Parts of the Italian city of Venice have been left under water after the highest tide in more than 50 years.
The waters peaked at 1.87m (6ft), according to the tide monitoring centre. Only once since records began in 1923 has the tide been higher, reaching 1.94m in 1966.
Images showed popular tourist sites left completely flooded and people wading through the streets as Venice was hit by a storm.
Image copyrightAFP
St Mark’s Square – one of the lowest parts of the city – was one of the worst hit areas. St Mark’s Basilica was flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years, according to records.
Pierpaolo Campostrini, a member of St Mark’s council, said four of those floods had now occurred within the past 20 years.
Two people died on the island of Pellestrina, a thin strip of land that separates the Venice lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. A man was electrocuted as he tried to start a pump in his home and a second person was found dead elsewhere.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he would declare a state of disaster and warned that the flood would “leave a permanent mark”.
“The situation is dramatic. We ask the government to help us. The cost will be high. This is the result of climate change,” he said on Twitter.
People throughout the city waded through the flood waters.
Image copyrightEPA
A number of businesses were affected. Chairs and tables were seen floating outside cafes and restaurants.
In shops, workers tried to move their stock away from the water to prevent any further damage.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Three waterbuses sank in Venice but tourists continued their sightseeing as best they could.
One French couple told AFP news agency that they had “effectively swum” after some of the wooden platforms placed around the city in areas prone to flooding overturned.
Image copyrightREUTERS
On Wednesday morning, a number of boats were seen stranded.
Image copyrightAFP
A project to protect the city from flooding has been under way since 2003 but has been hit by soaring costs, scandals and delays.
The plan aims to build a number of floating gates to protect the city during high tide.
Italy was hit by heavy rainfall on Tuesday with further bad weather expected in the coming days.
The PM says moving on from Brexit will enable the country to “unleash its potential”
The UK cannot afford to “squander” more time deciding whether and how to leave the EU, Boris Johnson will say in his first major speech of the election.
He will argue that ending the current “groundhoggery” will deliver a big economic boost and enable the UK to focus on creating the jobs of the future and tackling climate change.
He has said a Tory victory will ensure the UK exits the EU on 31 January.
Labour has said the PM’s deal is flawed and is promising another referendum.
Jeremy Corbyn has said he would negotiate a better deal on the terms of the UK’s exit and give the public the choice of whether to accept it or remain in the EU in a public vote next summer.
Mr Johnson will return to his core “get Brexit done” message on Wednesday after spending much of the past three days dealing with the fallout from the severe flooding in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
In other election developments:
Labour is promising to outspend the Conservatives on the NHS in England
The Lib Dems are proposing a £500m investment in youth services aimed at combating knife crime
Former Tory rebel David Gauke is standing as an independent candidate – on a second EU referendum platform – in South West Hertfordshire
Nigel Farage has been warned he has 48 hours to “save Brexit” by long-time ally and financial backer Arron Banks
The Green Party says it would appoint a Carbon Chancellor to oversee its Green New Deal and policy
On a visit to the West Midlands, Boris Johnson will say Labour’s plans would only prolong the uncertainty for business and families – likening the past year’s political deadlock over Brexit to the film Groundhog Day, in which TV weatherman Phil Connors has to relive the same day over and over.
“The UK is admired and respected around the world but people are baffled by our debate on Brexit and they cannot understand how this great country can squander so much time and energy on this question and how we can be so hesitant about our future,” he will say.
“If we can get a working majority we can get parliament working for you, we can get out of the rut. We can end the groundhoggery of Brexit.
“At this election the country can either move forwards with policies that will deliver years of growth and prosperity, or it can disappear into an intellectual cul-de-sac of far left Corbynism.”
Mr Johnson will use the visit to an electric car manufacturer to promise a future Conservative government will “drive a clean energy revolution” and harness the power of science, innovation and technology to tackle climate change and create high-skilled, high wage jobs.
The alternative, he will argue, is a coalition between Labour and the SNP which would be likely to lead to another vote on Scottish independence – a key demand of the SNP – as well as more “political self-obsession” over Brexit.
“They will ruin 2020 with two referendums, they will ruin the economy with out of control debt, they will put taxes up for everyone.”
In the party’s first election broadcast on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said the UK was on the verge of leaving the EU with a “fantastic deal” last month but MPs refused to “knock it through” and the political system needed to be unblocked.
