Australian authorities say a specialist firefighting team was able to help save a group of pre-historic pine trees from wildfires tearing through the nation.

Firefighters save prehistoric trees from wildfires

A 4-year old English Springer Spaniel named Taylor help locate injured Koalas, one of the many of Australia's iconic wildlife animals that fell victim to the devastating bushfires. Conservation detection dogs have become one of the most important tools used to search for injured animals during the past months.

Meet koala-sniffing dog ‘Taylor’: the animal lifesaver in Australia bushfires

A temporary animal hospital established in the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in South Australia has received over 300 injured animals in recent days as the devastating bushfires which have raged across the country have caused the death of over 500 million wild animals in the country.

Temporary animal hospital saves wild animals injured in Australian bushfires

Top 10 best rated countries

Ash Graham's dog Kozi wakes him at 8 AM for his morning walk. and realizes he's dreaming. He gets up from the one-man tent he's been sleeping in since the fire swept through the village of Nerrigundah on New Year's Eve. He begins his weary search for Kozi once again. Hiking south down the dried-up creek, past the wallabies that were burned to death as they fled, knocking on doors, trying to keep track of the grids he's already covered. Watch report:

Bereaved NSW man searches for dog lost in Australia bushfires

The east&nbsp;coast of Australia, especially Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) experienced heavy rain&nbsp;and thunderstorms on Thursday.

Australians are hopeful that the bushfires would be extinguished after the rains&nbsp;or at least the intensity fires will reduce.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/your-story-finally-rain-in-fire-ravaged-australia-274469/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

However, it is similar to a 'double-edged sword' as according to officials, they were short but intense thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding and lightening could also lead to the blazing of new fires''.

<img alt="NASA picture of Australian bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2608717a-3522-4ad5-8289-8593dfd7d55f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/aus-1-4.jpg" />

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-cooler-temperature-and-rainfall-ease-conditions-ahead-of-rough-night-273517">Bureau of Meterology</a> said, ''unsettled weather conditions are expected for the next four or five days''.

''Soaking, steady rain is needed instead of a quick rainfall,'' he added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/making-sense-of-australias-bushfire-crisis-means-asking-hard-questions-and-listening-to-the-answers-272544">Also read:&nbsp;Making sense of Australia’s bushfire crisis means asking hard questions</a>

Australia has been ravaged by its worst bushfire season which has claimed the lives of 29 individuals and millions of animals and has destroyed more than 2,500 houses and land twice the size of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/europe-trip-to-get-costlier-as-schengen-visa-fee-hiked-to-eu80-from-february-2-274424">Switzerland.</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-bushfire-rages-on-in-australia-273273/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

At least 85 fires are still alight across NSW&nbsp;and 19 in Victoria.

Although the wet weather had brought some relief from smoke haze that had engulfed the major cities of the country.

Still, Canberra and Melbourne were enlisted in the top 30 most polluted cities globally.

 
&nbsp;

The east coast of Australia, especially Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms on Thursday. Australians are hopeful that the bushfires would be extinguished after the rains or at least the intensity fires will reduce.

The east coast of Australia, especially Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms on Thursday. Australians are hopeful that the bushfires would be extinguished after the rains or at least the intensity fires will reduce. × However, it is similar to a 'double-edged sword' as according to officials, they were short but intense thunderstorms which may lead to flash flooding and lightening could also lead to the blazing of new fires''. The Bureau of Meterology said, ''unsettled weather conditions are expected for the next four or five days''. ''Soaking, steady rain is needed instead of a quick rainfall,'' he added. Also read: Making sense of Australia’s bushfire crisis means asking hard questions Australia has been ravaged by its worst bushfire season which has claimed the lives of 29 individuals and millions of animals and has destroyed more than 2,500 houses and land twice the size of Switzerland. × At least 85 fires are still alight across NSW and 19 in Victoria. Although the wet weather had brought some relief from smoke haze that had engulfed the major cities of the country. Still, Canberra and Melbourne were enlisted in the top 30 most polluted cities globally.

After bushfire, Australian east coast experiences heavy rain and thunderstorms

Australia has finally received desperately needed rainfall in the state of Victoria after a day of hazy skylines. However, the rain has increased the worries of harmful ash washing into the rivers and contaminating the countries water supply.

Your Story: Finally rain in fire-ravaged Australia

Ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, world no-1 Rafael Nadal and world no-3 Roger Federer pledged A$250,000 towards the Australian bushfire relief efforts. &nbsp;

Also see-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tennis-federer-and-williams-lead-way-to-raise-funds-for-relief-workers-in-australia-273899">Tennis: Federer, Williams lead way to raise funds for workers in Australia bushfires</a>

Nadal announced about the donations in&nbsp;the "Rally for Relief" event in Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena.&nbsp;

Also see-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-open-hazardous-air-condition-causes-troubles-to-players-in-the-qualifiers-274250">Australian Open: Hazardous air condition delays matches, restarts amid haze</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"Talking with Roger, we decided to give $250,000 together." 👏 👏 👏 👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rally4Relief?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rally4Relief</a> 
 
To contribute: <a href="https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB">https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB</a> <a href="https://t.co/ocdiw8D0if">pic.twitter.com/ocdiw8D0if</a>
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1217378578188447745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Twenty-three times Serena Williams and Australian Open&nbsp;defending champion Novak Djokovic also took part in the event.

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bushfire-shane-warnes-baggy-green-cap-sold-for-over-a1-million-273347">Australian bushfire: Shane Warne's baggy green cap sold for over A$1 million; beats Dhoni, Bradman</a>

Rafa Nadal, after the exhibition match, said: "Hopefully that will keep inspiring the people to support this terrible disaster that we’re going through and helps to recover all the things that we need,”.

Australia is experiencing one of its worst bushfire seasons in decades, with fires killing more than 28 people and destroying at least 2000 homes. Wildlife in&nbsp;Australia in the worst hit, nearly half a billion animals have perished in the bushfires.

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://13.235.153.162/videos/bushfires-destroys-australias-beaches-claims-27-lives-273897/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Australian Open's qualifiers were disrupted for the second successive day because of the thick grey hazy in the morning due to the smoke of the bushfire. This was followed by smog-clearing rain.

The ATP &nbsp;pledged A$750,000 to the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund as part of the bushfire relief efforts the as announced by Novak Djokovic and Nadal.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@atptour</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DjokerNole</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a> for your generous donation of $750,000 to World Wildlife Fund 🙏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATPCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATPCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/roB1yMZy94">pic.twitter.com/roB1yMZy94</a>
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/1216367121443311617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Serena Williams had pledged to donate all of her winning amounts after she won the Auckland Open. She won $43,000

The 24-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios has pledged A$200 for every ace he hits this month. Nick Kyrgios hit the most aces (69) in the ATP cup.&nbsp;

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year. The tournament will be played between January 20 to February 2.

Ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, world no-1 Rafael Nadal and world no-3 Roger Federer pledged A$250,000 towards the Australian bushfire relief efforts.

Ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, world no-1 Rafael Nadal and world no-3 Roger Federer pledged A$250,000 towards the Australian bushfire relief efforts. Also see- Tennis: Federer, Williams lead way to raise funds for workers in Australia bushfires Nadal announced about the donations in the "Rally for Relief" event in Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena. Also see- Australian Open: Hazardous air condition delays matches, restarts amid haze "Talking with Roger, we decided to give $250,000 together." 👏 👏 👏 👏#Rally4Relief To contribute: https://t.co/9RPgZ7cBoB pic.twitter.com/ocdiw8D0if — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2020 × Twenty-three times Serena Williams and Australian Open defending champion Novak Djokovic also took part in the event. Also read- Australian bushfire: Shane Warne's baggy green cap sold for over A$1 million; beats Dhoni, Bradman Rafa Nadal, after the exhibition match, said: "Hopefully that will keep inspiring the people to support this terrible disaster that we’re going through and helps to recover all the things that we need,”. Australia is experiencing one of its worst bushfire seasons in decades, with fires killing more than 28 people and destroying at least 2000 homes. Wildlife in Australia in the worst hit, nearly half a billion animals have perished in the bushfires. × Australian Open's qualifiers were disrupted for the second successive day because of the thick grey hazy in the morning due to the smoke of the bushfire. This was followed by smog-clearing rain. The ATP pledged A$750,000 to the WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund as part of the bushfire relief efforts the as announced by Novak Djokovic and Nadal. Thank you @atptour, @DjokerNole and @RafaelNadal for your generous donation of $750,000 to World Wildlife Fund 🙏#ATPCup pic.twitter.com/roB1yMZy94 — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 12, 2020 × Serena Williams had pledged to donate all of her winning amounts after she won the Auckland Open. She won $43,000 The 24-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios has pledged A$200 for every ace he hits this month. Nick Kyrgios hit the most aces (69) in the ATP cup. The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year. The tournament will be played between January 20 to February 2.

Australian Open: Nadal, Federer pledge A$250,000 towards bushfire relief

Forecasts of heavy rain offered hope Tuesday in the months-long battle to contain Australia's unprecedented bushfires, but smoke lifted pollution levels in the nation's second-biggest city to among the worst in the world.

Cool-weather over recent days has already given some respite for exhausted firefighters spread out across vast swathes of the country, with some of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/firefighters-gain-on-california-blaze-last-of-missing-found-alive-156355">biggest blazes</a> now brought under control.

<img alt="Bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ce5ec23a-6c3d-4397-8402-e04cb3e9b83d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%282%29_31.jpg" />

Optimism was further boosted on Tuesday with heavy rain forecast for some of the hotspots in the most populated eastern states of New South Wales and Victoria.

"It’s some pretty good news," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-cooler-temperature-and-rainfall-ease-conditions-ahead-of-rough-night-273517">Shane Fitzsimmons</a> said.

"We’ve been talking about it for months now, that January might see the first fall of decent rain, and that looks like what's coming along over the next few days."&nbsp;

However, dozens of fires remained out of control and, with many weeks of hot weather still expected throughout Australia's summer, there was no suggestion the crisis would end soon.

Toxic smoke from the blazes also blew overnight into the Victorian capital of Melbourne, which is due to stage the Australian Open tennis tournament next week.

Pollution in Melbourne, which is normally ranked as among the world's most liveable cities, was rated "hazardous", with health authorities warning people to stay indoors.

Practice sessions for world number one <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/rafael-nadal-once-again-claims-no-1-spot-in-rankings-novak-djokovic-slips-259888">Rafael Nadal</a> and some of the other big names in tennis were suspended on Tuesday.

Qualifying rounds for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sharapova-to-return-next-month-as-brisbane-wildcard-271149">Australian Open</a> were also delayed for a couple of hours, and the organisers' decision to resume play late on Tuesday morning caused confusion and concern for some players.

Mandy Minella, world number 140 from Luxembourg, voiced her opposition on Twitter.

"Shocked to see that qualifying matches have started @Australian Open, What about the health of all the people that have to work out there, especially the ball kids?" she tweeted.

Still, the hazy conditions were not expected to last all week in Melbourne, with a change in wind direction and the forecast wet weather over the coming days set to clear the air.

The bushfires have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and burnt 10 million hectares (100,000 square kilometers) of land an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

<img alt="Bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="70794b3e-7c3e-4c65-810a-bbdb1763fe21" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design_41.jpg" />

Australia endures bushfires every summer.

However, climate change and a prolonged drought have contributed to the current crisis, with the blazes starting much earlier than normal and lasting for far longer.

Australia experienced its driest and hottest year on record in 2019, with its highest average maximum temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in mid-December.

The fires have prompted an outpouring of donations from around the world to help communities and devastated animal populations.

Environmental groups estimate one billion <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-open-tennis-stars-and-other-animals-29855">animals</a> have been killed, many of them unique to Australia.

The country's environment minister Sussan Ley has warned that in some areas, koalas may have to be reclassified as endangered.

