Free Republic

The race is on to prevent the sinking of a cargo ship off the Dutch coast which is carrying almost 3,000 vehicles, including 350 Mercedes-Benz, as it burns out of control with an electric car believed to be behind the deadly fire. At least one crew member died and others were injured after fire ripped through the Fremantle Highway, a 18,500-ton car-carrying vessel. Rescue helicopters and boats evacuated 23 crew members from the Panamanian-registered ship. Officials have said there are 'many' wounded. Some suffered broken bones, burns and breathing problems and were taken to hospitals in the northern Netherlands, emergency...

"In the 1970s dogs would roam our streets and I expect roaming cats will also become a thing of the past," the councillor behind the plans says.A council in Australia appears set to effectively ban cats from being outdoors unless they are on a leash.Planned changes to laws in Freemantle, Western Australia, would see felines prohibited from all council owned areas, including roads, verges and bushlands."While we have prohibited areas in our natural bushland, cats are still entering."At a minimum our bushland areas need a prohibited area buffer. Many of our native verge gardens which also act as a wildlife...