MPs backed Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal in principle before Parliament was dissolved. But they refused to endorse his timetable to rush it through in days, meaning the PM had to abandon his “do or die” pledge to take the UK out by the 31 October deadline.
No 10 has insisted it will not extend the proposed post-Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020. Opponents say this risks the “hardest” of Brexits because the UK will not be able to negotiate a new economic and security relationship in just over a year.
Mr Johnson is concentrating much of his campaigning efforts in the Midlands, where he hopes to take seats off Labour in areas which voted to leave in the 2016 referendum.
In Tuesday’s election broadcast, the PM answers political and personal questions while wandering round his office, saying the last meal he cooked for himself was “steak and oven chips” while he was “incredulous” he could not get a curry delivered to No 10 due to security concerns.
Chris Davies lost his seat in Brecon and Radnorshire after he was convicted of a false expenses claim
A former MP who lost his seat following a conviction for a false expenses claim has quit the general election after briefly becoming the Conservative candidate for Ynys Mon.
Chris Davies pulled out after other Welsh Tories criticised his selection.
“I will not want to put my wife and family through any more distress,” the former Brecon and Radnorshire MP said.
A senior Welsh Conservative source told the BBC the campaign had been “shaky to say the least”.
“The candidate selection has been seriously flawed and chaotic,” the source added.
Announcing his decision to withdraw from the election, Mr Davies said: “Given the reaction in the media to the idea of me being a candidate, I have decided to pull out of the selection process.”
Mr Davies lost a by-election triggered by a recall petition earlier this year.
He admitted two charges of a false expenses claim in March after trying to split the cost of £700 worth of pictures between two office budgets by creating fake invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means.
He made an “unreserved apology” and was ordered to complete 50 hours of unpaid work and was fined £1,500.
News of his selection broke on Tuesday night, prompting incredulity from Angela Burns, Welsh Conservative AM for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire.
Claiming Mr Davies had been imposed by the party, she said: “You couldn’t make it up.”
“It is inexplicable,” another Welsh Conservative source said.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionChris Davies had been MP since 2015 but was unseated by a petition after admitting submitting two false expenses invoices
Mr Davies had tried and failed to apply to be the general election candidate in Brecon and Radnorshire before the Ynys Mon selection was made.
Lord Davies of Gower, Welsh Conservative chairman, had defended the selection before the candidate quit, saying: “Chris made a mistake and has paid the price. He must now be allowed to move on”
The constituency of Ynys Mon includes the island of Anglesey and the smaller Holy Island.
Labour has selected Mary Roberts for the 12 December poll, while Plaid Cymru has picked Aled ap Dafydd.
The Brexit Party intends to stand Helen Jenner.
Ms Roberts said: “Chris Davies has rightly withdrawn. The Welsh Conservatives are in complete disarray.”
Before Mr Davies pulled out, Plaid’s candidate said: “By imposing a convicted former MP who was found guilty of a false expenses claim as the candidate for the island shows how little they care about Ynys Mon.”
Deputy leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Baroness Christine Humphreys said the Conservatives had “demonstrated their utter contempt” for Ynys Mon voters.
The summer by-election cut the Conservative working majority to just one when Jane Dodds overturned Mr Davies’s 8,038 majority to beat Conservative Chris Davies by 1,425 votes.
A senior Welsh Labour member said it is “disappointing” the party has no ethnic minority general election candidates.
Shavanah Taj, vice-chairwoman of the party’s BAME committee, said the party should consider all-BAME shortlists.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have three BAME candidates, Welsh Conservatives have two and Plaid Cymru has one. The Brexit Party said it did not record candidates’ ethnicity.
Welsh Labour said its ambition was for candidates to represent “modern” Wales.
The two BAME Conservative candidates and one Liberal Democrat are fighting seats where their party finished second last time.
‘Get with the programme’
Ms Taj said seeing the Welsh Conservatives and Welsh Lib Dems select BAME candidates in key seats puts the matter in sharp focus for Labour.
Wales has never had an ethnic minority MP.
“It’s that moment where you’ve got to wake up and smell the coffee,” she said.
“Because those two parties, as much as I disagree with their politics, the fact of the matter is that they have clearly put something in place that has encouraged more people to come forward.
“And we need to get with the programme, we need to actually accept that if we are going to win elections, we need to have a wider pool of candidates who are much more reflective of the type of Wales that we are.”
Ms Taj said all-BAME shortlists should be considered by the party, adding: “I think I think we should definitely explore that opportunity.