Forecasts of heavy rain offered hope Tuesday in the months-long battle to contain Australia's unprecedented bushfires, but smoke lifted pollution levels in the nation's second-biggest city to among the worst in the world.

Forecasts of heavy rain offered hope Tuesday in the months-long battle to contain Australia's unprecedented bushfires, but smoke lifted pollution levels in the nation's second-biggest city to among the worst in the world. Cool-weather over recent days has already given some respite for exhausted firefighters spread out across vast swathes of the country, with some of the biggest blazes now brought under control. Optimism was further boosted on Tuesday with heavy rain forecast for some of the hotspots in the most populated eastern states of New South Wales and Victoria. "It’s some pretty good news," New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said. "We’ve been talking about it for months now, that January might see the first fall of decent rain, and that looks like what's coming along over the next few days." However, dozens of fires remained out of control and, with many weeks of hot weather still expected throughout Australia's summer, there was no suggestion the crisis would end soon. Toxic smoke from the blazes also blew overnight into the Victorian capital of Melbourne, which is due to stage the Australian Open tennis tournament next week. Pollution in Melbourne, which is normally ranked as among the world's most liveable cities, was rated "hazardous", with health authorities warning people to stay indoors. Practice sessions for world number one Rafael Nadal and some of the other big names in tennis were suspended on Tuesday. Qualifying rounds for the Australian Open were also delayed for a couple of hours, and the organisers' decision to resume play late on Tuesday morning caused confusion and concern for some players. Mandy Minella, world number 140 from Luxembourg, voiced her opposition on Twitter. "Shocked to see that qualifying matches have started @Australian Open, What about the health of all the people that have to work out there, especially the ball kids?" she tweeted. Still, the hazy conditions were not expected to last all week in Melbourne, with a change in wind direction and the forecast wet weather over the coming days set to clear the air. The bushfires have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and burnt 10 million hectares (100,000 square kilometers) of land an area larger than South Korea or Portugal. Australia endures bushfires every summer. However, climate change and a prolonged drought have contributed to the current crisis, with the blazes starting much earlier than normal and lasting for far longer. Australia experienced its driest and hottest year on record in 2019, with its highest average maximum temperature of 41.9 degrees Celsius (107.4 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in mid-December. The fires have prompted an outpouring of donations from around the world to help communities and devastated animal populations. Environmental groups estimate one billion animals have been killed, many of them unique to Australia. The country's environment minister Sussan Ley has warned that in some areas, koalas may have to be reclassified as endangered.

Rain offers hope in Australian bushfire fight

An Australian man was found safe after being lost for three weeks in a crocodile-infested forest, police said on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Police initially feared that Milan Lemic had been eaten by a crocodile after he disappeared on December 22 in Daintree forest in the northeastern state of Queensland.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/utah-man-survived-from-alaska-wilderness-22-days-after-his-home-burnt-down-273987">Utah man in Alaska wilderness rescued 22 days after his home burnt down</a>

The 29-year-old disappeared after his vehicle became bogged down on December 22. &nbsp;

After days of searching, police found out that there are no reptiles in the area big enough to have taken him.&nbsp;

Lemic was found by police on Monday several kilometres (miles) from his vehicle after being spotted by a motorcyclist.&nbsp;

"He was in good physical condition considering he had been in the rain forest for three weeks," police said in a statement. 
&nbsp; 
Police added that Lemic survived on wild fruit and berries.&nbsp;

A cop also described the 29-year-old as a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7883055/Missing-man-Milan-Lemic-alive-three-weeks-crocodile-infested-Daintree-forest.html">lone</a>r&nbsp;who was unilkely to seek any help, Daily Mail reported.

Lemic does have an undiagonsed medical condition, which may have led him to make poor choices, the cop added.&nbsp;

(with inputs from AFP)

 
&nbsp;

An Australian man was found safe after being lost for three weeks in a crocodile-infested forest, police said on Tuesday. Police initially feared that Milan Lemic had been eaten by a crocodile after he disappeared on December 22 in Daintree forest in the northeastern state of Queensland.

An Australian man was found safe after being lost for three weeks in a crocodile-infested forest, police said on Tuesday. Police initially feared that Milan Lemic had been eaten by a crocodile after he disappeared on December 22 in Daintree forest in the northeastern state of Queensland. Also read: Utah man in Alaska wilderness rescued 22 days after his home burnt down The 29-year-old disappeared after his vehicle became bogged down on December 22. After days of searching, police found out that there are no reptiles in the area big enough to have taken him. Lemic was found by police on Monday several kilometres (miles) from his vehicle after being spotted by a motorcyclist. "He was in good physical condition considering he had been in the rain forest for three weeks," police said in a statement. Police added that Lemic survived on wild fruit and berries. A cop also described the 29-year-old as a loner who was unilkely to seek any help, Daily Mail reported. Lemic does have an undiagonsed medical condition, which may have led him to make poor choices, the cop added. (with inputs from AFP)

Australia: Man survives after being lost for three weeks in crocodile-infested forest

Researchers said Monday that new techniques have allowed them to identify the oldest solid material ever found on earth.

The stardust, formed five to seven billion years ago, came from a meteorite that fell to Earth 50 years ago in Australia, they said in a paper published in the journal PNAS.

It came down in 1969 in Murchison, Victoria state, and scientists from Chicago's Field Museum have possessed a piece of it for five decades.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-nasa-to-welcome-supersonic-commercial-travel-269033/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Philipp Heck, the curator of meteorites at the museum, examined pre-solar grains, which are bits of stardust that become trapped in meteorites, making them time capsules of the period before the sun was born.

"They're solid samples of stars, real stardust," Heck said in a statement.

When the first stars died after two billion years of life they left behind the stardust, which formed into the block which fell to earth as the meteorite in Australia.

Although researchers first identified the grains in 1987 their age could not be determined.

But Heck and other colleagues recently used a new method to date these grains, which are microscopic in size. They are from silicon carbide, the first mineral formed when a star cools.

To separate the ancient grains from the relatively younger ones, scientists crushed fragments of the meteorite into a powder. Then they dissolved it in acid, which left only the pre-solar particles.&nbsp;

"It's like burning down the haystack to find the needle," says Heck.

When dust is in space it is exposed to cosmic rays which slowly change its composition. This allows researchers to date it.

A decade ago, only 20 grains from the meteorite were dated by a different method. Now, researchers have been able to determine the age of 40 grains, most of which are between 4.6 billion and 4.9 billion years old.

These ages correspond to the moment when the first stars began to break up, and since that type of star lived for two to 2.5 billion years, the stardust can be as old as seven billion years.

"These are the oldest solid materials ever found, and they tell us about how stars formed in our galaxy," Heck said.

The new dating by this team confirms an astronomical theory which predicted a baby boom of stars before the formation of our sun, instead of a constant rhythm of star formation.

"We basically came to the conclusion that there must have been a time in our galaxy when more stars formed than normal, and at the end of their lives they become dust-producing," Heck said.&nbsp;

The task now is to apply the same method on other meteorites.

But according to Heck, there are fewer than five known to be in collections and big enough to give up such secrets.

Researchers said Monday that new techniques have allowed them to identify the oldest solid material ever found on earth. The stardust, formed five to seven billion years ago, came from a meteorite that fell to Earth 50 years ago in Australia, they said in a paper published in the journal PNAS.

Researchers said Monday that new techniques have allowed them to identify the oldest solid material ever found on earth. The stardust, formed five to seven billion years ago, came from a meteorite that fell to Earth 50 years ago in Australia, they said in a paper published in the journal PNAS. It came down in 1969 in Murchison, Victoria state, and scientists from Chicago's Field Museum have possessed a piece of it for five decades. Philipp Heck, the curator of meteorites at the museum, examined pre-solar grains, which are bits of stardust that become trapped in meteorites, making them time capsules of the period before the sun was born. "They're solid samples of stars, real stardust," Heck said in a statement. When the first stars died after two billion years of life they left behind the stardust, which formed into the block which fell to earth as the meteorite in Australia. Although researchers first identified the grains in 1987 their age could not be determined. But Heck and other colleagues recently used a new method to date these grains, which are microscopic in size. They are from silicon carbide, the first mineral formed when a star cools. To separate the ancient grains from the relatively younger ones, scientists crushed fragments of the meteorite into a powder. Then they dissolved it in acid, which left only the pre-solar particles. "It's like burning down the haystack to find the needle," says Heck. When dust is in space it is exposed to cosmic rays which slowly change its composition. This allows researchers to date it. A decade ago, only 20 grains from the meteorite were dated by a different method. Now, researchers have been able to determine the age of 40 grains, most of which are between 4.6 billion and 4.9 billion years old. These ages correspond to the moment when the first stars began to break up, and since that type of star lived for two to 2.5 billion years, the stardust can be as old as seven billion years. "These are the oldest solid materials ever found, and they tell us about how stars formed in our galaxy," Heck said. The new dating by this team confirms an astronomical theory which predicted a baby boom of stars before the formation of our sun, instead of a constant rhythm of star formation. "We basically came to the conclusion that there must have been a time in our galaxy when more stars formed than normal, and at the end of their lives they become dust-producing," Heck said. The task now is to apply the same method on other meteorites. But according to Heck, there are fewer than five known to be in collections and big enough to give up such secrets.

7 billion-year-old stardust is oldest material found on Earth

The smoke from the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/residents-of-small-australian-communities-told-to-evacuate-as-fire-approaches-270749">Australian bushfires</a> will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation from the west, NASA said on its website.

The smoke has spread into the lower stratosphere and has reached 17.7 kilometres above sea level.&nbsp;

Nasa said that ''once it has entered the stratosphere, it can affect the atmospheric conditions globally by travelling around thousand of miles''.

<img alt="Bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ce5ec23a-6c3d-4397-8402-e04cb3e9b83d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%282%29_31.jpg" />

It was pushed across the Pacific from the eastern coast of Australia where the fire had been blazing for the past three months.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A fleet of NASA satellites 🛰️ working together has been analyzing the aerosols and smoke from the massive fires burning in Australia.<a href="https://t.co/93geNvCBnU">https://t.co/93geNvCBnU</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZedZ199lvJ">pic.twitter.com/ZedZ199lvJ</a>
— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard/status/1215370818156466190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

The adverse impact is not merely subjected to its nearby surroundings.

&nbsp;Not only has it visibly darkened the mountaintop snow but it has damaged the air quality in New Zealand.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://13.235.153.162/videos/australia-bushfires-over-50000-sq-km-of-land-consumed-by-fire-271107/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;''The smoke that plummeted from the bushfire had crossed South America, turning its skies hazy It had already moved halfway across the Earth by January 8'', NASA said.

<img alt="Bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="70794b3e-7c3e-4c65-810a-bbdb1763fe21" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design_41.jpg" />

&nbsp;"Unusually large" number of pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) events which are fire-generated thunderstorms were produced by the massive bushfire.

&nbsp;A group of NASA satellites working together has been analyzing the aerosols and smoke from the massive fires burning in Australia.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA published pictures of the damade made by Australain bushfires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="558b3e67-890e-4bf8-86b8-8c98bea1d5c2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2839%29_0.jpg" />

&nbsp;Colin Seftor, a research scientist at Goddard said, “the higher the smoke plume, the larger the aerosol index value. Values over 10 are often associated with such events. The aerosol index values produced by some of the Australian pyroCb events have rivalled that largest values ever recorded.”

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/photos/satellite-images-reveal-the-extent-of-australian-bushfire-damage-272645#cost-going-upto-$48559-million-272634">Also see:&nbsp;Satellite images reveal the extent of Australian bushfire damage</a>

The ash and smoke that had risen from the bushfire triggered these thunderstorms which provide a pathway for the smoke to travel more than 10 miles&nbsp;up into the stratosphere.

