1 week ago ‘It came from everywhere’: NSW town counts the cost after bushfire hits

As Bulahdelah mourns dead firefighter, residents recall lucky escapes and fire chief warns the danger is ‘not contained’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Garry Morgan arrived home on Friday afternoon, his rural mid-north coast property was surrounded by a “big plume of smoke”. Less than twenty-four hours later, two houses on his street would be lost, and its surrounding forest would be reduced to blackened skeletal remains.Morgan’s township of Bulahdelah, around 235km north of Sydney, has become at the centre of a tragedy after a veteran firefighter died on Sunday evening when he was struck by a falling tree, marking a “foreboding start” to the bushfire season. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Weather tracker: heatwave roasts Israel as 90 die in Vietnam downpours

Temperatures over 35C break November records in Israel while some areas of Vietnam have nearly 2 metres of rainfallExceptionally high temperatures have roasted Israel in recent days, breaking records for late November. During the heatwave, which peaked over Friday and Saturday, temperatures soared to between 10C and 12C above average, as low-lying parts of the country widely reached between 30C and 35C and exceeded 35C more locally. Israel’s previous record for the latter third of November was 34.9C.On Friday, temperatures reached 36.2C in Beit Dagan, near Tel Aviv, where the average November high is around 24C, while on Saturday they reached a peak of 37.3C in Eilat on the Red Sea coast, where the average is 27C. Though temperatures were less extreme at higher altitudes, they were still well above average; Jerusalem, at an altitude of more than 700 metres, reached around 27C, in comparison with an average November high of 19C. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Tropical Cyclone Fina brings gales and torrential rain and leaves more than 19,000 without power in Top End

Strongest cyclone to approach Darwin since Tracy in 1974 intensifies to category 4 as it moves towards northeast Kimberley coastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTop End residents are in cleanup mode after a night of damaging winds and heavy rain from Tropical Cyclone Fina.Arriving as a category 3 system, Fina brought destructive winds and heavy downpours to remote Tiwi Islands communities, then Darwin and surrounds on Saturday and into Sunday. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Cyclone Fina: severe tropical storm intensifies to category 3 as it tracks towards Darwin

It is the first cyclone of this strength in Australian waters in November in 20 years, with gusts up to 185km/hGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDarwin’s airport and supermarkets have closed as severe Tropical Cyclone Fina barrels towards land, having intensified into a category three system – the first cyclone of that strength in Australian waters in November in 20 years.Darwin was expected to see the worst of Fina on Saturday evening, as the system advanced through the Van Diemen Gulf. It would be closest to the city at about 9pm, with sustained winds near the centre of up to 140km/hr and gusts up to 185km/h. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina intensifies to category three system as it closes in on Darwin

It is the first cyclone of that strength in Australian waters in November in 20 years, with sustained winds of 120km an hourGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSevere Tropical Cyclone Fina has intensified to a category three system as it closes in on Darwin today, making it the first cyclone of that strength in Australian waters in November in 20 years.Northern Territory Emergency Service issued an emergency warning for Cape Don to Minjilang, advising households to “take shelter now” ahead of a predicted landfall in Darwin this evening. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago The two extraordinary young activists making me feel optimistic at Cop30

In today’s newsletter: Despite valid criticisms, the summits are filled with smart, passionate people dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt is easy to criticise the UN climate conferences. But unless you’ve been, there’s one wonderful, almost miraculous, thing that you may not be aware of: it is a beautiful gathering of humanity, people from virtually every country on Earth, all thrown together in common cause.What’s more, many are incredibly smart, passionate and dedicating their lives to fighting the climate crisis. The more of them you meet, the more your hope grows that global heating can be defeated.Trump’s anti-climate agenda could result in 1.3m more deaths globally, analysis findsTropical cyclone Fina intensifies to category two and could hit NT coast on FridayEngland’s Beth Mead: ‘If we don’t adapt to climate change, football becomes a privilege, not a right‘ Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Tropical cyclone Fina intensifies to category two and could hit NT coast on Friday

If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereIf tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.Fina intensified to category two storm on Wednesday night, the Bureau of Meteorology said, and was moving east about 370km north-east of Darwin before making an expected turn south on Thursday. Continue reading...

Events

last month Tropical cyclone Fina on torrential path to hit northern Australian coast this week

If it makes impact on Friday, it would be the earliest cyclone of the season to make landfall in Australia since 1973Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereIf tropical cyclone Fina crosses the Northern Territory coast on Friday, it could equal the earliest cyclone to make landfall in Australia.Fina, a category one cyclone about 370km north-east of Darwin, was moving east and expected to intensify to category two before turning south on Thursday. Continue reading...

Events