“We’ve got the assembly elections, then we’ve got the council elections coming up. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“I’m not saying that it’s impossible because both the leaders of UK Labour and Welsh Labour are committed, but we need to see a big step change.”
Welsh Labour said it wanted candidates to “represent modern Wales in its full diversity”.
Image captionMs Taj said Welsh Labour has “a lot of work to do”
It said 57% of its candidates were women and 13% identified as LGBT+.
A spokesman added: “Over the past year, our new future candidates programme has begun supporting BAME party members to stand for election and we are reforming our structures to ensure BAME representation throughout Welsh Labour.
“Welsh Labour is the party of equality and we will redouble our efforts to ensure that is reflected in our elected representatives.
“As it currently stands, political parties are not permitted by law to have all-BAME shortlists.”
A Welsh Conservative spokeswoman said: “We try to encourage people from all communities and walks of life to engage with us and get involved with the Welsh Conservatives.”
A Brexit Party spokesman added: “Candidates weren’t required to give information about their ethnicity when applying and were picked on merit rather than characteristics such as age, religion, gender, ethnicity etc.”
Graham Saffery was admitted to hospital after taking oxycodone and amitriptyline
Prescription guidelines should be changed after a man died from using two medicines together, a coroner warned.
Graham Saffery, 48, from Bedford, was admitted to hospital after being prescribed an antidepressant and a painkiller that could interact badly.
After two days of intensive care, the drugs were restarted and he was found dead at home three weeks later.
A coroner’s report said advice “relied upon” by doctors failed to mention the “known risk” of combining these drugs.
An inquest heard Mr Saffery was prescribed the painkiller oxycodone in October 2016 after a road traffic accident and given amitriptyline for depression in January 2018.
A pharmacist reported he appeared “drugged and confused” in April 2018 but his antidepressant dosage was increased, leading to hospital treatment.
Emma Whitting, senior coroner for Bedfordshire and Luton, confirmed Mr Saffery died as a result of taking a combination of the drugs, which was “known to carry a risk of over-sedation”.
‘We have listened’
In a report sent to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which issues guidance to the medical profession, she warned of the risk of future deaths unless action was taken.
She said: “Although other pharmacological guidance recommends the need for both caution and monitoring when prescribing amitriptyline and oxycodone simultaneously, such advice does not appear to be provided by the British National Formulary (BNF), which is regularly consulted and relied upon by GPs.”
Nice said it was not responsible for content of the BNF – a pharmaceutical reference book – and referred the BBC to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
An RPS spokeswoman said: “We are committed to providing the most useful information to healthcare professionals and, as such, the content of all our publications, including the BNF, is always subject to review.”
East London Foundation Trust said it provided mental health support to Mr Saffery and he was visited at home by crisis services.
A spokesman confirmed it carried out a “detailed investigation” into his death.
“We have listened, learnt and made changes where necessary in light of this investigation,” he added.
Bedford Hospital said its staff had followed “all necessary processes”.
The prime minister has announced more support for communities in parts of northern England affected by flooding.
Among other measures, 100 Army personnel will be deployed to support the recovery effort in South Yorkshire.
Boris Johnson made the commitment following a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee on Tuesday.
Mr Johnson had faced criticism from Labour and the Liberal Democrats who said he should declare a “national emergency”.
The prime minister said it had been “an absolute tragedy for those who have seen such damage to their homes and livestock”.
He said authorities were working “flat out” and a request had been made for “a little bit more help” from the military in getting sandbags and other defences to some of the areas affected.
Jon Trickett, shadow minister for the Cabinet Office and Labour MP for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire, said Mr Johnson’s proposals were “too little too late”.
He said: “You can’t trust Boris Johnson to look out for the North or the Midlands or protect our communities from flooding.”
About 500 homes have been flooded in Doncaster with more than 1,000 properties evacuated in areas hit by the floods.
Hundreds of people in Fishlake, near Doncaster, have fled their homes after the village was submerged and the fire service said it was continuing to rescue people.
The next door village of Stainforth has been coming to the aid of those evacuated from their homes.
Other measures announced by Mr Johnson were:
Funding for local councils where households and businesses have been affected – equivalent to £500 per eligible household
Up to £2,500 for small and medium-sized businesses which have suffered severe impacts not covered by insurance
Image copyrightPA MEDIAImage captionHundreds of people in Fishlake have fled their homesImage copyrightJIM MCLAUGHLIN/TWITTERImage captionFlooding wiped out the stock of Re-Read, a social enterprise that gives free books to children
Referring to the response for people affected by the flooding, Mr Johnson added: “I know there will be people who feel that that isn’t good enough.