&nbsp;It was due to this reason that it succeeded in travelling ''halfway around the Earth'' and will eventually return to the nation itself.

The smoke from the Australian bushfires will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation from the west, NASA said on its website. The smoke has spread into the lower stratosphere and has reached 17.

The smoke from the Australian bushfires will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation from the west, NASA said on its website. The smoke has spread into the lower stratosphere and has reached 17.7 kilometres above sea level. Nasa said that ''once it has entered the stratosphere, it can affect the atmospheric conditions globally by travelling around thousand of miles''. It was pushed across the Pacific from the eastern coast of Australia where the fire had been blazing for the past three months. A fleet of NASA satellites 🛰️ working together has been analyzing the aerosols and smoke from the massive fires burning in Australia.https://t.co/93geNvCBnU pic.twitter.com/ZedZ199lvJ — NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) January 9, 2020 × The adverse impact is not merely subjected to its nearby surroundings. Not only has it visibly darkened the mountaintop snow but it has damaged the air quality in New Zealand. × ''The smoke that plummeted from the bushfire had crossed South America, turning its skies hazy It had already moved halfway across the Earth by January 8'', NASA said. "Unusually large" number of pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) events which are fire-generated thunderstorms were produced by the massive bushfire. A group of NASA satellites working together has been analyzing the aerosols and smoke from the massive fires burning in Australia. Colin Seftor, a research scientist at Goddard said, “the higher the smoke plume, the larger the aerosol index value. Values over 10 are often associated with such events. The aerosol index values produced by some of the Australian pyroCb events have rivalled that largest values ever recorded.” Also see: Satellite images reveal the extent of Australian bushfire damage The ash and smoke that had risen from the bushfire triggered these thunderstorms which provide a pathway for the smoke to travel more than 10 miles up into the stratosphere. It was due to this reason that it succeeded in travelling ''halfway around the Earth'' and will eventually return to the nation itself.

Australian bushfire smoke will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation: NASA

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../australia-tour-of-india-virat-kohli-is-looking-for -exciting-and-competitive-series-marnus-a-threat-of-india-274046">Virat Kohli</a> has been India's leading run-scoring machine in the past decade. The Indian skipper is set to face Australia for the first One Day International at Wankhede Stadium, today.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-australia-1st-odi-in-form-indian-team-to-take-on-confident-aussies-274112">India vs Australia, 1st ODI: In-form Indian team to take on confident Aussies</a> 
 
The 31-year-old closes onto another Indian record held by Sachin Tendulkar if the Captain scores a century in this match he will equal the Master Blaster's record of most centuries in the ODI's at home.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/3rd-t20i-ind-vs-lanka-virat-kohli-and-jasprit-bumrah-break-records-after-emphatic-victory-over-sri-lanka-273577">Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah shatter records as India claim series win against Sri Lanka</a> 
 
Sahin Tendulkar has scored 20 centuries in India, whereas Virat Kohli has scored 19 of those. Virat has just scored one century at the Wankhede stadium in ODIs, where he scored 121 runs off 125 balls against New Zealand in 2017. 
 
Virat has scored a Test double (235) against England in 2016. Sunil Gavaskar holds the record for most centuries (5) on this ground.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Action starts in a few hours 🇮🇳🇦🇺 
Get ready for an exciting contest between two swashbuckling sides 📺📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Paytm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paytm</a> <a href="https://t.co/0lSTYD2w2I">pic.twitter.com/0lSTYD2w2I</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1216935192763322368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Apart from this Indian record, a world record is on the verge to be broken. Kohli has already equaled Ricky Ponting's record (41) for most centuries by a skipper across all formats. If the Indian Captain scores a century he will go past Ponting and also become the fastest to do so. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../bushfire-cricket-bash-ricky-ponting-and-shane- warne-to-come-out-of-retirement-to-raise-funds-273874">Ricky Ponting</a> scored these centuries in 376 innings whereas Virat took just 196 innings. 
 
Last time Virat scored a century was in the 'Pink-ball Test' against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata&nbsp;in November 2019. 
 
Virat Kohli as a captain has scored 20 Test centuries and 21 ODI centuries. 
 
Virat Kohli's Test average is 54.97, his average as a captain is significantly higher at 63.80. 
 
In ODIs, his career average is 59.84, while he averages 77.60 as captain. 
 
Indian Skipper will look forward to breaking these records as well as winning the series against the Aussies.

Virat Kohli has been India's leading run-scoring machine in the past decade. The Indian skipper is set to face Australia for the first One Day International at Wankhede Stadium, today.

Virat Kohli has been India's leading run-scoring machine in the past decade. The Indian skipper is set to face Australia for the first One Day International at Wankhede Stadium, today. Also read: India vs Australia, 1st ODI: In-form Indian team to take on confident Aussies The 31-year-old closes onto another Indian record held by Sachin Tendulkar if the Captain scores a century in this match he will equal the Master Blaster's record of most centuries in the ODI's at home. Also read: Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah shatter records as India claim series win against Sri Lanka Sahin Tendulkar has scored 20 centuries in India, whereas Virat Kohli has scored 19 of those. Virat has just scored one century at the Wankhede stadium in ODIs, where he scored 121 runs off 125 balls against New Zealand in 2017. Virat has scored a Test double (235) against England in 2016. Sunil Gavaskar holds the record for most centuries (5) on this ground. Action starts in a few hours 🇮🇳🇦🇺 Get ready for an exciting contest between two swashbuckling sides 📺📺 #TeamIndia #INDvAUS @Paytm pic.twitter.com/0lSTYD2w2I — BCCI (@BCCI) January 14, 2020 × Apart from this Indian record, a world record is on the verge to be broken. Kohli has already equaled Ricky Ponting's record (41) for most centuries by a skipper across all formats. If the Indian Captain scores a century he will go past Ponting and also become the fastest to do so. Ricky Ponting scored these centuries in 376 innings whereas Virat took just 196 innings. Last time Virat scored a century was in the 'Pink-ball Test' against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in November 2019. Virat Kohli as a captain has scored 20 Test centuries and 21 ODI centuries. Virat Kohli's Test average is 54.97, his average as a captain is significantly higher at 63.80. In ODIs, his career average is 59.84, while he averages 77.60 as captain. Indian Skipper will look forward to breaking these records as well as winning the series against the Aussies.

India vs Australia, 1st ODI: Virat Kohli looks forward to equal Tendulkar's record and go past Ricky Ponting

Exhausted firefighters said they had finally brought Australia's largest "mega blaze" under control Monday, as wet weather promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-as-bushfires-continue-to-rage-one-more-firefighter-dies-2-others-injured-271059">bushfires</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bushfires-record-air-pollution-numbers-recorded-in-new-south-wales-sydney-chokes-263757">New South Wales</a> firefighters said they finally had the upper hand in the fight against the vast c fire on Sydney's northwestern outskirts, which has been burning out of control for almost three months.

Visiting the area on Monday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-firefighters-get-brief-reprieve-as-death-toll-rises-272175">Shane Fitzsimmons</a> said there was a "small area of burning still to complete" but the "containment prognosis looks promising."

The fire seared an area of the national park three times the size of Greater London and lit several connected blazes totaling over 800,000 hectares&nbsp;an area larger than Austria.&nbsp;

<img alt="Australian bushfires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cdbeee10-171b-42c3-9a67-3dc94e020509" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%289%29_12.jpg" />

As residents and authorities continued to come to grips with the sheer scale of the devastation, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast some fire grounds could get up to 50 millimeters (two inches) of rain in the next week, a relief after a prolonged drought.

If that forecast bears out, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said, "then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed."

Dozens of other fires are yet to be controlled.

The climate-change-fuelled fires have prompted an international outpouring and donations from around the world to help communities and animal populations.

Australia's unique flora and fauna have taken a catastrophic hit, with an estimated one billion animals killed, and countless trees and shrubs burned away.

The country's environment minister Sussan Ley has warned that in some areas, koalas may have to be reclassified as endangered.

This weekend, Sydney will host a star-studded charity gig to benefit fire services, the Red Cross and animal welfare organisations.&nbsp;

Headliners include Alice Cooper, Olivia Newton-John and Queen.

<img alt="Australian bushfires" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c48f21cd-d04b-4cdc-bcaf-8b219ca88da8" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_11.jpg" />

The political impact of the crisis is also coming into sharper relief.

A poll released Monday showed Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/australian-pm-scott-morrison-to-visit-india-in-january-269023">Scott Morrison</a>'s approval ratings have nosedived in the face of widespread anger over his handling of the deadly crisis.

The Newspoll survey showed 59 percent of Australian voters are dissatisfied with the conservative leader's performance overall, and only 37 percent were satisfied, an abrupt reversal since his shock election win last May.

Morrison has been criticised heavily for his response to the months-long crisis -- which included going on holiday to Hawaii, making a series of gaffes and misleading statements about his government's actions, and forcing angry victims to shake his hand.

Morrison began the crisis insisting local authorities had enough resources to handle the fires and exhausted volunteers firefighters "want to be there".&nbsp;

He also repeatedly stated that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-new-warnings-issued-by-authorities-with-rekindled-bushfire-273230">Australia</a> was doing more than enough to meet its emission reduction targets, prompting a series of large-scale street protests.

Seeing a backlash, Morrison has since deployed the military, launched the largest peacetime call up of reserves, pledged billions of dollars in aid, increased payments to firefighters, and suggested more work may need to be done on emissions.

Exhausted firefighters said they had finally brought Australia's largest "mega blaze" under control Monday, as wet weather promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by bushfires.

Exhausted firefighters said they had finally brought Australia's largest "mega blaze" under control Monday, as wet weather promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by bushfires. New South Wales firefighters said they finally had the upper hand in the fight against the vast c fire on Sydney's northwestern outskirts, which has been burning out of control for almost three months. Visiting the area on Monday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said there was a "small area of burning still to complete" but the "containment prognosis looks promising." The fire seared an area of the national park three times the size of Greater London and lit several connected blazes totaling over 800,000 hectares an area larger than Austria. As residents and authorities continued to come to grips with the sheer scale of the devastation, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast some fire grounds could get up to 50 millimeters (two inches) of rain in the next week, a relief after a prolonged drought. If that forecast bears out, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service said, "then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed." Dozens of other fires are yet to be controlled. The climate-change-fuelled fires have prompted an international outpouring and donations from around the world to help communities and animal populations. Australia's unique flora and fauna have taken a catastrophic hit, with an estimated one billion animals killed, and countless trees and shrubs burned away. The country's environment minister Sussan Ley has warned that in some areas, koalas may have to be reclassified as endangered. This weekend, Sydney will host a star-studded charity gig to benefit fire services, the Red Cross and animal welfare organisations. Headliners include Alice Cooper, Olivia Newton-John and Queen. The political impact of the crisis is also coming into sharper relief. A poll released Monday showed Prime Minister Scott Morrison's approval ratings have nosedived in the face of widespread anger over his handling of the deadly crisis. The Newspoll survey showed 59 percent of Australian voters are dissatisfied with the conservative leader's performance overall, and only 37 percent were satisfied, an abrupt reversal since his shock election win last May. Morrison has been criticised heavily for his response to the months-long crisis -- which included going on holiday to Hawaii, making a series of gaffes and misleading statements about his government's actions, and forcing angry victims to shake his hand. Morrison began the crisis insisting local authorities had enough resources to handle the fires and exhausted volunteers firefighters "want to be there". He also repeatedly stated that Australia was doing more than enough to meet its emission reduction targets, prompting a series of large-scale street protests. Seeing a backlash, Morrison has since deployed the military, launched the largest peacetime call up of reserves, pledged billions of dollars in aid, increased payments to firefighters, and suggested more work may need to be done on emissions.

Australian 'megablaze' brought under control

Elephants marched with volunteers and primary school students in Thailand's central Ayutthaya province on Monday (January 13) to raise public awareness of wildlife suffering from raging bushfires in Australia.

