News and politics live updates: Telstra CFO Michael Ackland ‘deeply sorry’, reveals scale of Triple-0 outage

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce suggested in a Sky News interview that China could be behind the disruptions.

It comes after China launched a sea-based missile in the South Pacific after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a pact with Fiji.

“I don’t want to be paranoid or a conspiracy theorist but we know there is the capacity for people to affect, for China to affect that sort of software and that sort of network,” he said.

“I think it’s an issue that needs to be cleared up.”

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume on Wednesday stressed it was important to wait for further explanation from Telstra before speculating on the cause.

A nationwide Telstra outage has disrupted mobile services across Australia, leaving some customers unable to make calls, send texts or access data, while authorities warn some users may also be unable to reach Triple Zero.

Police have urged Australians not to test emergency services and instead use another provider, a landline or Wi-Fi calling if they are unable to connect to 000 from a Telstra device.

Telstra says around 90 per cent of services have been restored nearly six hours after the outage began, but has not confirmed what caused the disruption or when all customers will be back online. The outage continues to impact some services, including V/Line communications.

Telstra CFO Michael Ackland said welfare checks had been carried out where required and insisted Australians could still have confidence in the country’s largest telecommunications network.

Questions remain over whether affected customers will receive compensation, with the telco yet to outline any reimbursement plans.

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Police have warned Telstra customers may be unable to reach Triple Zero as a major outage disrupts the telecommunications network across parts of Australia.

NSW Police said the Triple Zero system itself remained operational, but some Telstra users may be unable to connect.

“If you try to call triple zero and can’t get through, we recommend using another device, a landline or Wi-Fi calling,” a spokesperson said.

WA Police issued a similar warning, urging affected customers without access to another phone to make arrangements with a neighbour, family member or friend to ensure they can contact emergency services if needed.

Pauline Hanson has shared a glimpse inside her UK visit, revealing she caught up with former Neighbours star and conservative political backer Holly Valance during a day out in England.

The One Nation leader said the pair visited Blenheim Palace in Woodstock for a private tour before stopping at The Farmer’s Dog for lunch and “a few of Jeremy’s beers”.

Senator Hanson teased that she also has “some big meetings lined up this week” and said she would reveal more about those discussions later.

The seven-time champion outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime across a quarter-finals match that stretched more than five hours.

The 39-year-old was pushed to five sets by his Canadian opponent,

The Serbian will now face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals as he chases a 25th grand slam title.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the agreements with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.

In announcing the deal with Denmark, Mr Zelenskiy said the agreement “opens up greater opportunities for joint defence production, the exchange of expertise, and transparency in weapons exports”.

Kyiv has now clinched nine such accords.

​Read the full story here. ​

US military strikes underway against targets in Iran are “not proportional,” a US official told CNN.

US Central Command says it has responded to recent Iranian attacks on cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

“This is punishment,” the official said.

“It won’t be over for a bit.”

More than 7000 users have reported problems with Telstra.

At 6.37am on Wednesday, website Downdetector indicated that 7649 users were having issues.

It appears that they were first reported around 4am and are mostly impacting mobile signal and internet.

However, some users have said broadband internet has been impacted too.

There have been reports of issues in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and locations in Victoria.

One commenter on Downdetector said they were not able to contact triple zero.

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Explosions have reportedly been heard across southern Iran after the US ordered fresh strikes on Iranian targets, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Iranian state media said blasts were heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, after US Central Command accused Iran of firing on three commercial ships off the coast of Oman.

The United States has launched a series of military strikes against Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, marking a sharp escalation in tensions across the Middle East.

In a statement, US Central Command said the strikes were intended to impose “heavy costs” on Iran following what it described as “unwarranted” attacks on civilian shipping in international waters.

Washington said the attacks violated the ceasefire and vowed to respond decisively, with further developments expected as the situation unfolds.