For 12 weeks, Tom Kean hasn't shown up to work.

He hasn't explained why he's been away, or even said where he is.

But because of his job, there's no way to sack him, force him back into the office or replace him, at least until November.

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It's because Kean is a US congressman, representing a swing seat when his party holds the narrowest majority.

Since mid-March, Kean has not faced the media, appeared on camera, gone to the office or done any public events.

His staff have told the media he has a medical condition, but have not disclosed what it is.

But his public spending disclosures revealed he or someone in his office claimed travel expenses for three rideshare trips in San Francisco last month, the other side of the country from his home district.

He has also been trading stocks in his absence from the office.

When his father was asked why Kean had not been seen in weeks, he replied: "There's no cameras where Tom is."

"He has seen more than one doctor, and he's under a doctor's care," Kean Snr told NJ.com.

"All the doctors say he's gonna be fine. But it's gonna take some time."

But last week Republican officials in his state of New Jersey began receiving phone calls from Kean, offering a proof-of-life but no details as to his condition.

"I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I'll return to voting and to the campaign trail," he told the New Jersey Globe.

Kean is in for a difficult race no matter what.

His district in New Jersey is one of the closest in the country, with Kean eking out narrow victories in 2022 and 2024. He lost his first bid for Congress in 2020 by only a few thousand votes.

Long before his mysterious disappearance, Kean was a top target for Democrats.

His absence is odd but entirely permissible under US law.

Members of Congress don't answer to anybody but their voters, and in between elections there is no mechanism to force them to show up to work.

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Florida Democrat Frederica Wilson missed a full month of votes, though her social media accounts were reposting photos as if she was busy at work.

She revealed last week she had been recovering from eye surgery and was unable to fly "under my doctors' orders".

The 83-year-old is planning on running for re-election.

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Vivid Sydney has been forced to cancel its centrepiece drone show for multiple nights, blaming "technical difficulties" after drones were seen falling out of the sky.

Nearly 90 drones plummeted into the harbour during the early show last night, sparking comments on social media.

A Vivid spokesperson said the 7.30pm Star-Bound show was called off, and the 9.30pm edition was also cancelled along with both shows today and tomorrow to allow for a "full technical and safety review".

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Organisers blamed "unforeseen technical difficulties" for the mishaps in the earlier show.

"Monday's 7.30pm Vivid Sydney 'Star-Bound' drone show was cancelled due to unforeseen technical difficulties at the start of the performance. We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees," the spokesperson said.

"The specialist operators identified a technical issue and made the decision to safely discontinue the show in line with standard safety protocols.

"Public safety is always the number one priority and a full assessment is now underway with the specialist operators and relevant government agencies advising on next steps."

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https://x.com/Taraustralis/status/2058853168621207887

SKYMAGIC, the operator leading the drone show, said in a statement that 89 drones landed in the water around Cockle Bay due to "an unforeseen change in the radio frequency (RF) environment occurring after take-off".

"This anomaly caused a number of drones in the fleet to enact failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy."

"The pilot team encountering the issue immediately performed a stop command rendering the fleet stationary in the air, enabling time to safely assess the issue.

"Once stability had been evaluated, the team then activated the return to home protocol bringing the unaffected drones to a safe landing," SKYMAGIC said in a statement.

The festival, which kicked off on Sunday night, showcases light installations, music performances, food and other experiences.

This year is a comeback for the drone show, which proved so wildly popular in 2024 that it was cancelled last year due to safety concerns. There was also criticism from some attendees that the show was underwhelming.

Sunday night's 7.30pm edition of the drone show had to be cancelled due to rain, but the 9.30pm edition went ahead without a hitch.

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A pair of famous chimney stacks, which defined the architecture of Liddell Power Station in the NSW Hunter Valley for 52 years, have now been reduced to rubble.

Energy giant AGL orchestrated a controlled demolition of the pair of 168-metre chimneys as the site undergoes a major demolition and redevelopment.

AGL hosted a livestream of the demolition and hundreds of people watched in real-time as the structures crumbled to the ground after explosives were detonated at the base.

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The chimneys came crashing down a little after 11am today.

The rest of the station will be demolished following the twin chimney blast.