Elephants, students, volunteers march to raise awareness of Australia bushfires

Ahead of the crucial one-day international(ODI) clash against Australia at the&nbsp;Wankhede&nbsp;Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday,&nbsp;Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he does not "support people"&nbsp; comparing players within the team.

"All guys in form is a good thing. We will figure out what combination we want to go in with and there is a possibility that all three might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field. I do not at all support people comparing players within the team," the Indian captain said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-have-the-goods-to-give-virat-kohlis-men-a-run-for-their-money-finch-ahead-of-odi-series-against-india-273363">Australia have the goods to give Virat Kohli's men a run for their money: Finch ahead of ODI series against India</a>

In a press conference, Kohli pointed towards the form of the team and how comparisons within the team make no sense and it does not convey the right message to the team's culture.

India may face a major dilemma in choosing their opening pair for the series. Rohit Sharma was rested in the previous series (against Sri Lanka), Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul performed well in the final T20I against Sri Lanka. Kohli expressed his displeasure on such comparisons.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/we-dominated-the-series-shikhar-dhawan-india-beat-sri-lanka-to-sweep-the-series-273519">'We dominated the series,' says Shikhar Dhawan after India beat Sri Lanka to seal the series</a>

"I want to say this publicly because I see so many features and programs being made about this versus this. We are a team and playing together. I don't find the sense in heat is going up and they are fighting for one spot. It does not send the right message as far as the team culture is concerned," he added.

The 31-year-old talked about the experiments in the batting order during the final T20I versus Sri Lanka and why he came out to bat very low in the order. &nbsp;

"I am not possessive about where I play and I am not insecure about where I bat. Being the captain of the team, it's my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready as well. Your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now but also to prepare a team that you can leave behind when you eventually pass it on to someone else," he said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> Captain <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> hit some boundaries off Bumrah's bowling in the nets today. 
 
Hear what the Skipper has to say about the same 😅 <a href="https://t.co/g81FTR5jRT">pic.twitter.com/g81FTR5jRT</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1216643266461847553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Virat said that Australia is a stronger side than last time, the series will be exciting and competitive "They are a stronger side than the side that came last time to India but still won the series. You can have the most experienced or most skilled players but if you do not play well as a team in that series, you will not win which happened with us last time and when we went to Australia similar thing happened with them,".

Kohli said that series is short and a five-match series would have been way more exciting.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Gearing up for the challenge against Australia - <a href="https://twitter.com/klrahul11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@klrahul11</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/im_manishpandey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@im_manishpandey</a> train hard before the 1st ODI <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Paytm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paytm</a> <a href="https://t.co/opMVuq4qsB">pic.twitter.com/opMVuq4qsB</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1216673393015250944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Virat is close to breaking another world record if the Indian skipper manages to get a hundred at Wankhede, he will become the player with most centuries in international cricket (42) as captain, across all formats. He at the moment is tied with Australian great Ricky Ponting (41).&nbsp;

India and Australia have played 136 ODI matches, with&nbsp;Australia winning&nbsp;77 (29 in India) and India beating the Aussies in&nbsp;49 ODIs(22 in Australia). Ten&nbsp;matches were abandoned with none tied.&nbsp;

Australia has been one of the two teams who have defeated the mighty Indian team at home on more occasions than they have lost.&nbsp;

Since 2010, India has played 21 bilateral series, but have lost against only three teams (South Africa, Pakistan and Australia).&nbsp;

Australia's dominance over India in terms of win ratio has changed since 2013.&nbsp;Both heavyweights clashed have 28 times, in which Australia won 13&nbsp; ODIs and India outlasting the Australian juggernaut in&nbsp;13 ODIs with two games being washed out.&nbsp;

India won away series against Australia in 2018 (2-1), Australia avenged the series defeat in 2019 when they beat India in an away series (3-2) in 2019.&nbsp;

The dangerous Marnus Labuschagne is the player to watch out for the Indians.&nbsp;The 25-year-old is yet to make his ODI debut&nbsp;but has a&nbsp;staggering average of 63.4 in Tests

From the beginning of Ashes, Labuschagne ensured he cemented his name in the playing XI. On his home turf, Labuschagne proved his desire for big hundreds in his first two series (Pakistan, New Zealand). His consistency in scoring centuries was there for all to see with scores of 185, 162, 143, 50, 63, 19, 215, 59.

At home the Australian young gun&nbsp;scored 896 runs, averaging 112 with four&nbsp;centuries, three&nbsp;fifties.&nbsp;Labuschagne was Test cricket's highest run-scorer in 2019 with 1,104 runs in 11 matches averaging 64.94. His teammate Steven Smith was second in the list.&nbsp;

Ahead of the crucial one-day international(ODI) clash against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he does not "support people" comparing players within the team.

Ahead of the crucial one-day international(ODI) clash against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he does not "support people" comparing players within the team. "All guys in form is a good thing. We will figure out what combination we want to go in with and there is a possibility that all three might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field. I do not at all support people comparing players within the team," the Indian captain said. Also read: Australia have the goods to give Virat Kohli's men a run for their money: Finch ahead of ODI series against India In a press conference, Kohli pointed towards the form of the team and how comparisons within the team make no sense and it does not convey the right message to the team's culture. India may face a major dilemma in choosing their opening pair for the series. Rohit Sharma was rested in the previous series (against Sri Lanka), Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul performed well in the final T20I against Sri Lanka. Kohli expressed his displeasure on such comparisons. Also read: 'We dominated the series,' says Shikhar Dhawan after India beat Sri Lanka to seal the series "I want to say this publicly because I see so many features and programs being made about this versus this. We are a team and playing together. I don't find the sense in heat is going up and they are fighting for one spot. It does not send the right message as far as the team culture is concerned," he added. The 31-year-old talked about the experiments in the batting order during the final T20I versus Sri Lanka and why he came out to bat very low in the order. "I am not possessive about where I play and I am not insecure about where I bat. Being the captain of the team, it's my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready as well. Your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now but also to prepare a team that you can leave behind when you eventually pass it on to someone else," he said. #TeamIndia Captain @imVkohli hit some boundaries off Bumrah's bowling in the nets today. Hear what the Skipper has to say about the same 😅 pic.twitter.com/g81FTR5jRT — BCCI (@BCCI) January 13, 2020 × Virat said that Australia is a stronger side than last time, the series will be exciting and competitive "They are a stronger side than the side that came last time to India but still won the series. You can have the most experienced or most skilled players but if you do not play well as a team in that series, you will not win which happened with us last time and when we went to Australia similar thing happened with them,". Kohli said that series is short and a five-match series would have been way more exciting. Gearing up for the challenge against Australia - @klrahul11 & @im_manishpandey train hard before the 1st ODI #TeamIndia #INDvAUS @Paytm pic.twitter.com/opMVuq4qsB — BCCI (@BCCI) January 13, 2020 × Virat is close to breaking another world record if the Indian skipper manages to get a hundred at Wankhede, he will become the player with most centuries in international cricket (42) as captain, across all formats. He at the moment is tied with Australian great Ricky Ponting (41). India and Australia have played 136 ODI matches, with Australia winning 77 (29 in India) and India beating the Aussies in 49 ODIs(22 in Australia). Ten matches were abandoned with none tied. Australia has been one of the two teams who have defeated the mighty Indian team at home on more occasions than they have lost. Since 2010, India has played 21 bilateral series, but have lost against only three teams (South Africa, Pakistan and Australia). Australia's dominance over India in terms of win ratio has changed since 2013. Both heavyweights clashed have 28 times, in which Australia won 13 ODIs and India outlasting the Australian juggernaut in 13 ODIs with two games being washed out. India won away series against Australia in 2018 (2-1), Australia avenged the series defeat in 2019 when they beat India in an away series (3-2) in 2019. The dangerous Marnus Labuschagne is the player to watch out for the Indians. The 25-year-old is yet to make his ODI debut but has a staggering average of 63.4 in Tests From the beginning of Ashes, Labuschagne ensured he cemented his name in the playing XI. On his home turf, Labuschagne proved his desire for big hundreds in his first two series (Pakistan, New Zealand). His consistency in scoring centuries was there for all to see with scores of 185, 162, 143, 50, 63, 19, 215, 59. At home the Australian young gun scored 896 runs, averaging 112 with four centuries, three fifties. Labuschagne was Test cricket's highest run-scorer in 2019 with 1,104 runs in 11 matches averaging 64.94. His teammate Steven Smith was second in the list.

India-Australia ODI clash: I do not support people comparing players, says Kohli

A political poll showed&nbsp;Australian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-pm-proposes-high-powered-inquiry-into-bushfires-response-273680">Scott Morrison</a>'s popularity declined sharply as his government grappled with a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-2000-homes-destroyed-military-buries-4000-animals-to-prevent-diseases-272607">bushfires crisis</a> that has killed 28 people and destroyed 2,000 homes.

Monday's Newspoll comes as officials confirmed 11.2 million hectares have now been razed by fires that have been burning for months, nearly half the area of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/royal-family-fallout-uks-queen-elizabeth-calls-prince-harry-for-crisis-meeting-273672">United Kingdom</a>.

Morrison has come under attack for being slow to respond to an unprecedented crisis, even taking a family holiday to Hawaii while fires were burning.

Also watch:&nbsp;Australia Bushfires: Over 50,000 Sq Km of land consumed by fire

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://13.235.153.162/videos/australia-bushfires-over-50000-sq-km-of-land-consumed-by-fire-271107/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

He acknowledged during a television interview on Sunday that he had made some mistakes.

"We have heard the message loud and clear from the&nbsp;Australian people," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday, when asked about the poll result as he announced a A$50 million wildlife protection fund.

"They want to see a Federal Government adopt a very direct response to these natural and national disasters," Frydenberg said.

The Newspoll showed Morrison's approval rating dropped 8 points to the lowest level since he took over leadership of the Liberal Party in August 2018.

He was overtaken by Labour leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-leader-curtails-holiday-as-firefighters-killed-in-huge-blazes-269260">Anthony Albanese</a>. No margin of error was provided for the poll, which surveyed 1,505 people from Wednesday to Saturday, although it was about 2.5 percentage points in previous Newspolls.

The poll was taken after Morrison announced a A$2 billion bushfire recovery fund and called out 3,000 army reservists to back up state emergency workers - responses that were viewed as too slow.

Morrison said on Sunday he would take a proposal to Cabinet to hold a Royal Commission national inquiry into the bushfires, including examining the response to the crisis, the role and powers of the federal government and the impact of climate change.

After weeks of raging fires whipped up by erratic winds and temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), conditions eased over the weekend with showers forecast for New South Wales (NSW), the worst hit state, over the next few days.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-megablaze-brought-under-control-273841">Australian 'megablaze' brought under control</a>

"If this BOM (Bureau of Metereology) rainfall forecast comes to fruition then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed," the NSW Rural Fire Service said on Twitter.

Here are key events in the crisis:

*Frydenberg announced A$50 million in funding on Monday for protecting wildlife and restoring damaged habitat, with a focus on threatened species, like koalas, with heartbreaking images of rescues of burned animals having gone viral around the world.

*Since October, thousands of&nbsp;Australians have been subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 11.2 million hectares, an area nearly half the size of the United Kingdom.

*Across New South Wales, 111 fires were still burning late on Sunday, 40 of them not yet contained, but none at emergency level.

*A number of fires burning in the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales and into Victoria have merged across more than 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of land. They do not pose a threat, authorities say, despite being in an area hard to reach.

*The government said on Sunday it would provide A$76 million&nbsp;for mental health counselling and healthcare consultations to firefighters, emergency workers, individuals and communities.

*Western&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;Department of Fire and Emergency Services said on Sunday an out-of-control and unpredictable fire that is moving slowly in the state's south, poses a possible threat to lives and homes in the area.

