA Police detectives are probing three shootings and two fires which occurred over the past three days. Two of the incidents occurred at the same smoke shop on Cecil Avenue in Cannington, south of Perth, in the early hours of Saturday morning. Police say the first shooting occurred about 1:10am, when two shots penetrated the store's metal roller shutter and a glass window. Two off-road motorcycles were observed nearby at the time, which were seen crossing Albany Highway into bushland. Police received reports of the same store being shot at again the following morning, around 4am, by two people in a black sedan. A vehicle parked outside the store, which had a 27-year-old security guard inside, was also shot at. Police say both the building and the car were damaged in the shooting, but the man was unharmed and is assisting with the investigation. Later on Sunday morning, a pub adjacent to a tobacco store at a shopping complex in Ballajura was targeted in broad daylight about 9am. Police say gunshots damaged a window and vehicle. The alleged offenders returned to the same shopping complex on Monday and set fire to another store, just metres away from the pub, according to police. The same store was targeted by arson attacks on two separate occasions earlier this year in January and July. In another incident around 2am on Monday, alleged offenders forced their way into another store on Pipit Close in Huntingdale, south of Perth, and set fire to the premises. WA Police Commander Gordon Fairman said he believed all of the incidents were linked. "Over the last six months there's been an escalation of violence against tobacco businesses in Perth. "We've seen the level of violence in other jurisdictions and we are throwing everything we have at this investigation to make sure they do not escalate any further in Perth." On Sunday, Acting Superintendent, Eamon Flanagan, said the serious and organised crime division has thrown significant resources at the investigation. He said there was no evidence to suggest the targeted store owner is involved in the illicit tobacco industry. "We do have a number of suspects," he said. The same Cannington smoke shop was the target of another incident about a month ago when a vehicle attempted to ram-raid the premises. Two people were charged in relation to that incident. Premier Roger Cook said the state government's new gun laws, which are in the process of being implemented, would help reduce the risk posed by firearms in the community. "The ongoing risks associated with gun violence, the only way we can get on top of that is the full implementation of our gun laws," he said. "They're the biggest reform of Western Australia's gun laws in over two decades."
Daily Telegraph
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
NRL news: AFL club Gold Coast Suns' ugly swipe at Gold Coast Titans ruffles feathers with social media troll reigniting code war
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News. A turf war has been sparked after the Gold Coast Suns took an unprovoked swipe at NRL cellar dwellers and local rivals the Gold Coast Titans. Last weekend, as the Titans were beaten by the Panthers in controversial fashion, the Suns decided to pile on to their Gold Coast counterparts, a move that, according to Code Sports, has created a rift between the two clubs. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Last Saturday, the NRL and AFL rivals both played home games. The Titans were beaten 30-26 by the Panthers in golden point, and were on the end of several tough calls, namely trainer-gate, where a crucial conversion was interrupted by a Panthers trainer. Titans goalkicker Jayden Campbell would go on to miss the conversion, a moment that proved crucial as moments later Nathan Cleary kicked a two-point field goal to send the game into golden point. You can watch the controversial moment in the player above Meanwhile, the Suns recorded a huge 84-point win against strugglers Richmond, as they continued their push for a maiden AFL finals spot in their 15th season. But despite their lack of success in the AFL, the Suns used their win and the Titans' misfortune to cash in on some cheap likes and views. Gold Coast Suns' Instagram post has created waves. The Suns posted to social media in the aftermath asking fans what the difference was between moustached players Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Titans) and Ben Long (Suns) is? The next slide said: 'Suns win (a trainer didn't wreck us)'. While it was undoubtedly meant as a joke, several Titans players and staff were left fuming, according to Code Sports. Gold Coast Suns' Instagram post asked fans what the difference was between moustached players Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Titans) and Ben Long (Suns)? The next slide said, 'Suns win'. The Titans refused to comment publicly on the matter, only posting an eyebrow raise emoji to the Suns' post, but several Titans NRLW players made comments on the Suns' post, giving it a sarcastic thumbs up. Fans weren't impressed either writing, 'this ain't it' and 'grow up'. 'This ain't it. Coming after the other team in town is just odd,' one fan commented. 'So unneccessary. Focus on playing a finals game first, what a joke of a club,' another wrote. The two clubs up until now have shared a close relationship, with each side praising the other on multiple occasions. That may no longer be the case. The Titans will face the Rabbitohs in what is being called the Spoon-Bowl on Sunday, while the Suns face 13th-place Carlton on Saturday. Originally published as 'This ain't it': Gold Coast Suns slammed for ugly low blow on NRL side Gold Coast Titans
News.com.au
08-08-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘This ain't it': Gold Coast Suns slammed for ugly low blow on NRL side Gold Coast Titans
A turf war has been sparked after the Gold Coast Suns took an unprovoked swipe at NRL cellar dwellers and local rivals the Gold Coast Titans. Last weekend, as the Titans were beaten by the Panthers in controversial fashion, the Suns decided to pile on to their Gold Coast counterparts, a move that, according to Code Sports, has created a rift between the two clubs. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Last Saturday, the NRL and AFL rivals both played home games. The Titans were beaten 30-26 by the Panthers in golden point, and were on the end of several tough calls, namely trainer-gate, where a crucial conversion was interrupted by a Panthers trainer. Titans goalkicker Jayden Campbell would go on to miss the conversion, a moment that proved crucial as moments later Nathan Cleary kicked a two-point field goal to send the game into golden point. You can watch the controversial moment in the player above Meanwhile, the Suns recorded a huge 84-point win against strugglers Richmond, as they continued their push for a maiden AFL finals spot in their 15th season. But despite their lack of success in the AFL, the Suns used their win and the Titans' misfortune to cash in on some cheap likes and views. The Suns posted to social media in the aftermath asking fans what the difference was between moustached players Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Titans) and Ben Long (Suns) is? The next slide said: 'Suns win (a trainer didn't wreck us)'. While it was undoubtedly meant as a joke, several Titans players and staff were left fuming, according to Code Sports. The Titans refused to comment publicly on the matter, only posting an eyebrow raise emoji to the Suns' post, but several Titans NRLW players made comments on the Suns' post, giving it a sarcastic thumbs up. Fans weren't impressed either writing, 'this ain't it' and 'grow up'. 'This ain't it. Coming after the other team in town is just odd,' one fan commented. 'So unneccessary. Focus on playing a finals game first, what a joke of a club,' another wrote. The two clubs up until now have shared a close relationship, with each side praising the other on multiple occasions. That may no longer be the case. The Titans will face the Rabbitohs in what is being called the Spoon-Bowl on Sunday, while the Suns face 13th-place Carlton on Saturday.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Those who object to music events shutting off parks are branded nimbys. But this time, I'm on their side