The New England Highway was closed temporarily ahead of the detonation.

Liddell Power Station was opened near Muswellbrook in 1971.

The coal-fired power station was then decommissioned in April 2023 after 52 years and early demolition began in early 2024.

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Over the past 18 months, the site has been slowly cleaned out and disconnected.

"The demolition of the Liddell Power Station is a large and complex project that will be executed by a specialist team following years of planning," AGL said.

The site will be redeveloped by AGL into a new industrial energy hub, which will include a 500 MW grid-scale battery.

Over half of the employees at the Liddell site were transfered to AGL's Bayswater location, while the remaining staff have either left the company or transitioned into retirement.

Liddell electrical tradesperson Jackson Channon said Liddell's demolition has been "bittersweet" for his colleagues and family.

"My grandfather drove one of the trucks when they were building Liddell, and my parents worked here – this place has meant a lot to my family, and for the people who work here, it's like a community of mates," he said.

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Millions of Australians will feel some welcome relief with power bills to drop in the second half of the year.

The Australian Energy Regulator has handed down its final default market offer for south-east Queensland, NSW, and South Australia.

Residential addresses will see prices fall in NSW (by 3.4 to 5 per cent) and south-east Queensland (by 7.2 per cent), while South Australia is bucking the trend with a 1.4 per cent increase.

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That's an average of $66 to $137 off the bill for NSW residents, and a $155 drop for Queensland, alongside a $33 increase for South Australia.

But small businesses in all three zones will enjoy a discount, of 9 to 11.3 per cent ($432 to $705) in NSW, 10.4 per cent in south-east Queensland ($445), and 6.8 per cent ($379) in South Australia.

The bill relief will kick in from July 1 this year.

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Victoria also received welcome news yesterday, with flat rate plans to drop by 3 to 8 eight per cent, saving a typical household between $50 and $160 a year.

The average saving is estimated to be a five per cent drop, or $84.

But experts have reminded consumers that default offers are a "safeguard price" for consumers who choose to not shop around, and there may still be cheaper options out there.

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"I would urge electricity customers to use today's news to shop around for a better energy deal," iSelect comparison expert Sophie Ryan said.

Sophie said a failure to shop around for the best deal could be "costing Aussies dearly" and said consumers should review their plan.

"New prices take effect 1 July 2026, coinciding with the introduction of a new Solar Sharer Offer, giving smart meter households three hours of free electricity in the middle of the day – an opt-in opportunity to cut bills further by shifting usage like washing machines, EV charging or air conditioning to off-peak solar hours," she said.

Canstar found that the bill relief was driven partially by a fall in energy wholesale costs, despite the ongoing global fuel crisis.

It also costs less to deliver power to people's homes, and environmental costs have nearly halved.

Rain is on the way for every state and territory over the coming days, with some parts of south-eastern Australia expected to receive a drenching.

The mix of multiple low-pressure systems and upper-level cooler air is providing ideal conditions for wet, stormy and windy weather, reports weather data firm Weatherzone.

The unstable conditions took hold in South Australia, Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the southern Northern Territory early this week.

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The rain is forecast to intensify across eastern Australia by Friday, before further showers spread over south-eastern states over the weekend.

Weather modelling suggests eastern and northern NSW and eastern Tasmania having a strong chance of heavy rain and potential flooding. Parts of the ACT, eastern Victoria and southern Queensland also have the possibility of major falls.

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In addition to the wet conditions, there is a warning of stronger winds and hazardous waves off the coast of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

The Bureau of Meteorology today issued a hazardous surf warning for the Byron, Coffs, Macquarie and Hunter coasts in northern NSW.

Western Australia won't be spared the wet and stormy weather either.

The damp conditions will make their impact from tomorrow when rain, thunderstorms and blustery winds are expected in the state's south-west.

Later in the week, a complex low-pressure system is forecast, with a strong chance of heavy rain, damaging winds and severe thunderstorms.

Victoria has approved what's touted to become the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, clearing the way for a massive renewable energy project despite fierce opposition from locals.

The proposed Warracknabeal Energy Park will span about 26,000 hectares of the state's north-west and is slated to include up to 219 turbines. It could supply enough power for 1.2 million homes.