*South&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;said on Sunday that more than 32,000 livestock animals, mostly sheep, had died in recent fires on Kangaroo Island, while fire services are working to strengthen containment lines ahead of expected worsening weather conditions on Monday.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/satellite-images-reveal-the-extent-of-australian-bushfire-damage-272645">Satellite images reveal the extent of Australian bushfire damage</a>

*Thousands of&nbsp;Australians took to the streets on Friday to protest against government inaction on climate change, and were supported by protesters in London.

*Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other recent catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged by 2019 fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined.

*Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion, higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2 percent&nbsp;to 0.5 percent&nbsp;on gross domestic product.

*The Insurance Council of&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;increased to more than A$900 million its estimate of damage claims from the fires, and they are expected to jump further.

*About 100 firefighters from the United States and Canada are helping, with 140 more expected in coming weeks.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-strengthens-bushfire-defences-as-economic-environmental-costs-mount-272815">Australia strengthens bushfire defences as economic, environmental costs mount</a>

*The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said.

*Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization said.

A political poll showed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's popularity declined sharply as his government grappled with a bushfires crisis that has killed 28 people and destroyed 2,000 homes.

A political poll showed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's popularity declined sharply as his government grappled with a bushfires crisis that has killed 28 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. Monday's Newspoll comes as officials confirmed 11.2 million hectares have now been razed by fires that have been burning for months, nearly half the area of the United Kingdom. Morrison has come under attack for being slow to respond to an unprecedented crisis, even taking a family holiday to Hawaii while fires were burning. Also watch: Australia Bushfires: Over 50,000 Sq Km of land consumed by fire × He acknowledged during a television interview on Sunday that he had made some mistakes. "We have heard the message loud and clear from the Australian people," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Monday, when asked about the poll result as he announced a A$50 million wildlife protection fund. "They want to see a Federal Government adopt a very direct response to these natural and national disasters," Frydenberg said. The Newspoll showed Morrison's approval rating dropped 8 points to the lowest level since he took over leadership of the Liberal Party in August 2018. He was overtaken by Labour leader Anthony Albanese. No margin of error was provided for the poll, which surveyed 1,505 people from Wednesday to Saturday, although it was about 2.5 percentage points in previous Newspolls. The poll was taken after Morrison announced a A$2 billion bushfire recovery fund and called out 3,000 army reservists to back up state emergency workers - responses that were viewed as too slow. Morrison said on Sunday he would take a proposal to Cabinet to hold a Royal Commission national inquiry into the bushfires, including examining the response to the crisis, the role and powers of the federal government and the impact of climate change. After weeks of raging fires whipped up by erratic winds and temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), conditions eased over the weekend with showers forecast for New South Wales (NSW), the worst hit state, over the next few days. Also read: Australian 'megablaze' brought under control "If this BOM (Bureau of Metereology) rainfall forecast comes to fruition then this will be all of our Christmas, birthday, engagement, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed," the NSW Rural Fire Service said on Twitter. Here are key events in the crisis: *Frydenberg announced A$50 million in funding on Monday for protecting wildlife and restoring damaged habitat, with a focus on threatened species, like koalas, with heartbreaking images of rescues of burned animals having gone viral around the world. *Since October, thousands of Australians have been subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 11.2 million hectares, an area nearly half the size of the United Kingdom. *Across New South Wales, 111 fires were still burning late on Sunday, 40 of them not yet contained, but none at emergency level. *A number of fires burning in the Snowy Mountains region in New South Wales and into Victoria have merged across more than 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of land. They do not pose a threat, authorities say, despite being in an area hard to reach. *The government said on Sunday it would provide A$76 million for mental health counselling and healthcare consultations to firefighters, emergency workers, individuals and communities. *Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services said on Sunday an out-of-control and unpredictable fire that is moving slowly in the state's south, poses a possible threat to lives and homes in the area. *South Australia said on Sunday that more than 32,000 livestock animals, mostly sheep, had died in recent fires on Kangaroo Island, while fire services are working to strengthen containment lines ahead of expected worsening weather conditions on Monday. Also see: Satellite images reveal the extent of Australian bushfire damage *Thousands of Australians took to the streets on Friday to protest against government inaction on climate change, and were supported by protesters in London. *Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other recent catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged by 2019 fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined. *Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion, higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent on gross domestic product. *The Insurance Council of Australia increased to more than A$900 million its estimate of damage claims from the fires, and they are expected to jump further. *About 100 firefighters from the United States and Canada are helping, with 140 more expected in coming weeks. Also read: Australia strengthens bushfire defences as economic, environmental costs mount *The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said. *Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization said.

Australian Prime Minister's approval rating singed by bushfires

Australia is going through one of it's worst bushfires in decades, the human death toll reached to 24 now, and it is said that a staggering number of 500 million animals have died due to these fires. Nearly 2000 houses have been destroyed.

As the damage assessment begins, donations have poured in from across the globe.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fierce-wildfires-fuelled-by-searing-temperatures-new-blazes-and-high-winds-in-australia-271558">Fierce wildfires fuelled by searing temperatures, high winds in Australia continue to rage</a>

Australian cricketing legends Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne have decided to temporarily come out of retirement and play a fund-raiser T20 match called the 'Bushfire Cricket Bash'. 
 
The star-studded match is going to be played as a curtain-raiser to the Big Bash League's finals which will be held on February 8. Looking at the points table where <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../melbourne-stars-marcus-stoinis-becomes- highest-run-getter-in-big-bash-league-after-smashing-147-runs-against-sixe...">Melbourne Stars</a> and Sydney Sixers are trying to book the top spot, predictions are that the final could be played in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bushfire-shane-warnes-baggy-green-cap-sold-for-over-a1-million-273347">Australian bushfire: Shane Warne's baggy green cap sold for over A$1 million; beats Dhoni, Bradman</a>

Shane Warne's baggy green cap broke records, he took to twitter to thank his bidder.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Thankyou so much to everyone that placed a bid &amp; a huge Thankyou / congrats to the successful bidder - you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations ! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/vyVcA7NfGs">pic.twitter.com/vyVcA7NfGs</a>
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneWarne/status/1215413839614763008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;These big grounds are likely to attract a massive crowd. The two teams will be led by Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne. The venue will be confirmed on January 31 after the confirmation of the Top Two finalists. 
 
It is not the first time Cricket Australia has worked for a cause, in a Boxing Day tsunami charity match in January 2005 that attracted a crowd of 70,101 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, they&nbsp;raised A$14.5 million. 
 
The unpredictable fire rage has burnt more than 5.25 million hectares (13 million acres) of land and continues to spread despite volunteer firefighters stepping in.&nbsp;Australia's economy has faced a major setback.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://13.235.153.162/videos/navy-comes-to-aid-of-thousands-trapped-in-australia-bushfires-271922/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

 
'The Bushfire Cricket Bash' is going to feature players like Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell, and Micheal Clarke. Steve Waugh and Mel Jones will be involved but in a non-playing capacity. 
 
Alex Blackwell had&nbsp;just retired months ago from the Women's Big Bash League. 
 
Australia’s women’s team will begin the day with a T20I clash against India at the Junction Oval, this contest will be followed by the Bushfire Cricket Bash, and then Big Bash League finals will be played. 
 
“It is going to be a huge and special day. It’s nice to be part of it,” Ponting told reporters on Sunday.

Australia is going through one of it's worst bushfires in decades, the human death toll reached to 24 now, and it is said that a staggering number of 500 million animals have died due to these fires.

Australia is going through one of it's worst bushfires in decades, the human death toll reached to 24 now, and it is said that a staggering number of 500 million animals have died due to these fires. Nearly 2000 houses have been destroyed. As the damage assessment begins, donations have poured in from across the globe. Also see: Fierce wildfires fuelled by searing temperatures, high winds in Australia continue to rage Australian cricketing legends Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne have decided to temporarily come out of retirement and play a fund-raiser T20 match called the 'Bushfire Cricket Bash'. The star-studded match is going to be played as a curtain-raiser to the Big Bash League's finals which will be held on February 8. Looking at the points table where Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers are trying to book the top spot, predictions are that the final could be played in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Also read: Australian bushfire: Shane Warne's baggy green cap sold for over A$1 million; beats Dhoni, Bradman Shane Warne's baggy green cap broke records, he took to twitter to thank his bidder. Thankyou so much to everyone that placed a bid & a huge Thankyou / congrats to the successful bidder - you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations ! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vyVcA7NfGs — Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) January 9, 2020 × These big grounds are likely to attract a massive crowd. The two teams will be led by Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne. The venue will be confirmed on January 31 after the confirmation of the Top Two finalists. It is not the first time Cricket Australia has worked for a cause, in a Boxing Day tsunami charity match in January 2005 that attracted a crowd of 70,101 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, they raised A$14.5 million. The unpredictable fire rage has burnt more than 5.25 million hectares (13 million acres) of land and continues to spread despite volunteer firefighters stepping in. Australia's economy has faced a major setback. × 'The Bushfire Cricket Bash' is going to feature players like Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell, and Micheal Clarke. Steve Waugh and Mel Jones will be involved but in a non-playing capacity. Alex Blackwell had just retired months ago from the Women's Big Bash League. Australia’s women’s team will begin the day with a T20I clash against India at the Junction Oval, this contest will be followed by the Bushfire Cricket Bash, and then Big Bash League finals will be played. “It is going to be a huge and special day. It’s nice to be part of it,” Ponting told reporters on Sunday.

Bushfire Cricket Bash: Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne to come out of retirement to raise funds

The wildfires in Australia shows no sign of abating. Moreover, it destroys many beaches in its way, claims at least 27 lives and severe damage to public property. #WION

Bushfires destroys Australia's beaches; Claims 27 lives

After weeks of criticism over the handling of the&nbsp;bushfires&nbsp;scorching Australia, Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bushfires-thousands-take-streets-to-call-for-climate-action-demands-pms-resgination-273496">Scott Morrison</a> said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the&nbsp;response&nbsp;to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter's life.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We will continue to do whatever is needed to support those Australians affected and traumatised by these bushfires by rebuilding communities and helping people in need to recover ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/krEd48rwyF">https://t.co/krEd48rwyF</a>
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMorrisonMP/status/1216178671658004481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

With the&nbsp;Australian&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bushfires-thousands-take-streets-to-call-for-climate-action-demands-pms-resgination-273496">bush burning</a> for nearly three months now, killing 28 people, claiming 2,000 homes and raging across millions of acres of land and wildlife, the crisis is becoming increasingly political.

Morrison said he would propose a powerful judicial&nbsp;enquiry, known as the Royal Commission, into the handling of the fires.

<img alt="A burnt tree is seen outside Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1e1f9080-61da-4510-9434-36b5560925dc" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2835%29_1.jpg" /> 
[ A burnt tree is seen outside Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

"There is obviously a need for a national review of the&nbsp;response," Morrison said in an interview with ABC television.

Asked whether it should be a Royal Commission, Morrison said, "I think that is what would be necessary and I will be taking a proposal through the cabinet to that end, but it must be done with consultations with the states and territories."

Cooler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-cooler-temperature-and-rainfall-ease-conditions-ahead-of-rough-night-273517">weather conditions</a> have brought a temporary respite for many of Australia's burning areas over the weekend, but a firefighter died on duty in Victoria, where new flames sparked and authorities said lives and homes are still under threat.

Authorities said the risk was far from over and more hot weather is expected.

Facing increasing pressure to do more to tackle climate change, Morrison, who has so far been defiant in rejecting any links between his government's conservative climate policies and the&nbsp;bushfires, said his government will look into improving its performance on curbing emissions.

"We want to reduce emissions and do the best job we possibly can and get better and better and better at it," he said. "I want to do that with a balanced policy which recognises Australia's broader national economic interests and social interest."

