SYDNEY – Firefighters across Australia’s east coast are bracing for “catastrophic” fire conditions as temperatures across the country’s most populous state were set to soar. Many South African expats have reported fires burning near to where they now live, and some in New Zealand posted photos of the smoke from Australia clouding up their skies. […]

Australian firefighters have spent Sunday trying to contain bushfires as authorities warn that widespread fire danger on Tuesday will stretch their ability to protect people. Three have already perished since Friday. South Africans in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland are bracing themselves for worse conditions, as several fires rage across the Aussie states during […]

AUSTRALIA – Three people have died, four are missing and at least 150 homes have been destroyed as bushfires rage across eastern Australia, authorities said on Saturday. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) confirmed two people had been killed by a fire near Glen Innes, more than 550 km (340 miles) north […]

LOS ANGELES – Wind-whipped flames chased thousands of residents from some of Los Angeles’ wealthiest neighborhoods and threatened the famed Getty Center museum on Monday, the latest outbreak in a wildfire season that has triggered mass evacuations and power outages across California. The fire erupted in the vicinity of the Getty Center at around 1:30 […]

The murder investigation underway after the bodies of 39 people were tragically discovered in the back of a cargo truck in the UK, is ongoing. UPDATE SATURDAY 16h30 SA Time: On Thursday British police said the victims were Chinese, but today (Sat 26 Oct) it is now being reported that most of the victims were […]

It’s what parents have feared for years… Johnson & Johnson (J&J) said on Friday it is recalling around 33,000 bottles of baby powder in the United States after U.S. health regulators found trace amounts of asbestos in samples taken from a bottle purchased online. J&J shares fell more than 6% to close at $127.70. This […]

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Winger Kenki Fukuoka produced two pieces of individual brilliance as a high-paced Japan advanced to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals – where they’ll face South Africa next weekend – for the first time with a 28-21 victory over Scotland at Yokohama on Sunday. The win ensured Japan finished top of Pool A […]

TOKYO – Japan sent tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers on Sunday to save stranded residents and fight floods caused by one of the worst typhoons to hit the country in recent history, which killed 18 people and briefly paralyzed Tokyo. There were also 13 people missing, public broadcaster NHK said, as Typhoon […]

TOKYO – One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit Tokyo paralyzed the Japanese capital on Saturday, leaving millions confined indoors and streets deserted as fierce rain and wind killed two, flooded rivers and threatened widespread damage. And just after the storm hit, an earthquake also shook Tokyo. (See Update at bottom of page.) […]

TOKYO – Two men were killed, over 60 people were injured and more than six million people were advised to evacuate Tokyo in Japan as a powerful typhoon bore down on the Japanese capital on Saturday, bringing with it the heaviest rain and winds in 60 years. (UPDATED 16h30 SA time from 1 fatality to […]

LONDON – The doorbell rings to the tune of the British national anthem “God Save the Queen”, and Prince Harry opens the door to find Ed Sheeran on the threshold. Both men have red hair and beards. “It’s like looking in the mirror,” the prince quips before ushering the pop star inside. This is the […]

LONDON – Two female penguins are set to raise the first “gender neutral” chick, a London aquarium said on Wednesday, the latest same-sex penguin parents to take a furry baby under their wings. Rocky and Marama, who have been together for six breeding seasons, have adopted a four-month-old Gentoo chick that will be classified as […]

MIAMI – Hurricane Dorian spun across the Atlantic ocean toward Florida on Saturday, after growing into an even stronger Category 4 storm as residents and tourists alike hunkered down in one of America’s biggest vacation destinations (and home to many South African expats). Dorian – which is scheduled to make US landfall on Monday – […]

BRASILIA – Six states in Brazil’s Amazon region requested military help on Saturday to combat record fires that are tearing through the rainforest, provoking an international outcry because of the Amazon’s central role in combating global warming. The Amazon Rainforest – aka the “planet’s lungs” – produces 20% of the world’s oxygen. (Watch CNN’s video […]

BRASILIA – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday he may mobilize the army to help combat fires sweeping through the Amazon rainforest, as international condemnation and pressure mounted for tough action to quell the unfolding crisis. Having first dismissed the fires as natural, then blaming non-governmental organizations without evidence for lighting them, Bolsonaro struck […]

Nobel prize-winning author Tony Morrison passed away on Monday night, after a brief illness. She was, in the words of South Africa’s EFF, “a truth teller, a groundbreaking and visionary novelist, an essayist and a teacher”. Morrison’s publisher Alfred A. Knopf said in a statement on social media “We are profoundly sad to report that […]

A message to the American nation from its former president Barack Obama has gone viral on social media following the latest US shootings over the weekend, where 80 people were killed or wounded in two attacks. Some of what he said struck a chord with South Africans at home and living in the US. On […]

Thousands of residents and holiday visitors on Hawaii’s Maui Island, home to several South African expats, were ordered to evacuate two communities on Thursday local time (Friday SA time) as a spreading wildfire sent smoke billowing high into the sky, officials and local media said. The 3,000 acre brush fire in Maui’s central valley was […]

ROME – A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted unexpectedly on Wednesday, releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person – believed to be a tourist – and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash, witnesses and local officials said. (Watch video below.) The person, believed to be a tourist, […]

The heatwave which gripped parts of Europe in the past few days was felt not just by millions of humans, but by the many wild animals held captive in zoos across the continent. As temperatures rose to record-breaking figures – 45.9 degrees in southern France – Reuters photographers captured photos of some of the zoo […]

As predicted, British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced today – Friday 24 May 2019 – that she will step down as leader of the Conservative party on 7 June, triggering a contest that will bring a new leader to power who is likely to push for a more decisive Brexit divorce deal. In an […]

LONDON – British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain went into administration on Tuesday, leaving 1,000 people without jobs as the majority of branches ceased trading immediately in the latest blow for Britain’s high street. Oliver, 43, a well-known figure in Britain and beyond for his popular TV shows and top-selling cookery books, founded his […]

Grumpy Cat, an internet celebrity for her permanent frown, died “in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha” this week, leaving behind countless online jokes about how we all feel at our worst moments, her family said on Friday. She was 7. Despite care from top professionals, Grumpy died on Tuesday from complications after a recent […]

One of the world’s most iconic monuments – the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France – is celebrating is 130rd anniversary this week with a fabulous laser display. The Eiffel Tower was first opened to the public on 15 May 1889. If you’re living or holiday in Paris, the show is on for the last time […]

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced that they have named their newborn baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were introduced to Archie, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was also present. Earlier today Prince Harry and […]