“I know there will be people who are worrying about the damage to their homes, who will be worried about the insurance situation, worried about the losses they face.
“All I want to say to those people is that there are schemes to cover those losses.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had earlier said the government’s response was “woeful” while Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson called for “long-term policy changes”.
Mr Corbyn said if the flooding had happened in Surrey it “would have been a very different story”.
Both leaders urged the prime minister to declare a “national emergency”.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionJeremy Corbyn and Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband spoke to affected residents in the Bentley suburb of DoncasterImage copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMany homeowners in South Yorkshire are keeping sandbags at their homes in case the floods return
The five severe flood warnings along the River Don in South Yorkshire have now been removed, but 20 flood warnings – meaning “flooding is expected” – remain in place.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for rain covering large parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
Last week extensive downpours meant several areas were struck by a month’s worth of rain in a single day.
Image copyrightDAN GREENSLADEImage captionBaby Indie was born to Dan Greenslade and Jade Croft on Friday
A couple who became new parents on Friday – to be told hours later that their home in Fishlake was underwater – have praised the support they have had from people as “invaluable”.
“Thank God for the people of Stainforth, and other people around for the support that they’ve shown,” said Dan Greenslade.
Meanwhile a Doncaster salon offered free “pamper” sessions for local children affected by flooding, and dozens of swans were rescued from oil from an upturned barge in Rotherham and cars which had been trapped in flood water.
Churches and community centres have collected toiletries, clothes, cleaning products and food for the hundreds of people displaced from their homes.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionStudents are seeking to have police banned from entering campuses
Hong Kong is facing another day of anti-government action after a night of pitched battle at a top university.
At the Chinese University of Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters ignited fires and petrol bombs until the early hours.
Considerable student anger over police moving their operation onto campuses was matched by police warning that the rule of law was close to “collapse”.
Riot police continue to be deployed across the city.
The police decision to enter campuses signals a shift in strategy, correspondents say, as they have largely avoided clearance operations at schools and universities.
What is happening now?
Protesters called for a third day of strikes and disruption to several metro stations led to a morning of long delays and queues.
There were confrontations on Wednesday morning, after a group of protesters set up barricades and road blocks in Yuen Long.
Student activists also continue to protest at several of the territory’s universities, while local media said that mainland students were brought across the border to China for their safety.
A session at the city’s parliament, known as the Legislative Council, was briefly suspended after opposition politicians angrily questioned the security chief over alleged police brutality.
This week has seen a marked escalation in violence with intense street battles and flashmob lunchtime protests in the financial heart of Hong Kong.
Wednesday saw a fresh lunchtime protest in Central as crowds gathered to chant slogans, but some black-clad protesters, local media say, also vandalised a branch of the mainland Bank of Communications.
What happened at the university last night?
On Tuesday police moved onto the university grounds at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) with tear gas and water cannons while protesters threw bricks and petrol bombs at them.
Media captionPetrol bombs were thrown and tear gas fired outside Hong Kong’s Chinese University
Through the night there were chaotic scenes of explosions, smoke, and rubber bullet gunfire during which scores were injured.
Protesters chanted: “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong!”.
Paramedics were treating at least 70 people after the clashes, local media report, with at least four being seriously injured.
Student representatives said on Wednesday they were seeking a court order to stop police from being allowed to enter university campuses.
The spike in violence this week came after a police officer shot an activist in the torso with a live bullet and a pro-government supporter was set on fire by protesters on Monday.
Why are there protests in Hong Kong?
Hong Kong is part of China but as a former British colony it has some autonomy and people have more rights.
The protests started in June against plans to allow extradition to the mainland – which many feared would erode the city’s freedoms.
Profile: Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The bill was withdrawn in September but demonstrations continued and now call for full democracy and an inquiry into police behaviour.
Clashes between police and activists have become increasingly violent and in October the city banned all face masks.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionTrump has decried the impeachment effort as politically motivated
The US impeachment inquiry emerges from behind closed doors at last.
For more than a month, the process – which could end in a Senate vote on Donald Trump’s removal from office – has been shrouded in mystery.
The biggest revelations have come from leaks, anonymous media reports and voluminous deposition transcripts where even the most explosive and revealing moments can be drained of drama when presented on the written page.
That all changes on Wednesday.