While his office earlier on Sunday said that more mental health services will become available to the people affected by the fires, Morrison rejected criticism that his government had not done enough before the bushfire season started.

But he admitted that once the fires started, some&nbsp;responses could have been different.

"There are things I could have handled on the ground much better," he said. "These are sensitive environments, there are very emotional environments; prime ministers are flesh and blood too in how they engage with people."

After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bushfires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter's life.

After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bushfires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter's life. We will continue to do whatever is needed to support those Australians affected and traumatised by these bushfires by rebuilding communities and helping people in need to recover ➡️ https://t.co/krEd48rwyF — Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 12, 2020 × With the Australian bush burning for nearly three months now, killing 28 people, claiming 2,000 homes and raging across millions of acres of land and wildlife, the crisis is becoming increasingly political. Morrison said he would propose a powerful judicial enquiry, known as the Royal Commission, into the handling of the fires. [ A burnt tree is seen outside Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia (Courtesy: Reuters) ] "There is obviously a need for a national review of the response," Morrison said in an interview with ABC television. Asked whether it should be a Royal Commission, Morrison said, "I think that is what would be necessary and I will be taking a proposal through the cabinet to that end, but it must be done with consultations with the states and territories." Cooler weather conditions have brought a temporary respite for many of Australia's burning areas over the weekend, but a firefighter died on duty in Victoria, where new flames sparked and authorities said lives and homes are still under threat. Authorities said the risk was far from over and more hot weather is expected. Facing increasing pressure to do more to tackle climate change, Morrison, who has so far been defiant in rejecting any links between his government's conservative climate policies and the bushfires, said his government will look into improving its performance on curbing emissions. "We want to reduce emissions and do the best job we possibly can and get better and better and better at it," he said. "I want to do that with a balanced policy which recognises Australia's broader national economic interests and social interest." While his office earlier on Sunday said that more mental health services will become available to the people affected by the fires, Morrison rejected criticism that his government had not done enough before the bushfire season started. But he admitted that once the fires started, some responses could have been different. "There are things I could have handled on the ground much better," he said. "These are sensitive environments, there are very emotional environments; prime ministers are flesh and blood too in how they engage with people."

Australian PM Scott Morrison proposes high-powered inquiry into bushfires response

The firefighters and volunteers in Australia were given tribute for their efforts in battling against the raging fires across states in Australia. Opera House was illuminated by images of some firefighters who are battling against raging fires in Australia. #WION #Sydney #OperaHouse #AustraliaBushfires

Sydney pays tribute to firefighters by illuminating images on Opera House

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bushfires-thousands-take-streets-to-call-for-climate-action-demands-pms-resgination-273496">Bushfire</a> conditions on Australia's east coast eased on Saturday&nbsp;after&nbsp;a&nbsp;tough&nbsp;night&nbsp;for&nbsp;firefighters, and authorities said they expect to have at least a week of milder weather where they can improve defences against the huge blazes still burning.

A strong southerly wind change on Friday&nbsp;night, with gusts of more than 100 kph (60 mph) recorded, whipped a number of fires up to the emergency warning level, but by Saturday morning cooler temperatures and rainfall had eased conditions.

Watch:&nbsp;Australia fires show no sign of stopping, New warnings issued by authorities

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-fires-show-no-sign-of-stopping-new-warnings-issued-by-authorities-273205/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"A lot of relief for a lot of communities really suffering at this time, but the next few days are (also) looking pretty good," Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology told ABC News television. "Much cooler as well."

New South Wales (NSW) <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-bushfires-2000-homes-destroyed-military-buries-4000-animals-to-prevent-diseases-272607">Rural Fire Service</a> Commissioner <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australian-firefighters-get-brief-reprieve-as-death-toll-rises-272175">Shane Fitzsimmons</a> told a media briefing the respite was an opportunity to consolidate and try and&nbsp;get&nbsp;the upper hand on the fires.

"It would appear that we have got at least a week. It will probably be the best seven days we have had without a rise of very dangerous fire ratings," Fitzsimmons said.

Victoria emergency services minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/next-few-hours-could-be-very-challenging-australia-urges-people-to-flee-as-bushfires-rage-273400">Lisa Neville</a> urged communities affected by the fires to use the expected milder weather conditions to check on each other.

"This will leave significant trauma for people to deal with," Neville said at a separate media briefing. "The next few weeks is going to be really important that we look out for each other."

Neville also took on twitter and said that she met with emergency services from France, the UK and the USA to discuss how they can assist with our current bushfires.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today I met with emergency services from France, the UK &amp; the USA to discuss how they can assist us with our current bushfires. 
 
Another great example of our emergency services working together to protect our communities. Thank you to all the ES workers, local and international <a href="https://t.co/SqRiHUFy4J">pic.twitter.com/SqRiHUFy4J</a>
— Lisa Neville (@LisanevilleMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/LisanevilleMP/status/1215819667639373824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land, an area roughly the size of South Korea.

Australian&nbsp;authorities were clear that the risk was far from over.

"The longer-term forecast, or the outlook rather than a forecast, is for warmer and drier, so we know we have a long way to go," Victoria's emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp told a media briefing.

"It is great to have some respite now so we can reset and refocus in terms of our operational activities and what we can do to support community, but we will have more hot weather."

Across NSW, nearly 150 fires were still burning as of Saturday morning, more than 60 of which were not contained, but none were at emergency level. Some 2,000 homes have been destroyed so far in the fire-affected areas of the state.

One NSW person suffered serious burns defending a property and was taken to a Sydney hospital on Friday&nbsp;night.

One fire was still burning at emergency level in Victoria on Saturday from a total of about 20 fires burning in the state.

<img alt="Australian bushfires continues to rage on Friday night" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1126a4b9-fa92-42eb-9fad-1e539d9c6cf5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%283%29_29.jpg" /> 
[ Australian wildfire&nbsp;continues to rage on Friday night in New South Wales (Courtesy: Reuters)&nbsp;]

A number of fires burning in the Snowy Mountains region in NSW and across into Victoria have merged. The fires that combined have more than 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of land in total. Although the merged fires are burning in a difficult area to&nbsp;get&nbsp;to, authorities said they do not pose an immediate threat.

Thousands of&nbsp;Australians took to the streets on Friday to protest against government inaction on climate change, and were supported by protesters in London.

Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion (£2.64 billion) ($3.4 billion), higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2 per cent&nbsp;to 0.5 per cent&nbsp;on gross domestic product.

Australia's alpine resorts have dusted off winter snowmaking machines to blast ice-cold water onto dry ski slopes as fires threaten the Snowy Mountains region.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-strengthens-bushfire-defences-as-economic-environmental-costs-mount-272815">Insurance Council of Australia</a> increased its estimate of damages claims from the fires to more than A$900 million, with claims expected to jump further.

Health officials in New South Wales urged extra precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.

Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other recent catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged by 2019 fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The $2 billion we've committed is in addition to the Government’s emergency and disaster payments, and the financial support for volunteer firefighters. People affected by the bushfires can claim disaster payments by calling 180 22 66.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMorrisonMP/status/1214046021761695744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Australia Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-issues-new-evacuation-alerts-as-monster-bushfires-regenerate-273065">Scott Morrison </a>has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/smoke-from-australia-bushfires-reaches-brazil-272837">National Bushfire Recovery Agency</a>.

About 100&nbsp;firefighters&nbsp;from the United States and Canada are helping, with another 140 expected in coming weeks.

The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said.

Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said.

Bushfire conditions on Australia's east coast eased on Saturday after a tough night for firefighters, and authorities said they expect to have at least a week of milder weather where they can improve defences against the huge blazes still burning.

Bushfire conditions on Australia's east coast eased on Saturday after a tough night for firefighters, and authorities said they expect to have at least a week of milder weather where they can improve defences against the huge blazes still burning. A strong southerly wind change on Friday night, with gusts of more than 100 kph (60 mph) recorded, whipped a number of fires up to the emergency warning level, but by Saturday morning cooler temperatures and rainfall had eased conditions. Watch: Australia fires show no sign of stopping, New warnings issued by authorities × "A lot of relief for a lot of communities really suffering at this time, but the next few days are (also) looking pretty good," Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology told ABC News television. "Much cooler as well." New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told a media briefing the respite was an opportunity to consolidate and try and get the upper hand on the fires. "It would appear that we have got at least a week. It will probably be the best seven days we have had without a rise of very dangerous fire ratings," Fitzsimmons said. Victoria emergency services minister Lisa Neville urged communities affected by the fires to use the expected milder weather conditions to check on each other. "This will leave significant trauma for people to deal with," Neville said at a separate media briefing. "The next few weeks is going to be really important that we look out for each other." Neville also took on twitter and said that she met with emergency services from France, the UK and the USA to discuss how they can assist with our current bushfires. Today I met with emergency services from France, the UK & the USA to discuss how they can assist us with our current bushfires. Another great example of our emergency services working together to protect our communities. Thank you to all the ES workers, local and international pic.twitter.com/SqRiHUFy4J — Lisa Neville (@LisanevilleMP) January 11, 2020 × Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land, an area roughly the size of South Korea. Australian authorities were clear that the risk was far from over. "The longer-term forecast, or the outlook rather than a forecast, is for warmer and drier, so we know we have a long way to go," Victoria's emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp told a media briefing. "It is great to have some respite now so we can reset and refocus in terms of our operational activities and what we can do to support community, but we will have more hot weather." Across NSW, nearly 150 fires were still burning as of Saturday morning, more than 60 of which were not contained, but none were at emergency level. Some 2,000 homes have been destroyed so far in the fire-affected areas of the state. One NSW person suffered serious burns defending a property and was taken to a Sydney hospital on Friday night. One fire was still burning at emergency level in Victoria on Saturday from a total of about 20 fires burning in the state. [ Australian wildfire continues to rage on Friday night in New South Wales (Courtesy: Reuters) ] A number of fires burning in the Snowy Mountains region in NSW and across into Victoria have merged. The fires that combined have more than 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres) of land in total. Although the merged fires are burning in a difficult area to get to, authorities said they do not pose an immediate threat. Thousands of Australians took to the streets on Friday to protest against government inaction on climate change, and were supported by protesters in London. Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion (£2.64 billion) ($3.4 billion), higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2 per cent to 0.5 per cent on gross domestic product. Australia's alpine resorts have dusted off winter snowmaking machines to blast ice-cold water onto dry ski slopes as fires threaten the Snowy Mountains region. The Insurance Council of Australia increased its estimate of damages claims from the fires to more than A$900 million, with claims expected to jump further. Health officials in New South Wales urged extra precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other recent catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged by 2019 fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined. The $2 billion we've committed is in addition to the Government’s emergency and disaster payments, and the financial support for volunteer firefighters. People affected by the bushfires can claim disaster payments by calling 180 22 66. — Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 6, 2020 × Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency. About 100 firefighters from the United States and Canada are helping, with another 140 expected in coming weeks. The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said. Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said.

Australian bushfires: Firefighters get reprieve after tough night

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../atp-belguims-david-goffin-keeps-hope-alive- after-shocker-against-spains-rafael-nadal-273449">Rafael Nadal</a> and Novak Djokovic will face each other in the final of the inaugural ATP Cup after winning epic three-set matches Saturday to steer Spain and Serbia into the decider.

World number one Nadal ground down pumped-up Australian Alex de Minaur to guide the Davis Cup champions through their semi-final while Djokovic battled past Russia's Daniil Medvedev.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/atp-novak-djokovic-concerned-about-smoke-at-australian-open-as-bushfires-continue-to-blaze-272187">ATP: Novak Djokovic concerned about smoke at Australian Open as bushfires continue to blaze</a>

Under the format of the innovative team event in Sydney, the top-ranked singles players from each country play each other, ensuring the two legends clash for a 55th time since their first showdown in 2006.

