Saturday's news in under 5 minutes.

1. Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the kidnapping of two Australians.

Al-Qaeda is reported to have claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Australians in the African state of Burkina Faso. The group is also reported to have said that they will release the female hostage.

Perth couple Dr Ken and Jocelyn Elliot, believed to be in their 80s, were kidnapped on January 15. The pair had been living in Burkina Faso since the 1970s, providing medical relief to people in the remote northern area of the country.

The couple built a medical clinic from scratch, and as the only surgeon at the clinic, Dr Elliot is reported to have performed up to 150 surgeries each month.

They were well loved and respected by the local community for their work.

2. Australian operated gold mine in South Africa collapses. 

Dozens of trapped workers have been rescued after a cave-in at the Australian operated Vantage Goldfields site about 360 kilometres east of Johannesburg, South Africa.

87 workers, all of whom were rescued, had been trapped underground. Vantage Goldfields has confirmed that there were no fatalities, but stated that three office workers had not been accounted for.

South Africa’s mines are among the deepest and most dangerous in the world. In fact, just last year, 77 workers were killed in mining accidents.

Work at the Vantage Goldfields mine has been suspended pending further investigations into the collapse.

3. Crane falls in New York in a fatal incident. 

A giant crane has fallen in the New York neighbourhood of Tribeca, killing one person and injuring another three.

The crane’s operators had been lowering and securing the crane when, in the midst of adverse weather conditions, it collapsed, damaging four buildings.

The state’s Mayor, Bill de Blasso has said in a statement that it is unclear why the crane fell, especially as it has undergone an inspection the previous day.

The crane had been replacing generators and air conditioning on the roof of the “Western Union” building.

4. Japanese volcano erupts, sparking an ash storm and rattling a nuclear plant.

Sakurajima volcano in Japan, located just 50 metres away from a nuclear reactor, spectacularly erupted on Friday night.

It sent a storm of mud and ash, as well as lava rolling down its slope. There are so far no reports of injuries or fatalities.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency has expanded an existing no-go zone around the crater according to NHK.

According to experts, the eruption, although dramatic, was average compared the crater’s past eruptions.

5. Salim Mehajer’s wife urges state government not to suspend Auburn council.

Aysha Mehajer, the wife of controversial Sydney councillor, Salim Mehajer, has urged the state government not to follow through with its threats to suspend her husband’s council.

In a letter which can only be described as extraordinary, she claims the suspension would cause “significant financial loss” to a number of their companies. She also threatens legal action in the letter.

She also describes her confusion as to how the sale of council-owned land to another Mehajer company would be among the factors triggering a public inquiry and the proposed suspension.

Local Government Minister Paul Toole is expected to make a decision about Auburn council in the following days.

6. Italian actor dies after freak stage accident. 

Actor Raphael Schumacher has been declared clinically dead after he was choked in a hanging scene that went terribly wrong.

An investigation has been launched to establish whether proper safety measures had been in place. According to Italian News Agency ANSA, four people are currently being investigated for manslaughter.

Schumacher was in an experimental theatre production. An audience member who happened to also be a medical graduate, noticed that the rope around the actor’s neck was too tight. He began trembling.

A spokesperson at Cisanello Hospital in Pisa told CNN that the man’s family authorised the donation of his organs and procedures are underway.