Here are four things to keep in mind as the lights go up and the cameras turn on in the House Intelligence Committee hearing room.
Are the witnesses credible?
It’s unlikely there will be many surprises in the testimony offered by the three witnesses scheduled to testify this week.
Acting US Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent and former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch have already appeared at closed-door committee hearings, and transcripts of their depositions have been released (and, before that, leaked to the press).
The bombshells, for those who want to view them as such, have already exploded. The allegations of an exchange of favours (a quid pro quo) and a shadow foreign policy have already been disclosed and picked over.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMarie Yovanovitch will testify on Friday
If things go according to plan for Democrats, the three witnesses will simply repeat their previous answers – only this time, with the public watching. What may be important is not what they say but how they say it. Do they look and sound credible? Are there hints of doubt in their recollections? Will they be rattled by hostile Republican questioning?
Public opinion has hardened around partisan lines. Democrats are hoping increased public support could persuade wavering Republicans to support the president’s removal.
The impeachment process is rife with legal language – depositions and due process, evidence and examinations – but it is, at its heart, a political undertaking. Politicians are the prosecutors, defenders, judges and jury. And politicians, in the end, are answerable to the people who elected them.
It is the people, the voters, for whom the politicians will be performing. The goal of this week’s impeachment theatre is to shape their views and win them over.
On this man’s shoulders lie Democrats’ hopes
If this week is political theatre, Bill Taylor is its leading man.
His text messages, disclosed by US special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, first revealed his concern about the scope of efforts by the Trump administration to pressure Ukraine to open investigations that could prove politically helpful to Mr Trump.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionTaylor took copious notes of meetings and conversations
In his testimony, he expanded on his view of the White House’s Ukrainian policy and detailed multiple occasions where he believed US military assistance and an invitation to the White House were being used to pressure the Ukrainian government to act.
It was his testimony that helped prompt US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland – one of the president’s point people on Ukrainian policy – to “refresh his recollection” and acknowledge that he did indeed tell Ukrainian officials on 1 September that US military aid likely would be withheld until they opened the requested investigations.
Taylor also recounted a video conference where a woman from the White House said the Ukrainian aid was being delayed on the president’s orders.
Taylor is a central figure – if not the central figure – for Democrats hoping to make the case that Mr Trump abused presidential power for personal political gain.
While he will be sharing a table with senior State Department official George Kent, Democrats are counting on Taylor to clearly and compellingly explain his views and concerns in a way that the public can understand.
There is a reason Democrats chose Taylor, a 72-year-old diplomat and decorated Vietnam War veteran who served in Republican and Democratic administrations, as one of the lead witnesses in their public hearings. They think he will be up to the task.
Republican strategy revealed
According to a memo circulating on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the Republican strategy for defending Mr Trump during the public impeachment hearings is straightforward.
The president did not pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, they will say. While US military assistance had been withheld, it was because Mr Trump had legitimate concerns about Ukrainian corruption. And in the end, that aid was released without the investigations in question being ordered.
When witnesses contradict these assertions or criticise the president or his subordinates – as many have done in their closed-door testimony – Republicans in the hearing will dismiss them as unelected bureaucrats whose views are shaped by policy disagreements or animosity.
Republicans may also try to undermine the credibility of the anonymous whistleblower who first flagged Mr Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president or argue that Mr Trump was right to ask that the Ukrainians investigate Democrat Joe Biden or his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
Media captionWhat we know about Biden-Ukraine corruption claims
They could also ascribe any misconduct to the president’s subordinates or acknowledge that while the president’s actions were not ideal, they do not rise to an impeachable offense. That defence risks the ire of the man in the White House, however.
For Democrats to find success in these hearings they have to tell a cohesive story about presidential behaviour that merits impeachment and a Senate trial. Republicans simply have to poke holes in the narrative or garble it beyond recognition.
The status quo favours the Republicans. The more they can grind the investigatory gears to a halt and muddle the process, the greater the chance the entire inquiry becomes mired in partisan trench warfare.
This week will be a big test of their ability to succeed – and in Democrats’ ability to deflect their attacks and press ahead.
Will Adam Schiff be up to the task?
When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi first announced the formal impeachment inquiry in September, she divided responsibilities between three House committees with three different chairmen.
By the time the House voted two weeks ago to set out in greater detail the specifics of the impeachment process, Pelosi had settled on one committee to take the lead and one man to run the show, California congressman Adam Schiff.
