Queen Elizabeth II has honored Lebanese-Australian activist Tony Yacoub for his service to the Lebanese community.

He recently received a Medal of the Order of Australia from the queen.

Firefighters battled Monday to contain a major blaze ahead of the forecast return of strong winds and a heatwave following the loss of a dozen homes in the worst bushfire conditions in South Australia for three decades, officials said.

The state fire service said properties were still at risk after nearly 13,000 hectares of scrub and farmland were razed in the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of Adelaide, over the weekend.

Skies over southeastern Australia darkened with huge plumes of smoke and lightning storms Friday after an epic heatwave, with raging wildfires claiming one life and residents warned to "leave and live".

A cool change began sweeping the states of South Australia and Victoria as evening fell, bringing much-needed relief to millions of residents who have sweltered through up to five days of scorching temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Britain's prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum said Wednesday it had been forced to cancel a concert by "grind metal" band Napalm Death because of fears that the music will quite literally bring the house down.

The British band had been scheduled to play a daring concert at the museum on Friday through a ceramic sculpture which -- if all had gone to plan -- would have exploded under the force of their music.

Qatar cast doubt on Tuesday over the value of France's military intervention in Mali against Islamist rebels, arguing that force would not solve the problem and urging dialogue, as the U.S. threw its support behind the French military action.

"Of course we wish that this problem could be solved through dialogue, a political dialogue. I think that political dialogue is important and necessary. I don't think that power will solve the problem," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani told reporters.

Believe it or not, the Victoria's Secret fashion show belonged to the boys on Wednesday night.

It was Kanye West, Jay-Z and Maroon 5 who got the audience clapping and cheering at the annual lingerie extravaganza at the Lexington Avenue Armory, quite a feat considering they were sharing the stage with the some of the world's top models — in barely-there get-ups, no less.