Ready to burn: travellers urged to reconsider travel
Millions of residents and travellers across the country are being warned to be on high alert as the risk of Christmas-week infernos intensifies.
disaster and accident
Disaster team back home after marathon Vanuatu mission
A Queensland-based team of 66 including paramedics, engineers and firefighters has spent almost a week helping locals following Vanuatu's deadly earthquake.
Cyclone Chido death toll rises to 94 in Mozambique
The death toll from Cyclone Chido in northern Mozambique has risen to 94, as authorities continue to assess the damage caused by the devastating storm.
Blazes force evacuations amid rising risk of Xmas fires
Firefighters are working around the clock to prepare for sweltering Boxing Day conditions as warnings for several major blazes are downgraded.
Shaken Vanuatu hit by new quake as Aussies return home
Vanuatu has been hit by another earthquake as Canberra announced more financial assistance and hundreds of Aussies returned home.
Evacuations as fires rage in nation’s east
Evacuation orders are in place for an out-of-control fire in Victoria as blazes and sweltering temperatures begin Australia's bushfire season.
Darwin still marked by Cyclone Tracy, 50 years on
Soaring frigatebirds warned of a cyclone that would be Australia's most destructive and put Darwin on the map for the wrong reasons.
Australians return home as Vanuatu rescues continue
Defence flights have brought home more than 400 Australians but one man still stranded in Vanuatu says the government's response is "slow and inadequate".
Macron booed as he visits Mayotte after deadly cyclone
French President Emmanuel Macron has been booed and jeered in Mayotte, as residents begin cleaning up after Cyclone Chido.
More Australians on the way home from quake-hit Vanuatu
Two more defence flights will bring stranded Australians home from quake-hit Vanuatu as rescue efforts continue amid severe damage and looming cyclone threats.
‘Scariest moment’: Vanuatu earthquake relief on the way
An estimated 23,000 vulnerable people including those with a disability and children are in urgent need of help after a deadly earthquake rocked Vanuatu.
Business opens door to Vanuatu workers after earthquake
A Queensland business owner has given dozens of stranded Vanuatu workers a place to stay as they wait for a chance to return to their earthquake-hit home.
Vanuatu counts earthquake cost with 14 dead, 200 hurt
More than a dozen people are dead after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck in Vanuatu but little is known about the extent of the damage further afield.
Major damage in Vanuatu earthquake, deaths feared
A response effort is underway in Port Vila after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu.
Fire threat high despite cool relief as states swelter
Temperatures are starting to ease after a blast of heat sent the mercury soaring past 45C in parts of Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.
Holiday mode: Storm warning ahead of festive season
Research shows nearly three-quarters of Australians don't plan or properly protect their homes from potential storm damage before leaving on summer holidays.
‘Mayhem’: Woman injured after tourism hot spot blasts
An electrical fault may have caused a number of underground explosions on the Gold Coast which injured a young woman after she fell into a manhole.
Couple stalked by giant crocodile after car washed away
A missing couple has spent two terrifying nights being stalked by a giant crocodile after their car was swept away in floodwaters.
Flash flooding, rescues after major storms
A torrent of rain fell within an hour, turning roads into rivers, submerging cars and trapping drivers who tried to cross floodwaters during sudden storms.
‘We can’t buy rain’: drought taking a toll on farmers
The dams are empty, the crops are struggling and the livestock are hungry, as farmers in southern Australia live through one of the driest seasons in memory.
NZ Navy report finds Manawanui sinking ‘human error’
Human error was behind the sinking of New Zealand Navy vessel Manawanui, which crashed into a Samoan reef in October.
Map reveals Australian hotspots at risk of bushfire
Cyclones, floods, heatwaves and bushfires - authorities are warning large parts of Australia are at increased risk this summer and people need to be prepared.
Four bodies recovered from Egypt capsized tourist boat
Four bodies have been recovered and five more people have been rescued after a tourist boat capsized off Egypt's Red Sea coast.
Sixteen missing as tourist yacht sinks off Egypt
Egyptian officials say at least 16 people are missing while 28 others have been rescued after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea.
Tired helicopter crews ‘didn’t want’ to let team down
A probe into a fatal Taipan army helicopter crash has been told aircrew didn't want to let their team down by pulling out of exercises when tired.
Home lost, people told to flee Great Ocean Road towns
Tourists have been evacuated and people in Great Ocean Road towns have been told to leave immediately as Victoria's bushfire emergency claims at least one home.
At least one ‘severe’ cyclone tipped to hit Queensland
Forecasters say it will be an average cyclone season with at least one to hit Queensland, but the severity of the storm system may be higher than usual.
Suspected bomber dead after Brazil Supreme Court blasts
Two explosions outside Brazil's Supreme Court have killed at least one person, with police at the scene investigating.
Bouncy castle safety warning ahead of summer fun
Bouncy castles and other inflatables aren't always properly anchored, putting children's safety at risk, a workplace safety watchdog has warned.
Two prospectors found dead in remote bushland
Two people who went prospecting in remote Queensland have been found dead after a search involving mustering helicopters and police on motorbikes and horses.
Truck driver charged after mother, son killed in crash
A truck driver has been charged over a crash that killed two people and injured two others on a notorious highway in Queensland.