Cadets suspended in defence scandal

A probe has been launched into alleged cadet misconduct from the Australian Defence Force Academy. Source: AAP

SEVEN Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) cadets have been suspended and more could follow for "drunken stupidity" around a Canberra nightspot.

Revealing the latest scandal, Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin said defence had made clear that unacceptable conduct would not be tolerated but there was still a minority who "just don't get it".

Similarly, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, whose reviews following the 2011 ADFA "Skype" sex scandal form the basis of defence's efforts to reform its culture, acknowledged more work was needed.

"While cultural progress has been made, there is clearly much more to do," she said.

This latest episode comes a week after it was revealed a group of long-serving soldiers were under investigation for producing and distributing offensive material and imagery including filmed sex acts.

Air Marshal Binskin said the last episode involved male cadets and midshipmen (naval officer cadets) behaving "contrary to the values and standards expected of ADF members and our future leaders".

Seven have been suspended and others could follow.

"Enough is enough. People who exhibit unacceptable conduct need to understand their actions will have consequences and we will not tolerate what is alleged to have happened here," he said.

He provided scant details of the alleged misconduct.

However a defence source said male cadets mostly associated with the ADFA rugby team had engaged in "drunken stupidity" and "quasi-initiation" rituals in and around a Canberra nightspot.

"The point is there was no women, no sex and no violence," the source said.

Neither were police involved.

But it does not appear to have been a one-off event.

Air Marshal Binskin said it had been going on for "less than a year".

It came to light through the moral courage of a number of ADFA cadets who came forward to report it.

"So I actually think that is demonstrating a good culture which is developing in ADFA," he said.

After the 2011 ADFA "Skype scandal", when a male cadet filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and had the imagery streamed live to his mates in a nearby room, defence embarked on broad-ranging reforms.

Air Marshal Binskin said the ADF would not accept conduct that contradicts defence values.

"Individuals involved will be treated fairly but I and the rest of the Defence senior leadership will not apologise for the decisive actions we are taking in dealing with these matters."

Opposition defence personnel spokesman Stuart Robert said this raised some serious matters over the conduct of certain ADFA cadets and midshipmen.

"There is absolutely no place in the ADF for those personnel who continue to act in a manner contrary to the core values of the ADF and in the face of the reform already underway," he said in a statement.

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Guard shoots Jew dead at Jerusalem wall

AN Israeli security guard has shot dead a Jewish visitor at Jerusalem's Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, mistaking him for a Palestinian militant, police say.

"He for some reason shouted 'Allahu Akbar'," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP on Friday, referring to the Islamic phrase.

"A security guard drew his weapon and fired several shots at the suspect... He died from his wounds a few moments ago."

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India monsoon floods kill 120 people

MILITARY helicopters have carried out emergency food drops for thousands of people stranded by flash flooding from early monsoon rains which have killed at least 120 people in northern India, officials say.

The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed torrential rains at least three times as heavy as usual since last week when the annual monsoon broke a fortnight ahead of schedule.

Thousands of houses have been swept away in the flash floods and authorities are using helicopters to evacuate people and drop essential food supplies.

"At least 110 people have died. The state government and the army are trying to rescue thousands of tourists who are stranded near the submerged valleys and Hindu shrines," said Jaspal Arya, the disaster relief minister of Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

Arya said portions of a Hindu temple were washed away on Tuesday and about 10,000 pilgrims were stranded.

"The Kedarnath temple is submerged in mud and slush. We just hope that it does not collapse," Arya told AFP.

Authorities have cancelled pilgrimage trips, fearing further rains and landslides in the state, often referred to as the "Land of the Gods" because of its many Hindu temples and Hindu religious sites.

Officials in Uttarakhand, the worst-hit state, said about 200 cars, two earthmoving equipment and even a parked helicopter had been swept away by floods.

The torrential rains began lashing the region on Saturday and local officials said 40 relief camps have been set up to provide food and water to locals and tourists.

On Tuesday, 250 people were rescued by air force helicopters from different parts of the state and many were moved to the relief camps.

"But many are still stuck and it could take us three more days to rescue all of them, Arya added.

According to Uttarakhand chief secretary Subash Kumar 21 bridges have collapsed in the state. "We have lost access to several villages across the state."

In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, flash floods destroyed more than 500 houses and government buildings and at least 10 people were killed in landslides.

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Bono enjoys lunch with Obama family

U2 singer Bono (pic) has shared lunch with US First Lady Michelle Obama at his favourite Dublin pub. Source: AAP

IRISH rocker Bono has enjoyed a very special lunch date after inviting US First Lady Michelle Obama to join him for lunch at his favourite local pub.

The U2 frontman and his wife Ali closed down Finnegan's of Dalkey in his native Dublin for the private event as Obama and her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, arrived for the meal, but they weren't alone - around 60 other guests were also in attendance for the luncheon.

Dishes on the menu included fish and chips, cottage pie and smoked bacon, and the owners of the family-run pub even made an extra effort to make the Obamas feel at home by hanging an American flag above the main entrance.

Addressing the high-profile lunch meeting, Bono says, "We talked about everything and nothing. It was a family lunch."

US President Barack Obama was not in attendance at the meal as he was meeting with world leaders at the G8 summit in neighbouring Northern Ireland.

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