But the windfarm has ignited furious pushback on the ground, with community groups and farmers warning it will devastate the region's identity.

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Grassroots opponents argue the state government has largely dismissed the environmental and community impacts.

Wimmera Mallee Environmental and Agricultural Protection Association president Ross Johns was born and bred in Warracknabeal and attended all 19 days of the planning inquiry.

Johns claimed there were "glaring omissions" in the final approval and that the minister had ignored key planning panel recommendations, citing the rejection of guidelines on meteorological towers and sound emission levels.

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"This is completely unreasonable and has not protected Australia's best interests," he said.

Among his other concerns are the infrastructure demands required to get it off the ground.

"There are 144,800 truck movements needed to build the project …  that will completely destroy rural roads."

For those who have watched the town change over decades, the sprawling wind farm arrives at a time of economic anxiety.

Among them is one local, who has decided to remain anonymous, whose family has lived in Warracknabeal for generations.

Having witnessed a steady downturn firsthand, he said the town's vulnerability had the community on edge.

"I am very invested in this town, but the decline many of us have seen over the years is undeniable," he said. "There have never been so many closed shops. We are even losing our local doctor, who is moving to Ballarat."

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He noted that this economic stagnation had fuelled a massive political swing toward One Nation and cleared the path for what he described as "economically suicidal" local opposition.

"There is a severe lack of local counter-arguments to the massive misinformation being pushed out here regarding health effects, or claims that renewables simply don't work," he said.

Yarriambiack Shire Council said the approval came with a strict series of conditions covering biodiversity, water management, bushfire planning, traffic, cultural heritage, and environmental mitigation measures.

Mayor Andrew McLean described it as "a significant project not just for Yarriambiack, but for the state's energy transition plan". However, he stressed that the long-term impacts on agriculture and the local environment must be carefully managed.

While the council noted some concerns had been addressed – including water quality monitoring, road management responsibilities, and consultation with CFA brigades – it said several major issues remained unresolved, such as turbine setback distances and aviation safety hazards near Warracknabeal Airport.

The anonymous resident argued that the resistance was less about the turbines' physical footprint and more about what they represented to a changing community.

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"Wind turbines and solar farms are visually associated with progressive politics, climate activism, and urban, elite values," he said.

"Conversely, coal, gas, and traditional grid infrastructure are associated with rural work, energy independence, and 'the way things were'."

"Opposing a wind farm isn't just about the wind farm – it's a way of resisting a worldview and a sense that rural communities are being remade to serve urban climate goals."

Despite the blowback, supporters maintain that such initiatives are critical as Australia moves to decommission its ageing coal-fired power fleet.

Monash University electrical and computer systems engineering Professor Behrooz Bahrani said investing in renewables is vital for national grid stability.

"Projects of this scale are important because Australia's electricity system needs large volumes of clean energy to replace ageing fossil fuel generation," Bahrani said.

"The more important question now is how these projects are integrated into the power system, including their connection design, control systems, storage integration, and ability to support the grid during disturbances."

The Warracknabeal Energy Park will still require federal environmental approval before construction can begin.

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A much-loved father, husband and spearfisher has been identified as the victim of a horror shark attack off the coast of Far North Queensland.

Michael Jensz, 39, was enjoying his lifelong passion of spearfishing with mates when he was mauled by a shark off the Cassowary Coast, about 160 kilometres south of Cairns, about 12pm yesterday.

Jensz's three friends watched on helplessly as he was attacked in the water.

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The Cairns man was brought back to shore for treatment by paramedics waiting at the Hull River boat ramp but he died of his injuries on the jetty.

Jensz, who was a keen hunter, is survived by his children and wife Lisa.

The species of shark that killed Jensz is still yet to be identified.

Charter boat operator Gererd Pike claimed he saw several aggressive bull sharks earlier in the day in the area where the attack happened.

Kennedy Shoal, where the attack took place, is popular with spearfishers.

The deadly attack has renewed a debate over whether culling should be used to curb the population growth.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter joined the chorus and said he would urgently advocate in parliament for changes to controlled culling in Queensland in the wake of the "heartbreaking tragedy".

