source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=8709502339094581

group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/auroraaustralia

EDIT: Apparently you're going to want to see some red on the map here: https://seetheaurora.com/live-data

In short:

Two pro-Palestinian events planned for Sydney this long weekend have been confirmed as going ahead.

Earlier this week, NSW Police applied to the state's Supreme Court to prohibit the events out of safety concerns.

Outside the NSW Supreme Court today, following the hearing, organisers said police chose to withdraw their application to prohibit the protest.

NOTE: The location has changed, and the rally will now start at Hyde Park.

In short:

Decades after it was dropped, a World War II American bomb has detonated in Japan.

Video shows the moment the bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport, throwing dirt and asphalt high into the sky.

What's next?

More than 80 flights were cancelled but no one was injured, with regular service at the airport expected to resume on Thursday.

Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israel on Tuesday was larger, more complex and involved more advanced weapons than the strikes in April, experts say, putting greater stress on missile defences and allowing more warheads to get through.

Keolis Downer bungle forces Newcastle bus fleet offline as registrations lapse

By Simon McCarthy

Updated October 2 2024 - 6:16pm, first published 6:08pm

Newcastle transport operator Keolis Downer has blamed an administrative error after the registration of a significant number of its Newcastle bus fleet was allowed to expire on Monday, September 30, forcing much of the city's fleet offline on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the operator, which runs just shy of 200 buses in Newcastle, apologised to travellers on the network on Wednesday afternoon after buses were suddenly recalled from service to the depots on Tuesday when the issue came to light.

Keolis Downer insisted on Wednesday that the fleet had recently passed all required safety checks and that, as of October 2, its entire fleet was back online and operating as normal.

"All vehicles are now registered. We have reviewed our processes to ensure this will not happen again," the spokesperson said in a brief statement. "We are very sorry for the impact this issue caused our customers."

The operator did not specify the number of buses included in the lapse on Wednesday, but the Newcastle Herald understands that as much as half the local fleet was affected.

Keolis Downer won a 10-year contract in 2016 to run the city's buses, the Stockton ferry and the Newcastle light rail. Still, earlier this year, the transport worker's union pushed the state government to return the public transport network to "public hands", citing a decline in bus service quality since privatisation.

"Privatising Newcastle's bus network has been a complete disaster. Commuters have had to deal with inferior services while drivers have had to fight for decent pay and conditions from Keolis Downer," Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary Toby Warnes told the Herald in July.

Since it took over in 2017, Keolis Downer has changed routes and timetables, which has sparked complaints from some passengers, and a 10,000-signature petition was tabled in Parliament in 2018.

The Minns government established a bus industry task force last year to examine the effects of privatisation and recommend improvements.

A report by the task force published in February identified four Hunter routes as "short-term" priorities - Charlestown to Newcastle via Jesmond and Newcastle University; Cameron Park to Newcastle via New Lambton; Cessnock to East Maitland; and Mimmi to Newcastle via Wallsend.

Officer Kenneth Franco drew on his "twelve hours of narcotics training" and discovered the facility was using more electricity than nearby stores, the lawsuit said.

"Officer Franco, therefore, concluded (the facility) was cultivating cannabis, disregarding the fact that it is a diagnostic facility utilizing an MRI machine, X-ray machine and other heavy medical equipment -- unlike the surrounding businesses selling flowers, chocolates and children's merchandise," the suit said.

Disregarding a sign warning that metal objects should be kept well away, one officer wandered near the machine "dangling a rifle in his right hand," the lawsuit said.

"Expectedly, the magnetic force of the MRI machine attracted the LAPD officer's loose rifle, securing it to the machine," the suit said.

Instead of seeking expert advice on how to retrieve the weapon, one officer decided to activate the emergency shutdown button.

"This action caused the MRI's magnet to rapidly lose superconductivity, leading to the evaporation of approximately 2,000 liters of helium gas and resulting in extensive damage to the MRI machine," the suit said.

The officer then retrieved his gun, but left a magazine full of bullets on the floor of the MRI office, the suit says.

In short:

A joint statement from a group of countries, including the United States, France, and Australia, called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border to provide space for diplomacy.

Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati publicly threw his support behind the plan, which he said "would put an end to this dirty war".

What's next?

Senior US security officials expect Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally accept the plan when he speaks at the UN General Assembly on Friday.

EDIT:

This article has since been updated...

New headline: 'Netanyahu rejects international call for immediate 21-day ceasefire across Israel-Lebanon border'

New summary:

In short:

A group of countries, including the United States, France, and Australia, have called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border to provide space for diplomacy.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati has publicly thrown his support behind the plan, which he said "would put an end to this dirty war".

What's next?

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says reports of an imminent ceasefire are incorrect, saying he "did not even respond" to the ceasefire proposal and has instructed the IDF to keep fighting with full force.

• Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/property-investors-fear-forced-sales-under-negative-gearing-changes-20240925-p5kdju.html
• archive.is snapshot: https://archive.is/y99nH

The corporate media wasting no time on the fear campaign...