Show Notes
Following years of drought, Australia was ravaged by sweeping bushfires that began in 2019; 33 people were killed and thousands of others were displaced. Bushfires are an annual threat during Australia’s dry summers, but this wave of fires came early, catching many by surprise. The speed of the fires, coupled with the consistently dry conditions, created a situation firefighters struggled to control. New South Wales, a coastal state, was the hardest hit. The region located in the eastern part of the country is home to about six million people. Nathan Barnden, who has been working as a volunteer firefighter for the New South Wales Rural Fire Service since he was 16 years old, knew the 2019 fires were going to be bad ones. According to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, more than 10 million hectares of land was affected. The World Wildlife Fund estimates the bushfires killed or displaced nearly three billion animals, including 143 million mammals, 2.5 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs. The devastation motivated people around the world to donate. The Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service — also known as WIRES — received more than $90 million to help native Australian wildlife. In this episode, Erica Vella speaks with Barnden about his story, learns about the animals and land that was destroyed and finds out how the country is recovering since the massive blaze a year ago. Contact: Twitter: @ericavella Email: [email protected] If you enjoy Global News What Happened To...?, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and share the show with your friends Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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It’s a summer night in 1998. Vienna, Austria. And petty thief Daniel Blanchard is about to carry out the heist of a lifetime. Stealing a crown jewel. The last remaining diamond Sisi Star. His plan? A daring night-time parachute jump. Daniel is no ordinary thief. His heists are ingenious, meticulously planned; his escapes from the law defy belief. And Daniel knows that if he can get his hands on the star, it will launch him into the criminal big-leagues. Daniel’s exploits unleash a relentless game of cat-and-mouse, as police track him across continents yet vanishes from their grasp. What he doesn’t know is that the Sisi Star has a history. A dark history. Its original owner, the legendary Empress Elisabeth of Austria, used it to carve her own legacy of absolute beauty and power. That pursuit drove her to her very limits. And now Daniel’s fate is fixed to that same star. But how long can Sisi’s star stay lucky for Daniel? This is A Most Audacious Heist – it’s the story of a master thief, an intercontinental manhunt, and the jewel that changes everything. Contact: Facebook: @BlanchardHouseStories Instagram: @BlanchardHouseStories X (formerly Twitter): @BlanchardTweets Blanchard House website: blanchard-house.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On June 15, 2011, riots broke out in Vancouver following Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup final downtown after The Canucks were defeated by the Boston Bruins in a stunning 4-0 win. A report found that total damage caused by the riot was just over $3.7 million. There were 112 businesses and 122 vehicles damaged, and 52 assaults were reported against civilians, police and emergency personnel. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with those who were in the ground experienced the riot first hand and learns more about the push for change and accountability following the riots. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9899622/what-happened-to-2011-vancouver-riots/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On February 5, 1981, Toronto Police launched Operation Soap. Officers ambushed four Toronto bathhouses in a series of coordinated raids following a six-month investigation, which led to almost 300 patrons being arrested on the street. The raids were a watershed moment for Toronto's Queer community because, thousands of activists protested along the streets of Toronto and decided to fight the attacks in court. On this episode of What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with members of the Queer community about the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids. She learns about the public’s response, and ultimately, how communities came together to create lasting change. Find out more at https://globalnews.ca/news/9888886/what-happened-to-the-1981-toronto-bathhouse-raids/