They say a mother will do anything for her child – even if it means putting herself in harm's way. This fully-grown hippo was flipped several feet into the air as she stood her ground against an aggressive elephant bull, giving her calf time to scamper to safety. Amazingly, the mother emerged relatively unscathed from the attack, apparently suffering nothing worse than a little gash on...
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A man made history on Monday 11 November by becoming the first person to swim the entire length of the British Isles. Despite training for only three months, Sean Conway, 32, has completed his attempt to swim from Land's End to John O'Groats. He had originally hoped to reach John O'Groats in just two months rather than the four it took. However, the Speedo-sponsored endurance athlete was...
Anyone who has to battle their way to work on the London Underground during rush hour will relate to this video. Believed to have been taken somewhere in the Valles del Tuy region of Venezuela, the clip shows a number of passengers boarding a train - without a modicum of dignity. When we first saw this video, it felt faintly familiar: where had we seen such unruly scrambles for a seat...
A homeless dog rescued from a dump is thought to be the first dog in the world to climb Mount Everest. (photo: Caters) Rupee made history after scaling the world's tallest mountain with his owner Joanne Lefson, who both reached the iconic Everest base camp. Rupee, the first dog ever officially recorded at the camp, undertook the gruelling challenge against all odds after being rescued by...
'Tis the season to be jolly - and nothing says jolly more than a visit to a Christmas market. The concept of this rather magical experience started in Germany as early as the Middle Ages, when traders gathered to sell their goods before the bleak midwinter set in, but these days most of the western world embraces them with warmth and passion. And one of the best things about them is that they...
Katie Holmes is currently in Cape Town, South Africa, filming her new movie The Giver with Alexander Skarsgard and Taylor Swift. But it's not all work and no play as Katie has been keeping her new Twitter fans up to date with her trip, most recently with pics from a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was kept a prisoner for 20 years. My sincere gratitude to Ahmed Kathrada for...
Looking for a hotel in London? The capital is steeped in history, and many historic buildings have taken on a new life as a hotel - making them fascinating places to stay. Rosewood London The Rosewood London Best for: busting the budget The Rosewood Hotel Group recently spent a whopping £85 million refurbishing and renovating the historic Pearl Assurance Company building in High Holborn...
Rachel Hunter was spotted posing up a storm for a 'selfie' on the deck of her New Zealand holiday home this week. The former model - and wife of Rod Stewart - is back for a second season as a judge on New Zealand's Got Talent along with Jennifer Lopez's ex-hubby, dancer Cris Judd. The star is now based in LA, but she was born and bred in Auckland, and has a holiday home on the beautiful...
A British Airways plane from London to New York made a U-turn over the Atlantic and diverted to Shannon Airport in Ireland after the crew reported smoke on board. Flight 173 was over two hours into its journey when it turned around, reports RTE News. Emergency services had been standing by but returned to the fire station just before the jet landed safely at 6.20pm on Thursday. The pilot...
Egypt has issued an international alert for the return of a 'priceless' 3,000-year-old statue of Tutenkhamun's sister that was stolen from an antiquities museum. The carved limestone figurine, called Daughter of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, dates from the 14th Century BC, and has not been seen since the Mallawi City Museum in central Egypt was raided in August. The statue vanished along with 1,000...
Enter our free competition to win a chic weekend break to Paris with Hotel WO - Wilson Opera and Eurostar. We're giving one lucky winner the chance to experience the French capital on a luxury trip, with a stay in an elegant boutique hotel and fast yet comfortable travel by rail. To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous prize, enter our competition now!
Horrified visitors at Dallas Zoo looked on as two male lions attacked and killed a lioness in their enclosure this weekend. The incident occurred at the Savannah Exhibit area of the park. Two male lions, named Denari and Kamaia, had lived with the female, Johari, for three years. Officials said there were no warning signs that Sunday's attack might occur. Vide President of animal...
Mount Etna erupted on Saturday night sending plumes of ash and molten lava thousands of feet into the night sky above Sicily. Footage of the eruption was captured from Acireale, near Catania, and shows Europe's tallest and most active volcano emitting hot lava. According to the Daily Mail, Catania Airport closed airspace above Mount Etna due to the threat from the ash clouds, which could...
Enter our free competition to win a brand new iPad mini 16GB WiFi, plus a case to protect your tablet during your holidays, courtesy of Viking Direct. One lucky winner will get their hands on this fabulous prize, worth over £300. Enter now to win!
If you feel that your moustache needs perking up you should head to Turkey. If the urge to chase down tornadoes takes you then you should probably try hunting them in the United States. And if you've always wanted to set petrol-soaked rags alight and hurl them at people in the streets then El Salvador should be top of your holiday wishlist. In fact all of these bizarre holiday activities and...
So, we know ski holidays don't come cheap and we won't try to fool you into thinking it's easy to go skiing on a shoestring, but if you love nothing better than hitting the open slopes there are a few ways you can avoid breaking the bank. Firstly, forget the glamorous French ski resorts of Courchevel, Meribel and Val d'Isere. And don't even peek at Switzerland's St Moritz or Verbier. Even if...
Enter our free competition to win a cruise holiday for two around the Caribbean with P&O Cruises and CruiseDeals. Departing on 7 December from London Gatwick, you and a friend will fly to Barbados before sailing to the stunning islands of St Vincent, St Lucia, Dominica and more. For your chance to spend winter in the sunny Caribbean, enter our fantastic giveaway below!
A tiny Kirk's dik-dik antelope that was hand-reared by keepers after being rejected by her mum has stepped in to help her much smaller sibling at Chester Zoo. Eight-month-old little Aluna is playing the big sister to new arrival Neo, giving him lots of the special care she herself received after she was born. The mini dik-diks - one of the smallest species of antelope in the world - have...
A train travelling from London Euston overran the platform and crashed into a barrier when it arrived at Chester Station. A British Transport Police spokesman said a 64-year-old passenger was taken to hospital suffering with back injuries after the train partially derailed. He told the Liverpool Echo: "All coaches of the five-car train have remained upright and one man has been taken to a...