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"Human beings are being sacrificed for ideology. There's no other way you can interpret what is going on," Katter told 9News.

"But every time we raise safer waterways, we are lectured by public servants and activists who have never spent five minutes in the water north of Mackay," he said in an earlier statement on Facebook.

The Queensland government uses nets and drumlines to manage the shark population in the state.

Conservation groups and environmentalists have argued against expanding this to active culling and have campaigned for modern, non-lethal measures instead.

Jensz's death marks Australia's third fatal shark attack this year.

In January, a 12-year-old Sydney boy Nico Antic died after an attack by a suspected bull shark near Shark Bay in Vaucluse.

And last week, a 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni was killed off Rottnest Island in Western Australia after being attacked by a great white shark.

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A second cohort of so-called ISIS brides is expected to soon arrive in Australia from Syria, with at least six women and their children set to touch down in Sydney tomorrow.

The group of six women and their 14 children are due to land in Sydney tomorrow afternoon after they left the Al-Roj detention camp in Syria late last week and headed to Damascus. 

Some of the women could potentially face arrest, after domestic charges were laid against three Islamic State-linked brides who landed in Australia earlier this month.

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One woman who has been living in the Syrian camp is not allowed to fly to Australia after the federal government imposed a temporary exclusion order.

An exclusion order bans a person from entering Australia for two years on national security grounds, even if they are an Australian citizen.

The federal government has insisted it has not assisted any of the women in their repatriation and has said security agencies have been actively monitoring any IS-linked citizens.

The earlier cohort of four women and nine children arrived back in Australia earlier in May after leaving the same camp in Syria.

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One of the women was arrested and charged with terror offences, including charges of entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation, after arriving in Sydney.

A further two women were arrested in Melbourne and charged with slavery offences allegedly committed during their time in Syria. 

The brides who followed their ISIS partners to Syria more than a decade ago have faced a long journey in their return to Australia.

The women and their children have been held in refugee camps in north-eastern Syria for years, following the collapse of ISIS, and recently failed in an attempt to leave the camp for Australia earlier this year.

Australia repatriated two other groups of women and children who were living in the Al Roj camp in 2019 and 2022.

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Guzman y Gomez is facing a class action lawsuit in the US over allegations it failed to give its employees enough notice after shutting down operations.

The lawsuit claims more than 500 workers were impacted after the news of the company exiting the US market was accidentally leaked in an internal memo.

Chicago-based law firm Haseeb Legal shared excerpts of the class action filed in the US federal district court, which director of corporate operations and culinary Scott Bayne posted in the staff communication platform used by the company on Thursday evening local time.

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"After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to exit the US market. This means we will be closing all our restaurants from today," the message said.

Under US law, employees must be given at least 60 days' notice in writing before their employment at the business is terminated.

Haseeb Legal has set up a website where people who have been impacted can sign up and receive updates on the progress of the lawsuit.

The website suggests some employees were informed via an email on the WorkVivo app.

A spokesperson for Guzman y Gomez said the company was aware of the legal action.

"We are confident we have met all of our legal obligations to our US employees," the spokesperson told nine.com.au.

"We are not in a position to provide further comment on this matter."

The chain announced its shutdown last week in an announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange, saying it was shutting its Chicago-based restaurants with "immediate effect".

"Having spent the last 3 months in the US, I realised this was going to take significantly more time and capital than we had expected," founder and CEO Steve Marks said in the statement.

"The financial performance of the US business has not been acceptable and is not meeting targeted hurdles."

It comes as the company's share price plummeted earlier in the year due to the struggles of the expansion into the USA, a crowded market for Mexican-style fast food.

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After lower-than-expected profits in the first half of the financial year, the company's value dropped 10 per cent, or $200 million.

Investors received the news of Guzman Y Gomez's exit from the US market positively, with its share price soaring 20 per cent on Friday, and it has risen by 14 per cent in the last five days.

Marks said the company was now looking to consolidate its expansion in Australia, and focusing on its outlets in Asian nations like Japan and Singapore.

"We have a long runway ahead of us in Australia as we progress towards our long-term target of 1000 restaurants," he said last week.

‘The mum was still lying in bed while the fire was getting bigger and bigger.’