Hugh Jackman saves children from Australia surf–reports

Australian movie star Hugh Jackman helped save children from dangerous surf at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach, video on local media showed Sunday.

Footage aired by Nine Network showed Jackman, known for his roles in the “X-Men” blockbusters, hauling a man and a child from the waves.

He also then reportedly helped his own son Oscar out of the same rip, a dangerous ocean current.

“He wasn’t rescuing me; I was assisting him to get his daughter up to the sandbar. He then grabbed my hand to get us up,” Peter Adam told the Nine Network.

“He then went to get his son.”

Jackman, who is a regular at Bondi Beach with his family when he is in Australia, had reportedly returned home after promoting his most recent film “Eddie the Eagle.”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Volkswagen recalls 26,000 cars in Australia

Sydney — German auto giant Volkswagen (VW) on Wednesday recalled nearly 26,000 vehicles in Australia due to a gearbox problem that could cause cars to lose power on the road.

The recall follows growing safety concerns sparked by the death in Australia of a woman while driving a 2008 Golf.

The 32-year-old's car slowed and was hit from behind by a truck on a Melbourne freeway in 2011, a coroner's inquest heard last month.

The news sparked complaints from other VW owners whose cars had also cut out or stopped on busy roads.

"In isolated cases, an electronic malfunction in the control unit inside the gearbox mechatronics may result in a power interruption," VW's Australian branch said in a statement.

The models affected include Golf, Jetta, Polo, Passat and Caddy cars produced between June 2008 and Sept. 2011.

Last week, VW Australia managing director John White said the company "stands by the quality of our cars and integrity of our engineering excellence" and offered free inspections as customer concerns grew.

The move follows similar recalls in other countries, including China where more than 380,000 vehicles were recalled in March over gearbox defects. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Andy Whitfield died at the age of 39

Andy Whitfield, who starred on the Starz show, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," died - Sunday, September 11 in Sydney, Australia at the age of 39 after an 18 month battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, manager Sam Maydew said.


Andy Whitfield was diagnosed with the form of cancer after finishing up the first season of Spartacus and he was forced to leave the show when he was diagnosed with the disease 18 months ago.