The Telstra outage is a stark reminder of the widespread effects of single-system failures 08. July 2026 (08:54) The network disruption – which brought trains, traffic lights and Eftpos payments to a halt – raises questions about the resilience of servicesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWednesday’s national Telstra mobile outage serves as another stark reminder of how reliant on connectivity Australia now is, and how single points of failure can have widespread consequences across the country.The nearly five-hour outage – which brought train lines to a halt, affected traffic lights, stopped Eftpos payments and even prevented people being able to charge their electric vehicles – was caused by what Telstra’s chief financial officer, Michael Ackland, said was time-keeping servers that feed up-to-date information to the rest of the network. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Britons to buy 8m mini fans this year – but almost half will end up in landfill 08. July 2026 (08:00) Shoppers urged to seek quality products or alternatives as data shows demand surpassing least year’s totalBritons are expected to buy nearly 8m mini fans this year as they are “surging on to the market” in the hot weather – but almost half of those are expected to be low-quality products that end up in landfill within a year.Waste managers and recycling campaigners have raised concerns as the number of online searches for electrically powered handheld fans, which sell for as little as £2, has already surpassed that seen in the whole of 2025 in the first six months of this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US strikes target Iranian military boats 08. July 2026 (07:42) The US has launched the strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.(BBC News)
Search under way after Boeing 737 cargo plane goes missing off Pakistan coast 08. July 2026 (07:37) Early flight data showed the K2 Airways plane with five crew on board possibly crashed into the sea southwest of KarachiA Pakistan-registered Boeing 737 cargo plane with five crew members on board lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system problem on its way to Karachi, Pakistan aviation authorities said.Early flight data indicated the 27-year-old converted freighter operated by K2 Airways from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates possibly crashed into the sea southwest of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes, before a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
