A ferocious storm, dubbed Storm Ali, has hit Ireland, claiming the lives of two people and hospitalizing two others.

On Wednesday, a 50-year-old woman died after high winds blew the caravan she was driving over a cliff in the Irish Republic. Irish Police say the body of the woman was found on a beach in Claddaghduff in the Western Country of Galway. A 20-year-old engineer has also died as a result of the storm, after being struck by a tree near Newry in Country Down.

As of Tuesday, Hong Kong will now recognize overseas same-sex partnerships when granting dependent visas.

This review of same-sex policy comes after a review of a long legal battle in the countries Court of Final Appeal found that a married British lesbian should be granted a spousal visa whilst being initially denied.

A baby meerkat has disappeared from Perth Zoo, with keepers fearing the meerkitten has been stolen, or taken by a predatory bird.

The baby had been celebrated, born as part of a regional breeding program at the zoo.

It had only been venturing out of its nest box on its own for a few days before going missing.

If it has been stolen, the zoo is urging the meerkitten’s captor to come forward as the baby needs a specialised diet and care to survive.

Federal Government announces new criminal charges for food tampering following strawberry snafu

The Federal Government has increased the penalty sentence for food tampering from 10 maximum to 15 years maximum following 100 reports of contaminated fruit starting with a Queensland man eating a strawberry with a needle inside.

Whilst plenty of kids are getting excited for the upcoming school holidays, younger ones may find it provokes anxiety.

Lower primary students are often exhausted and irritable after a long school term, and the disruption to their routine that holidays provide can cause additional stress.

Dr Justin Coulson, father and psychologist, says that kids are “running on empty” at this time of year, and parents can help by providing a structured and routine spring break.

A Tasmanian tourist is in critical condition after being attacked by a shark off the Whitsunday coast in north QLD.

She was swimming off a yacht when she was mauled on the leg and torso by a shark around 5pm last night.

She was pulled from the water and was reportedly losing a lot of blood as she was airlifted to Mackay base hospital to undergo emergency surgery.

New genetic testing may hold the key to harsher sentences for ivory poachers, and a better chance for elephants.

Using genetic analysis, researchers are able to identify whether small intercepted shipments of ivory are all coming from the same ivory poaching cartels, and if they are this leads to longer sentences for the poachers shipping the product.

Due in part to poaching, there are less than half a million elephants left in the wild, down from 5 million at the turn of the century.

The International Criminal Court or ICC has begun its preliminary investigation into Myanmar’s actions against the Muslim majority Rohingya, many of whom were forced to flee to Bangladesh border.

The investigation aims to examine all the available information as to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for proceeding with an investigation.

International scientists, working with the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and Deakin University, have unlocked more than 90% of the Australian cane toad’s DNA code.

These poisonous toads have wreaked havoc since they were introduced in Queensland in 1935 to help control cane beetles; millions of toads now occupy more than 1.2 million square kilometres of Australia.