World number two <a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../djokovic-and-nadal-rally-for-merger-of-atp-cup -and-davis-cup-271915">Djokovic</a> leads the head-to-heads 28-26, including beating his arch-rival in the Australian Open final last year.

Nadal outlasted De Minaur 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 after unflappable teammate Roberto Bautista Agut tamed Nick Kyrgios 6-1, 6-4.

Djokovic had an equally tough time against impressive fifth-ranked Medvedev, coming through a top-draw contest 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 on the back of Dusan Lajovic beating Karen Khachanov 7-5, 7-6 (7/1).

"Alex was playing at a very high level and for me my energy was a little bit lower than usual. But it has been a very emotional evening and a pleasure playing here," said Nadal.

"We know it's going to be a super tough final (against Serbia)," he added. "Novak likes a lot to play here, he's had a lot of great results. So let's see. We have a good team too."

De Minaur had a furious start, breaking Nadal in the opening game of the match and then keeping the pressure on, restricting the Spaniard's trademark forehand to take the first set in 46 minutes.

Full of energy, his serve was on fire and he was winning the baseline rallies, but Nadal weathered the onslaught and finally won a break point, converting to take the second set.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../australia-oust-britain-in-knife-edge-atp-cup- quarter-final-273204">De Minaur</a> was deflated and the fight went out of him as the 19-time Grand Slam showed him who was boss, racing through the deciding set.

Unassuming world number 10 Bautista Agut was in control and all over the groundstrokes of temperamental Kyrgios, who looked lost as he crashed 6-1 in the first set.

The Australian regained some lustre in the second set. But he was broken in the fifth game, mangling his racquet in frustration, and despite saving two match points with booming aces was outplayed.

"My game plan was to put him under pressure to play every point, to make him work. That's what I tried and it went well," said Bautista Agut.

- Exceptional - 
Sixteen-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who is targeting an eighth Australian Open title this month, had looked on track for a comfortable win against Medvedev after sailing through the opening set and breaking in the first game of the second.

But the dogged Russian, who won their last two encounters, roared back.

He broke in the next game and then again for 3-1, with Djokovic smashing his racquet as Medvedev took the set to level the match.

A third set of long, high-quality rallies went with serve until Djokovic got the crucial edge in the fifth game, converting a volley to go 3-2 in front and Medvedev had no answer.

"It was an exceptional match. Lots of rallies and very exhausting. Daniil Medvedev is one of the best players in the world and he showed today why," said Djokovic.

"He's difficult to break from the baseline, he's tall and has a good serve. This was the most difficult challenge I have had so far this year."

Lajovic, who won his first ATP title last year at Umag, took a 2-0 record into his showdown with world number 17 Khachanov and produced a performance that belied his ranking of 34, displaying composure and a fine array of shots.

"It was definitely one of the toughest matches for me in my career, concerning the situation, the tension and the importance of the moment," he said. "But the crowd carried me." &nbsp; &nbsp;

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face each other in the final of the inaugural ATP Cup after winning epic three-set matches Saturday to steer Spain and Serbia into the decider.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face each other in the final of the inaugural ATP Cup after winning epic three-set matches Saturday to steer Spain and Serbia into the decider. World number one Nadal ground down pumped-up Australian Alex de Minaur to guide the Davis Cup champions through their semi-final while Djokovic battled past Russia's Daniil Medvedev. Also read: ATP: Novak Djokovic concerned about smoke at Australian Open as bushfires continue to blaze Under the format of the innovative team event in Sydney, the top-ranked singles players from each country play each other, ensuring the two legends clash for a 55th time since their first showdown in 2006. World number two Djokovic leads the head-to-heads 28-26, including beating his arch-rival in the Australian Open final last year. Nadal outlasted De Minaur 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 after unflappable teammate Roberto Bautista Agut tamed Nick Kyrgios 6-1, 6-4. Djokovic had an equally tough time against impressive fifth-ranked Medvedev, coming through a top-draw contest 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 on the back of Dusan Lajovic beating Karen Khachanov 7-5, 7-6 (7/1). "Alex was playing at a very high level and for me my energy was a little bit lower than usual. But it has been a very emotional evening and a pleasure playing here," said Nadal. "We know it's going to be a super tough final (against Serbia)," he added. "Novak likes a lot to play here, he's had a lot of great results. So let's see. We have a good team too." De Minaur had a furious start, breaking Nadal in the opening game of the match and then keeping the pressure on, restricting the Spaniard's trademark forehand to take the first set in 46 minutes. Full of energy, his serve was on fire and he was winning the baseline rallies, but Nadal weathered the onslaught and finally won a break point, converting to take the second set. De Minaur was deflated and the fight went out of him as the 19-time Grand Slam showed him who was boss, racing through the deciding set. Unassuming world number 10 Bautista Agut was in control and all over the groundstrokes of temperamental Kyrgios, who looked lost as he crashed 6-1 in the first set. The Australian regained some lustre in the second set. But he was broken in the fifth game, mangling his racquet in frustration, and despite saving two match points with booming aces was outplayed. "My game plan was to put him under pressure to play every point, to make him work. That's what I tried and it went well," said Bautista Agut. - Exceptional - Sixteen-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who is targeting an eighth Australian Open title this month, had looked on track for a comfortable win against Medvedev after sailing through the opening set and breaking in the first game of the second. But the dogged Russian, who won their last two encounters, roared back. He broke in the next game and then again for 3-1, with Djokovic smashing his racquet as Medvedev took the set to level the match. A third set of long, high-quality rallies went with serve until Djokovic got the crucial edge in the fifth game, converting a volley to go 3-2 in front and Medvedev had no answer. "It was an exceptional match. Lots of rallies and very exhausting. Daniil Medvedev is one of the best players in the world and he showed today why," said Djokovic. "He's difficult to break from the baseline, he's tall and has a good serve. This was the most difficult challenge I have had so far this year." Lajovic, who won his first ATP title last year at Umag, took a 2-0 record into his showdown with world number 17 Khachanov and produced a performance that belied his ranking of 34, displaying composure and a fine array of shots. "It was definitely one of the toughest matches for me in my career, concerning the situation, the tension and the importance of the moment," he said. "But the crowd carried me."

Nadal's Spain to meet Djokovic's Serbia in ATP Cup final

Wildfires that have raged across Australia for weeks slowed down last week with a cold weather front but many fires still burn and communities across the nation are bracing for a heatwave on January 10. The foreign crews have come as part of swap arrangements which have seen increasing cooperation between the countries during wildfire seasons. Countries like US, Canada and New Zealand have sent their firefighters to help battle the deadly fires. #Australia #AustraliaFires #Bushfires

Your Story: US crew join Australia firefighters

Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as authorities said the next few hours could be "very, very challenging" even as rain poured down in some parts.

Defence personnel stood ready to move to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprios-organisation-to-donate-3-million-for-australia-wildfire-relief-273374">bushfire grounds</a> if conditions became extreme, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters, as soaring temperatures and erratic winds create dangerous conditions.

"Even with rain in Melbourne, even with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bushfire-shane-warnes-baggy-green-cap-sold-for-over-a1-million-273347">forecast better conditions next week</a>, there is a long way to go in what has been an unprecedented fire event...and, of course, we know that we have many weeks of the fire season to run," Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, told a televised briefing.

"The next few hours are going to be very, very challenging."

While the winds are expected to move through by Saturday morning, Andrews urged residents to stay on high alert and leave the community "if you are told to".

Authorities sent emergency texts to 240,000 people in Victoria, telling them to leave. People in high-risk regions in New South Wales and South Australia were also urged to think about leaving, but officials did not say how many.

Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land, an area roughly the size of South Korea.

In the coastal town of Eden in New South Wales, where the alert status was upgraded to 'watch and act' on Friday evening, smoke filled the horizon as winds blew smoke and ash.

Shereen and Kim Green, who live on a farm with three houses and 50 cattle just outside Eden, were racing to fill two 1,000-litre tanks of water.

"This is to put out the spot fires and we'll be staying up all night to defend our property," said Shereen, as the wind shook her utility vehicle. "We're taking the opportunity while we can."

Sitting under the town's watchtower, another resident Robyn Malcolm said: "If it all goes wrong, we'll dash down to the wharf and get on a tugboat."

Here are key events in the crisis:

* Of 160 fires ablaze across New South Wales (NSW), about 46 were uncontained. Two were burning at an 'emergency level', eight blazes were in the "watch and act" category, with the rest at the "advice" level, the lowest alert rating.

* Neighbouring Victoria had 36 fires, with more than 1.3 million hectares burnt. Nine fires were at an emergency level.

* In the alpine region on the border of the southeastern states of Victoria and New South Wales, two fires were poised to merge and create a blaze over almost 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres).

* Victoria emergency services minister Lisa Neville said some communities had been provided with large containers of satellite phones, baby formula, food, nappies, and torches in case they are cut off.

* Campaigners protested in Sydney and Melbourne on Friday as part of a wave of demonstrations planned in major world cities, to spotlight concerns about Australia's climate change policies.

* Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion ($3.4 billion), higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2% to 0.5% on gross domestic product.

* Australia's alpine resorts have dusted off winter snowmaking machines to blast ice-cold water onto dry ski slopes as fires threaten the Snowy Mountains region.

* The Insurance Council of Australia increased its estimate of damages claims from the fires to more than A$900 million, with claims expected to jump further.

* Health officials in New South Wales urged extra precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.

* Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged this year by fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined.

* Of nine fires in the state of South Australia, one was categorised as an emergency.

* Climate protests were also planned on Friday in cities such as Canberra, targeting the government's handling of the crisis and its position on climate change.

* Prime Minister Morrison said he was considering holding a wide-ranging national inquiry into the bushfires after the immediate crisis passed.

* Just shy of 2,000 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales, state authorities said, half during the past 10 days.

* The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is to donate cricketer Shane Warne's prized "baggy green" cap to a museum after paying more than A$1 million for it at an auction for bushfire relief.

* Authorities have warned that the huge fires, spurred by high temperatures, wind and a three-year drought, will persist until there is substantial rainfall. The weather agency said there was no sign of that for months.

* Ecologists at the University of Sydney have estimated 1 billion animals have been killed or injured in the bushfires, potentially destroying ecosystems.

* Morrison has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

* About 100 firefighters from the United States and Canada are helping, with another 140 expected in coming weeks.

* The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said.

* Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization said.

Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as authorities said the next few hours could be "very, very challenging" even as rain poured down in some parts.