The former federal prosecutor has shepherded weeks of closed-door depositions, and now he’ll be the one calling the shots as the process goes public. Unlike other recent-high profile congressional hearings, Schiff will have considerably more time than most other members of Congress to question witnesses or delegate the task to committee lawyers.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionDemocratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff have been the faces of the impeachment inquiry
Schiff has promised a process that will be “fair to the president”, but the congressman has already been a repeated target for Trump, who has berated him with personal insults and called him corrupt and his investigation a scam.
Pelosi and her fellow congressional Democrats are counting on Schiff to stay cool under pressure and present a process that is organised and professional.
The California congressman has never had a bigger moment than this.
Kat Robinson-Williams is the third generation in a family of volunteer firefighters
A 23-year-old pregnant volunteer firefighter has fiercely defended her decision to fight dangerous bushfires that have swept across Australia.
Kat Robinson-Williams, who is 14 weeks pregnant, said she received many appeals from worried friends to stop.
It prompted a powerful post from her on Instagram where she said she would not “just stay behind”.
Ms Robinson-Williams has been volunteering with the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service for 11 years.
“I’m not the first pregnant firefighter and I’m not going to be the last one,” she told the BBC. “I’m still in a position where I’m able to help so I will
Australia is enduring a bushfire crisis that has left three people dead since Friday and burnt more than 200 homes.
‘I don’t care if you don’t like it’
Ms Robinson-Williams first posted on Instagram on Monday, putting up several pictures of herself in firefighting gear on the way to an incident.
The post was captioned: “Yes I am a firefighter. No I’m not a man. Yes I am pregnant. No I don’t care if you don’t like it.”
Her post was met with an outpouring of support, with many calling her “an inspiration to all girls”.
Image copyrightKAT ROBINSON-WILLIAMSImage captionMs Robinson-Williams has also received many messages of support
The volunteer firefighter, who comes from the Hunter Valley in NSW, told the BBC she had posted the picture after several friends had told her “you shouldn’t be doing this”.
“I wanted to tell them I’m okay and that I’m not just going to stop,” she said. “I’ll stop when my body tells me to stop.”
She added that her doctor had given her the all-clear “as long as I wear the right equipment”.
Ms Robinson-Williams, who works in childcare, is the third generation in a family of volunteer firefighters.
“My mum was also pregnant during the fire season of 1995. It kind of runs in the family,” she said. “When I was young, my grandma made a toddler size firefighter outfit for me.”
A large number of her family members are still firefighter volunteers, including her grandmother.
“It’s a family thing, we’ve always done it. My grandmother is still volunteering, has been for 50 years, and my mum has been doing it for over 30 years,” she said.
Her husband is also a volunteer firefighter, as are her in-laws.
“I’m hoping my child will follow, though that’s up to them,” she said.
Image copyrightKAT ROBINSON-WILLIAMSImage captionThe NSW Rural Fire Services team in action
When asked if she felt scared at all while battling the fires, Ms Robinson-Williams was quick to say “no”.
“I was in the thick of a fire yesterday, the houses were alight and backyards were on fire – we were there putting it out. It’s just what I’ve always been doing.”
About six million people live in the state of NSW.
Fire crews have been battling a front spanning 1,000km (620 miles) with several blazes “exceeding 100,000 hectares alone”, according to officials.
On Wednesday, bushfires briefly spread to suburbs of Sydney.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionBushfires are burning across New South Wales
Authorities have said the region is in for a particularly dangerous bushfire season due to a severe drought and other factors.
The focus on Germany comes amid rising appetite for electric cars in Europe.
Over the coming years, the biggest electric car production plants will be in Germany, France, Spain and Italy, industry analysis showed.
Some 16 large-scale lithium-ion battery cell plants are confirmed or due to begin operations in Europe by 2023.
China push
Tesla’s European plans comes as the carmaker also moves ahead with a $2bn (£1.6bn) factory in Shanghai.
The firm is looking to ramp up production in China, the world’s biggest car market, where sales have been hurt by tariffs triggered by the US-China trade war.
The Shanghai facility will produce Model 3 and Model Y cars. The automaker reportedly showed off its new China-made vehicles to local media this week.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionTesla’s Shanghai factory under construction
Still, Tesla has struggled with years of losses, fuelling investor doubts and casting a shadow over its shares in recent years.
The firm has yet to turn an annual profit, although it recorded positive results in the final two quarters of 2018.
Last year, Tesla took aggressive steps to slash expense, cutting thousands of jobs and reining in other spending.
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