2014 Sydney hostage crisis
After the siege began, a staged exclusion zone was established with thousands of people evacuated from nearby buildings, including from the floors above the café. The Sydney Opera House was evacuated after a suspicious package was found; however, reports were unconfirmed by police. The US Consulate General in Sydney, located in Martin Place, was also evacuated. Some Sydney schools were put in "white level lockout" due to the hostage situation, which meant that no school group was permitted to leave the school grounds.
HMAS Sydney (1912)
On the morning of 9 November, the communications station at Direction Island, in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands group, was captured by the German light cruiser . Before capture, the station was able to transmit an SOS, which was received by the troop convoy, and "Sydney" was ordered to investigate. "Emden"s wireless operators had overheard the distress call and the orders to "Sydney", and prepared to meet the Australian warship.