Around 480 million animals are estimated to have been killed in New South Wales (NSW) alone since the start of  bushfires which have turned parts of Australia into apocalyptic scenes with landmark buildings, schools and homes burnt to the ground, cars gutted and thousands huddled on beaches beneath blood red skies. The fires began in […]

Just like Noah’s Ark, except that was for a flood not a fire, local residents of Mallacoota in Australia have been allowed to evacuate aboard an army vessel with their pets. The first 1,000 or so people were evacuated today in an unprecedented mass relocation in Australia. Darren Chester, MP of the affected area Gippsland, […]

It’s “bedlam” in parts of Australia as fires continue to rage and officials expect conditions to worsen on Saturday. Mass evacuations are currently underway, and 17 people are already unaccounted for. On the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast, tens of thousands of tourists have been ordered to leave the area before it’s too late […]

New Year revellers sending Chinese lanterns into the sky to celebrate the New Year are suspected to be to blame for the fire at a zoo in Western Germany which killed more than 30 animals. German police say the lanterns may have triggered the fire which killed orangutans, gorillas, a chimpanzee, monkeys, bats and birds […]

About 6,500 people are taking shelter on beaches along the coast in Victoria as fires continue to rage, according to ABC News’ latest figure at 08h30 SA time. The worst hit coastal town on Tuesday morning was Mallacoota where about 4,000 people – several with lifejackets – were ready to flee into the ocean. Fortunately […]

In a historic move, Donald Trump has been impeached… although that does not mean he will stop being the President of the United States. That is a decision that can only be made by the Senate. And in an incredible outburst he appeared to attack a widow for voting to impeach him, as if she […]

Almost every South African expat in London – and friends and family who visit them – has laughed at one point or another at the ‘Mind the Gap’ warnings that are announced at many Underground stations, where there’s a space between the train and the platform. But there’s one station where the announcer’s voice is […]

The “extraordinary bravery” of ordinary Londoners who bravely took on a knife-wielding attacker on Friday afternoon and wrestled him to the ground on London Bridge, after he had fatally stabbed innocent members of the public, has been highly commended all round. The passersby – six to 10 of them – can be seen in a […]

World famous British chef Gary Rhodes died from a head injury, his family confirmed in a statement today. In their message yesterday, following the unexpected death of the Michelin-star chef at the age of 59, the family had not revealed the cause of death… which led to widespread speculation. Today the London Evening Standard published […]

Lewis, the little Koala who captured the hearts of people around the world when a Port Macquarie grandmother risked her own life to save him, after he had become badly burnt and disoriented in the terrible bushfires that swept across Australia recently, has sadly passed away. The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, where he was reunited […]

Well known TV chef Gary Rhodes has passed away suddenly at the age of 59, in the United Aram Emirates. Rhodes was best known for featuring on shows like MasterChef in the UK, MasterChef USA and the UK version of Hell’s Kitchen. The Michelin star chef was well known to South African expats living in […]

AUSTRALIA – The woman seen in the heartbreaking viral footage of a koala being rescued from one of the multitude of fires burning across Australia this week, has reunited with the koala. In the video the grandmother of seven can be seen running into the burning area, desperate to help the crying koala, risking her […]

VENICE, ITALY – Reeling from devastating floods this week, Venice suffered another exceptional high tide on Sunday, with the water peaking at 150 cm (4.9 feet), marking the worst week for the city since official tide statistics were produced in 1872. All photos on this page were taken today (17 Nov 2019). The city’s center […]

VENICE, Italy – Venice’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after “apocalyptic” floods swept through the lagoon city, killing two people and flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings. The state of emergency was declared as the city was hit by the highest tide in more than 50 years. Thoroughfares were […]

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 […]