• 9yo child admits to arson as dozens of wildfires ravage southeast Australia
• Man struck by lightning bolt and killed while fighting grassfire near Mudgee, Australia
• Too much fuel causes extreme bush fires, not climate change

The official started his visit to Cobargo walking up to a local woman, casually asking "How are you?" and then forcing her into a handshake - and that was when all the PR stunt flopped.

"I'm only shaking your hand if you give more funding to our RFS [Rural Fire Service]," the visibly reluctant woman told the PM.

Morrison was promptly swarmed by locals afterwards, who asked him a bunch of quite reasonable questions about very low number of fire engines that responded to the fires, lack of relief and so on - that he did not answer, however.

The PM aimlessly roamed the street with a bunch of other officials, including the natural disasters minister David Littleproud - and their silence only angered the locals further. One man urged the official to get out of town, telling him that his electoral prospects now look quite bleak in a profanity-laden rant.

"You're an idiot, mate. You really are. You won't be getting any votes down here buddy... No liberal votes. You're out son. You are out. Goodnight Vienna. Bye. Go on, p**s off."

Pelted with further questions about those who died in the fires and the many who've lost their homes, the officials ultimately retreated to their car - without so much as a goodbye.

• Australia's east coast battles more than 100 bushfires
• Australia bushfires merge to form 'mega fire' north of Sydney
• 'Uncharted territory': Out-of-control bushfires rage across Australia's eastern regions

• The NSW government declared its third state of emergency, beginning on Saturday and running for seven days
• The Australian Capital Territory has declared a state of alert
• There are extraordinary delays and traffic jams on the roads out of South Coast regions, after authorities told all tourists and some residents to leave areas today and tomorrow
• There are now four 'leave zones for tourists' and/or residents in Snowy Monaro, Shoalhaven, Batlow/Wondalga, and South coast
• Evacuation orders were made for Kosciusko National Park, where the Dunns Road fire is taking hold
• Exits were hampered by high crowds, road closures, and fuel shortages
• Some service stations ran out, while others limited people to 50L of gas
• Victorian authorities also urged people to leave the alpine and East Gippsland regions before the weekend
• There is a total fire ban for NSW on Friday and Saturday
• The Choulas Navy ship can take 500-1,000 people, but they will have to climb up a rope ladder to get aboard
• Limited evacuations by air will be organised for elderly and infirm people
• The conditions are predicted to be extreme in South Australia on Friday, with temperatures in Adelaide of 42C and 45C in the regions
• Fire chief Mark Jones said the concern was already existing fires. "There are millions of sparks out there ready to go tomorrow if they break containment lines."
• The prime minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, attended the funeral of firefighter Geoffrey Keaton, who died in December while fighting the Green Wattle Creek blaze
• Some $21m in commonwealth disaster payments has so far been paid to fire victims in NSW

• Chile: 200 homes destroyed as wildfires tear through Valparaiso on Christmas Eve
• Australia bushfires merge to form 'mega fire' north of Sydney
• Too much fuel causes extreme bush fires, not climate change
• Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Southern Hemisphere drought connection between Southern Africa and Australia

• Chile: 200 homes destroyed as wildfires tear through Valparaiso on Christmas Eve
• Australia bushfires merge to form 'mega fire' north of Sydney
• Too much fuel causes extreme bush fires, not climate change
• Namibia experiencing worst drought in 90 years, over 60,000 livestock perished