Australia

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency Thursday as oppressive conditions fanned around 100 wildfires.

Around 2,000 firefighters were battling the blazes, half of which remain uncontrolled, with the support of U.S. and Canadian backup teams and personnel from the Australian Defence Force.

18 December 2019; AFP: Australia this week experienced its hottest day on record and the heatwave is expected to worsen, exacerbating an already unprecedented bushfire season, authorities said Wednesday.

The average nationwide temperatures of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday beat the previous record of 40.3 degrees Celsius in January 2013, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

SYDNEY, Dec 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Fire authorities in Australia are locked in a desperate battle to save a coal mine and a power station today (Tuesday), that have come under threat from a massive bush-fire northwest of Sydney, which local media dubbed the “mega-blaze.”

Already burning through 400,000 hectares of vegetation at Gospers Mountain and the Wollemi National Park, there are now fears the wildfire could spread even further, with temperatures expected to reach 46 degrees Celsius in coming days, as an extreme heatwave bears down on the nation’s east coast.

Canberra; 17 December 2019 (UMM): Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)  have issued an alert for India overall, urging a high degree of caution to Australians travelling to India as violent protests broke out across the country following Citizenship Amendment Act.

SYDNEY (AP) — Wildfires engulfed the Australian city of Sydney on Tuesday in haze so thick in some places it was 11 times worse than the level considered “hazardous,” and was apt to trigger fire alarms.

The city canceled ferries and some offices in the downtown area were evacuated.

Local health officials advised people to stay indoors as much as possible and those with heart and lung problems were told to avoid all outdoor activity.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern Australia used easing weather conditions on Sunday to bring bushfires under control ahead of forecast of soaring temperatures for next week.

There were 96 fires burning in New South Wales, home to Australia’s largest city of Sydney, with only about a half contained and more than 1,600 firefighters deployed to do back burning and create containment lines.

6 December 2019; AFP: Several Australian bushfires have combined to form a "mega fire" that is burning out of control across a swathe of land north of Sydney, authorities said Friday, warning they cannot contain the blaze.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers said "there are probably more than eight fires in all" that have merged to form what has been dubbed a "mega fire" in an area of national park forest.

SYDNEY, Dec 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Several Australian bushfires have combined to form a “mega fire” that is burning out of control across a swathe of land north of Sydney, authorities said Friday, warning they cannot contain the blaze.

New South Wales Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers said “there are probably more than eight fires in all” that have merged to form what has been dubbed a “mega fire” in an area of national park forest.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Wednesday they believe they have found the remains of a woman missing in the country’s remote outback for weeks.

“Police located the body, which is believed to be that Claire Hockridge during search efforts,” Northern Territory police said in an emailed statement.

Hockridge has been missing since she went hiking with two friends two weeks ago.

2 December 2019; AFP: Australia's foreign minister on Monday said the treatment of a writer detained in China was "unacceptable", as his lawyer reported he was being shackled and subjected to daily interrogation.

Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen, has been detained in China since January and was recently charged with spying, which could bring a lengthy prison sentence.