A grassy south London oasis erupted into a turf war this week. From Monday, visitors to Brockwell Park would have seen calling cards left by both sides. The provocation? A sturdy 3-metre-high boundary fence, encircling large swathes of the 50-hectare (125-acre) stretch that has been designated for music festivals this summer. Daubed on the structure were signs of discord: graffitied messages in stark white lettering. 'You fucked our park,' read one. 'We fucked your wall.' Brockwell is now the hottest front in a conflict that has started to rear its head in the capital every summer. A week ago, it made the front pages in the form of a bombshell high court ruling against Lambeth council. The authority responsible for the park lost a case brought by Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), a group of local residents and park users who argued that the council had not obtained the proper planning permissions for the back-to-back run of events scheduled to take place behind the boundary fence. It had used permitted development rules to rubber-stamp the events quickly, on the basis that they would only block off a substantial section of the park for 28 days. In reality, this wasn't true, the residents argued. Factoring in erecting and dismantling festival infrastructure, it was actually more like 37 days where public park access would be restricted. The council should have been subjecting these events to a full planning application process – including public consultation – before granting approval. The judge found in PBP's favour. Yet the festivals remained on the park's summer schedule. As the date of the first event – Wide Awake, an alternative music shindig headlined by the rappers Kneecap – approached, Lambeth rushed through a certificate of lawfulness, allowing for public comment, and on Friday the festival opened its gates. The clash has captured public imagination, igniting a now well-worn narrative of nimbys versus nightlife. The PBP campaigners are being cast by some as meddling, out-of-touch 'gentrifiers', akin to affluent folk moving into a buzzy area and immediately lobbying for a beloved local pub or scrappy independent music venue to shut down because they want to retire to bed by 10pm. As a left-leaning millennial, I'd normally be inclined to side with the festivals. After all, we must protect our endangered cultural sphere from further attacks. Except what is happening here isn't so clear-cut. Over the past few years, the city's parks have become increasingly available for hire. The London summer day festival, as in other cities, is now an institution and there has been a proliferation of commercial events concentrated in certain large parks: Victoria, Finsbury and Brockwell are top of the list. Behind every 'summer series' of festivals is an unhappy residents' group. People who live near to and rely on these green spaces feel they are being shut out of public land that should be for all of us to benefit from, in favour of what they perceive to be commercial interests. Many of the large events being objected to are not even remotely close to resembling the accessible, community space of a local pub. The heart of this issue seems to be how cash-strapped councils are becoming increasingly beholden to commercial interests to the detriment of the public. A weekend festival that welcomes 50,000 people can expect to raise about £500,000 for local authorities. Councils argue that this money goes back in the public purse, allowing them to continue funding free community events such as Lambeth's beloved Country Show, though there doesn't seem to be much transparency over exactly how much cash is raised or where it is allocated. But when you strip away the jargon, what is essentially happening is the privatisation of local parks. As well as concerns about the long-term impact on ecology, campaigners point out this often takes place in boroughs where many don't have access to private green space. In Lambeth, with its many flats, this counts for 60% of households. Adding salt to the wound for residents is the lack of opportunity for public interjection. In the neighbouring borough of Southwark, the council conducts consultations for events proposed for local parks. Residents have their say, and recently indicated their approval for a music festival in Southwark Park. No high court battles there. As for arguments about gentrifiers shutting down fun, they seem rather misplaced. The objectors are local people; the festivals are the interlopers, attracting tens of thousands of mostly young revellers who swoop in for the day (with daily ticket prices for the events starting from about £80), have their fun, then leave again. Complaints about such events may have once been the preserve of the nimby contingent, but the movement has grown in line with the increasing length and impact of the park takeovers. That's not to say the festivals have no benefit. They provide secure summer work in an increasingly unstable industry. Small businesses – such as food trucks serving attenders – obviously do well out of them. And they are undoubtedly popular – there's a reason big companies have snaffled up events such as Field Day and Mighty Hoopla. But the involvement of such corporations has kicked an existential threat into high gear. The ultimate issue is the way that private interests have managed to successfully position themselves as the gatekeepers of possibility. That cultural events can only happen if we sell off public space. That we can't maintain local services without money from private equity. That we should just accept the routine privatisation of taxpayer-funded assets as the price of having a good time. Is this a model we want to entrench? London may be ground zero, but what is happening here is likely to be the bellwether for cities across the UK in the coming years. Very few want to see the festivals scrapped altogether. But a worrying precedent is being set. One long-term Brixton resident, himself a dedicated organiser of parties, reluctantly conceded to me recently: 'I'd welcome smaller, better-managed events that don't disrupt access or damage the park and that benefit the borough. But this current situation has become unbearable.' Moya Lothian-McLean is associate editor at Mill Media
