Blog

A firefighter tries to control the fire burning down a house in Camarillo, California, on 6 November 2024. Photo: AFP / Etienne Laurent Terrie Morin, 60, and her husband, Dave, were at the barber shop when they heard about a raging wildfire making headway toward their Camarillo home in California on Wednesday (local time) morning. The couple were hosting two guests at the time, but because their guests worked late, Morin suspected they slept through the residence's fire alarms. "I run in the house, and I'm banging on the door, and they did not hear me. They were knocked out," Morin told CNN. "Get the dog. Get out of here. You don't have time, just get out!" she recalled telling them. Ten minutes later, Dave noticed sparks in their backyard. The temperature was also picking up. "It was h...

By Nidal al-Mughrabi for Reuters Children stare at the destruction following an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on 7 November. Photo: EYAD BABA/AFP Israeli forces have stepped up bombardment across the Gaza Strip and ordered more evacuations, creating a fresh wave of displacement from northern Gaza, to which Palestinians fear they will not be able to return. Palestinian health officials said at least 10 people had been killed and several others wounded in an Israeli air strike on a school housing displaced families in Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas command centre embedded inside the compound that previously served as a UN-run school. It accused Hamas of exploiting civilian facilities for mil...

New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive officer Philip Gregan said there was "a little bit of nervousness". Photo: 123RF Kiwi winemakers are anxiously waiting to see if and when they'll be hit by high tariffs exporting into the US, following the election of Donald Trump. President-elect Trump campaigned on introducing tariffs of up to 20 percent on imported goods as part of his 'America First' economic policy. If he goes through with that promise, it could hit our exporters hard - and with the US market accounting for some 40 percent of New Zealand's wine exports, it could be devastating for the $800 million industry here. New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive officer Philip Gregan told Checkpoint on Friday there was "a little bit of nervousness" about the "hypothetical" hit to busine...

Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP By Jeff Mason, Reuters US President Joe Biden has urged Americans to "bring down the temperature", following Republican Donald Trump's election victory and sought to console fellow Democrats who are alarmed by the former president's stunning comeback. "Setbacks are unavoidable. Giving up is unforgivable," Biden said at the White House Rose Garden as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. "A defeat does not mean we are defeated." Biden said the election had proven the integrity of the US electoral system and pledged an orderly transfer of power - an implicit rebuke of Trump, who sought...

Sydney Airport said it is not clear if the fire is linked to the incident with the plane. Photo: ABC News A Qantas flight has made an emergency landing at Sydney Airport following a contained engine failure. Earlier this afternoon, the aircraft landed after a loud bang was heard following take-off. An airport spokesperson said Qantas flight QF520 from Sydney to Brisbane landed safely just after 1pm (local time). "After circling for a short period of time, the aircraft landed safely at Sydney Airport," a Qantas spokesperson said. "Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this and the aircraft landed safely after the appropriate procedures were conducted. "We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this ...