Australia urged nearly a quarter of a million people to evacuate their homes on Friday and prepared military backup as authorities said the next few hours could be "very, very challenging" even as rain poured down in some parts. Defence personnel stood ready to move to bushfire grounds if conditions became extreme, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters, as soaring temperatures and erratic winds create dangerous conditions. "Even with rain in Melbourne, even with forecast better conditions next week, there is a long way to go in what has been an unprecedented fire event...and, of course, we know that we have many weeks of the fire season to run," Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, told a televised briefing. "The next few hours are going to be very, very challenging." While the winds are expected to move through by Saturday morning, Andrews urged residents to stay on high alert and leave the community "if you are told to". Authorities sent emergency texts to 240,000 people in Victoria, telling them to leave. People in high-risk regions in New South Wales and South Australia were also urged to think about leaving, but officials did not say how many. Since October, 27 people have been killed and thousands subjected to repeat evacuations as huge and unpredictable fires scorched more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land, an area roughly the size of South Korea. In the coastal town of Eden in New South Wales, where the alert status was upgraded to 'watch and act' on Friday evening, smoke filled the horizon as winds blew smoke and ash. Shereen and Kim Green, who live on a farm with three houses and 50 cattle just outside Eden, were racing to fill two 1,000-litre tanks of water. "This is to put out the spot fires and we'll be staying up all night to defend our property," said Shereen, as the wind shook her utility vehicle. "We're taking the opportunity while we can." Sitting under the town's watchtower, another resident Robyn Malcolm said: "If it all goes wrong, we'll dash down to the wharf and get on a tugboat." Here are key events in the crisis: * Of 160 fires ablaze across New South Wales (NSW), about 46 were uncontained. Two were burning at an 'emergency level', eight blazes were in the "watch and act" category, with the rest at the "advice" level, the lowest alert rating. * Neighbouring Victoria had 36 fires, with more than 1.3 million hectares burnt. Nine fires were at an emergency level. * In the alpine region on the border of the southeastern states of Victoria and New South Wales, two fires were poised to merge and create a blaze over almost 600,000 hectares (1.5 million acres). * Victoria emergency services minister Lisa Neville said some communities had been provided with large containers of satellite phones, baby formula, food, nappies, and torches in case they are cut off. * Campaigners protested in Sydney and Melbourne on Friday as part of a wave of demonstrations planned in major world cities, to spotlight concerns about Australia's climate change policies. * Westpac estimated total bushfire losses to date at about A$5 billion ($3.4 billion), higher than the 2009 bushfires in Victoria but smaller than the Queensland floods in 2010/11. It forecast a hit of 0.2% to 0.5% on gross domestic product. * Australia's alpine resorts have dusted off winter snowmaking machines to blast ice-cold water onto dry ski slopes as fires threaten the Snowy Mountains region. * The Insurance Council of Australia increased its estimate of damages claims from the fires to more than A$900 million, with claims expected to jump further. * Health officials in New South Wales urged extra precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. * Australia's wildfires have dwarfed other catastrophic blazes, with its burnt terrain more than twice the extent of that ravaged this year by fires in Brazil, California and Indonesia combined. * Of nine fires in the state of South Australia, one was categorised as an emergency. * Climate protests were also planned on Friday in cities such as Canberra, targeting the government's handling of the crisis and its position on climate change. * Prime Minister Morrison said he was considering holding a wide-ranging national inquiry into the bushfires after the immediate crisis passed. * Just shy of 2,000 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales, state authorities said, half during the past 10 days. * The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is to donate cricketer Shane Warne's prized "baggy green" cap to a museum after paying more than A$1 million for it at an auction for bushfire relief. * Authorities have warned that the huge fires, spurred by high temperatures, wind and a three-year drought, will persist until there is substantial rainfall. The weather agency said there was no sign of that for months. * Ecologists at the University of Sydney have estimated 1 billion animals have been killed or injured in the bushfires, potentially destroying ecosystems. * Morrison has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency. * About 100 firefighters from the United States and Canada are helping, with another 140 expected in coming weeks. * The fires have emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide and produced harmful pollutants, the European Union's Copernicus monitoring programme said. * Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization said.

Next few hours could be 'very challenging': Australia urges people to flee as bushfires rage

In Australia, the bushfires have already killed over a billion animals. Now, some 10,000 feral camels are being culled for consuming 'too much' water. This decision has come under severe criticism. Details in this report. #Australia #Bushfires #AustraliaBushfires #Camels #Gravitas

Gravitas: 10,000 feral Camels culled for consuming water in Australia

Australia is battling a national emergency. Bushfires have ravaged 10.3 million hectares of land. At least 27 people have died. Over a billion animals are feared dead. But the worst is far from over. Fresh fires are expected in the coming days. Take a look. #Gravitas #Bushfires #Australia #AustraliaBushfires

Gravitas: Bushfire rages on in Australia

The World is One News, WION examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - January 10, 2020

Ahead of the three-match ODI series against India, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/aus-vs-nz-nathan-lyon-takes-five-as-australia-dominate-in-sydney-272264">Australia</a>'s opening batsman David Warner on Thursday said that the entire side is looking forward to meeting their Indian fans.

Warner took to Instagram to share a picture of himself and captioned the post as: "India here we come!! It's going to be a great 3 game series. Looking forward to seeing all our Indian fans".

Warner had registered the second-highest score for an Australian batter in a Test match against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pakistan-cricket-team-from-flamboyance-to-religious-discrimination-270672">Pakistan</a> last year after scoring 335 at Adelaide.

He also scored a century in the second innings of the third Test against New Zealand.

Australia white-washed both <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-new-zealand-sweat-on-ailing-williamson-and-nicholls-271562">New Zealand</a> and Pakistan in the respective Test series. As a result, it moved to the second position on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.

Australia will next take on India in a three-match ODI series.

The first game will be played on January 14 at the Wankhede Stadium in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/deepika-padukone-and-chhapaak-team-conduct-social-experiment-share-video-272855">Mumbai</a>.

Ahead of the three-match ODI series against India, Australia's opening batsman David Warner on Thursday said that the entire side is looking forward to meeting their Indian fans.

Ahead of the three-match ODI series against India, Australia's opening batsman David Warner on Thursday said that the entire side is looking forward to meeting their Indian fans. Warner took to Instagram to share a picture of himself and captioned the post as: "India here we come!! It's going to be a great 3 game series. Looking forward to seeing all our Indian fans". Warner had registered the second-highest score for an Australian batter in a Test match against Pakistan last year after scoring 335 at Adelaide. He also scored a century in the second innings of the third Test against New Zealand. Australia white-washed both New Zealand and Pakistan in the respective Test series. As a result, it moved to the second position on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. Australia will next take on India in a three-match ODI series. The first game will be played on January 14 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Looking forward to seeing our Indian fans: David Warner ahead of ODI series

Bushfires in Australia are having a devastating impact on wildlife, with welfare groups racing to rescue as many wild animals as possible. But not all can be saved.

Not all animals injured in bushfires can be saved: Australian volunteers

Authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across southeast Australia on Thursday, as a return of hot weather fanned <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/smoke-from-australia-bushfires-reaches-brazil-272837">huge bushfires</a> threatening several towns and communities.

A disaster level notice in large parts of Victoria state, already in place for the past week, was extended by 48 hours and people in danger zones were advised to leave if it was safe to do so.

"Don't get complacent from the rain we have had recently," Victoria Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said in a televised briefing, referring to several days of cool weather that has allowed firefighters to strengthen containment lines around blazes that have been burning for months.

"These fires are absolutely still moving, still growing in our landscape and they pose significant risk to communities," Neville said.

Twenty-six people have died, thousands have been made homeless and thousands of others have had to evacuate repeatedly as the monster fires have scorched through more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land - an area the size of South Korea.

<img alt="Bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8e48e029-e762-4dc3-87ed-b3c8c6ccf912" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/bushfire.jpg" />

Authorities have said the blazes will continue to burn, posing extreme danger at times of high temperatures and winds, until the country experiences significant rainfall.

The official weather agency on Thursday confirmed fears that there was no sign of that happening in the next few months as it released its annual report, which also showed that 2019 was Australia's hottest and driest year on record.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-over-10000-camels-to-be-culled-in-a-bid-to-save-water-273033">Australia: Over 10,000 camels to be culled in a bid to save water</a>

The current crisis was sparked into life following a three-year drought that has left much of the country's bushland vulnerable to fires.

Many towns were without power and telecommunications and some were running low on drinking water supplies. Smoke has blanketed Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and drifted as far as South America.

Parts of Kangaroo Island, a wildlife-rich tourist spot off the country's southeast coast where Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday made a plea for foreign tourists not to be deterred by the fires, were again evacuated on Thursday. A third of the island has already been destroyed by fires.

The following are some highlights of what is happening in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bushfires-over-180-people-arrested-for-blaze-related-crimes-deliberately-starting-fire-272914">bushfire</a> crisis:

- Victoria state officials said "strike teams" of firefighters were being sent into high-risk areas, but new blazes could start anywhere given a forecast for extreme heat and potential lightning strikes. Officials credit the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in recent weeks with keeping the death toll from the fires low.

<img alt="Australia bushfire" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cecdcb83-1d6c-455c-8201-5c172b0820bd" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/bushfire_0.jpg" />

- New South Wales state on Thursday announced new funds of A$1 billion (£524.51 million) ($686 million) to rebuild infrastructure and communities affected by the bushfire.

- The majority of the fires that have devastated much of Australia's east coast occurred in New South Wales, where 1,870 homes have been destroyed so far, authorities said.

- Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday urged foreign tourists not to be deterred by deadly wildfires, fearing a lack of holiday-makers could hurt the economy. Some normally crowded resorts have already turned into ghost towns.

- Moody's Analytics said the cost of the fires could easily surpass that of the deadly 2009 Black Saturday fires that destroyed 450,000 hectares of land, which cost an estimated A$4.4 billion.

- Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

- Ecologists at the University of Sydney on Wednesday doubled their estimate of the number of animals killed or injured in the fires to 1 billion.

- The fires have already emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and produced harmful pollutants, the EU's Copernicus monitoring programme said.

- Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the UN&nbsp;World Meteorological Organization said.

Authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across southeast Australia on Thursday, as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities.

Authorities issued new warnings and evacuation notices across southeast Australia on Thursday, as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities. A disaster level notice in large parts of Victoria state, already in place for the past week, was extended by 48 hours and people in danger zones were advised to leave if it was safe to do so. "Don't get complacent from the rain we have had recently," Victoria Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said in a televised briefing, referring to several days of cool weather that has allowed firefighters to strengthen containment lines around blazes that have been burning for months. "These fires are absolutely still moving, still growing in our landscape and they pose significant risk to communities," Neville said. Twenty-six people have died, thousands have been made homeless and thousands of others have had to evacuate repeatedly as the monster fires have scorched through more than 10.3 million hectares (25.5 million acres) of land - an area the size of South Korea. Authorities have said the blazes will continue to burn, posing extreme danger at times of high temperatures and winds, until the country experiences significant rainfall. The official weather agency on Thursday confirmed fears that there was no sign of that happening in the next few months as it released its annual report, which also showed that 2019 was Australia's hottest and driest year on record. Also read: Australia: Over 10,000 camels to be culled in a bid to save water The current crisis was sparked into life following a three-year drought that has left much of the country's bushland vulnerable to fires. Many towns were without power and telecommunications and some were running low on drinking water supplies. Smoke has blanketed Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and drifted as far as South America. Parts of Kangaroo Island, a wildlife-rich tourist spot off the country's southeast coast where Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday made a plea for foreign tourists not to be deterred by the fires, were again evacuated on Thursday. A third of the island has already been destroyed by fires. The following are some highlights of what is happening in the bushfire crisis: - Victoria state officials said "strike teams" of firefighters were being sent into high-risk areas, but new blazes could start anywhere given a forecast for extreme heat and potential lightning strikes. Officials credit the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in recent weeks with keeping the death toll from the fires low. - New South Wales state on Thursday announced new funds of A$1 billion (£524.51 million) ($686 million) to rebuild infrastructure and communities affected by the bushfire. - The majority of the fires that have devastated much of Australia's east coast occurred in New South Wales, where 1,870 homes have been destroyed so far, authorities said. - Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday urged foreign tourists not to be deterred by deadly wildfires, fearing a lack of holiday-makers could hurt the economy. Some normally crowded resorts have already turned into ghost towns. - Moody's Analytics said the cost of the fires could easily surpass that of the deadly 2009 Black Saturday fires that destroyed 450,000 hectares of land, which cost an estimated A$4.4 billion. - Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) to a newly created National Bushfire Recovery Agency. - Ecologists at the University of Sydney on Wednesday doubled their estimate of the number of animals killed or injured in the fires to 1 billion. - The fires have already emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and produced harmful pollutants, the EU's Copernicus monitoring programme said. - Smoke has drifted across the Pacific, affecting cities in South America, and may have reached the Antarctic, the UN World Meteorological Organization said.

Australia issues new evacuation alerts as monster bushfires regenerate

australia

Australia, News on Australia, stories on Australia, articles on Australia, Australia stories at Wion, Australia news, Australia latest news