Residents picking through homes destroyed by Australia's worst wildfires in more than two decades yesterday said they feared looters could target their properties.
The fires, which started on Monday, ripped across South Australia state's Eyre Peninsula -- about 400km west of Adelaide, killing nine people. More than 110 people were injured, and as many as 30,000 head of livestock perished in the flames, which were contained on Thursday.
The deadly fires also destroyed about 83,000 hectares of grass and farmland. Early estimates put the damage at more than A$15 million (US$11.4 million).
Shirley Tucknott managed to flee her home in the tiny community of White Flat just moments before the fire engulfed her property, killing 400 sheep and other livestock. Of the 12 homes in White Flat, only three were spared.
Tucknott returned with her children after the fires were contained late on Thursday to sift through the rubble. As the family sorted through their charred possessions, a suspicious car drove onto the property but turned and sped away once the driver noticed people were there, she said.
"I don't have an enemy in the world," Tucknott said yesterday. "But for strangers to come through, trying to grab what they could -- I could murder the buggers."
Tucknott planned to sleep in a trailer on her property to deter thieves.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was