ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Mon 21 Oct, 2013 Top Stories More Top Stories » Live: NSW bushfires threat 'unparalleled' as conditions worsen NSW authorities are aggressively back-burning in an attempt to avoid two major bushfires in the Blue Mountains joining up amid soaring temperatures. The Rural Fire Service has called the bushfire threat an "unparalleled" emergency, and warned a potential mega-fire could stretch hundreds of kilometres. Emergency warnings are in place for the State Mine fire near Lithgow, the Springwood fire and a blaze at Balmoral Village in the Southern Highlands. A watch and act alert remains in place at Mount Victoria. At least 200 homes have been lost and fire crews are warning the worst could still be to come, with weather conditions expected to deteriorate over the next few days. Meanwhile police in Port Stephens have charged an 11-year-old boy with deliberately lighting a fire that tore through the region last week. Follow our live blog for updates throughout the day. More » Morrison defends use of term 'illegal arrivals' YMCA 'did not properly check abuser's background' Court hears alleged murderer was 'extremely possessive and controlling' Toddler slashed across face during WA domestic dispute More Analysis » Climate change action is essential risk management No specific incident like the NSW fires can be unequivocally attributed to climate change. But extreme weather - droughts, heatwaves, fires, floods - is exactly what we should expect to see much more. Cutting emissions is elementary risk management for a nation that is more vulnerable to climate change than most others. The majority of people see it that way. While its current iteration is likely to be repealed, carbon pricing in Australia is not dead and buried. Things have changed rapidly and drastically before on the rollercoaster that is Australia's climate policy. More » A conservative vision of party reform US remains integral to the Pacific's future The case for Indigenous self-determination Labor has changed: Shorten must adapt or perish Australia is falling behind in prevention of HIV The GOP shutdown: a party divided against itself Why did Essendon alone take the fall? Australia's second class of insecure workers Carbon tax repeal is a free kick Just In More Just In » Son tells murder trial of desperate hunt for father The son of a Perth businessman has told the Supreme Court he thought he was in a nightmare the night he found his missing father's car in a motel carpark, and was rammed by the accused. More » Mt Isa court renders bikie a Rebel without a buckle Australian-Pakistani family killed in Rawalpindi attack Morrison defends use of term 'illegal arrivals' Stocks soar to five-year high on US debt deal relief Mawson hut replica brings Antarctic adventure to Hobart waterfront Toddler slashed across face during domestic dispute Court hears alleged murderer was 'extremely possessive' 11yo boy charged over Port Stephens bushfires Report shows 10pc rise in new HIV cases across Australia World More World » Mystery girl Maria draws 8,000 calls By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller Thousands respond to an appeal to discover the identity of a mystery girl found in a Roma settlement in central Greece. More » International talks on Syrian conflict planned for November Cahill screamer for New York the quickest in MLS history Kenyan soldiers accused of looting mall in wake of attack JPMorgan close to $13.5b settlement over financial crisis: reports Blasts kill at least 34 in Baghdad Business More Business » Home owners 'get more handouts' than renters By Katie Hamann, staff Policies and tax arrangements that favour home owners and investors are increasing the divide between renters and owners, the Grattan Institute has found. A report by the institute has found home owners receive $36 billion every year in subsidies through exemptions from land and capital-gains tax as well as negative gearing rules. But only 25 per cent of renters are eligible to receive federal rental assistance. More » Stocks soar to five-year high on US debt deal relief WA still Australia's top-performing economy: report JPMorgan close to $13.5b settlement over financial crisis: reports Boral CEO welcomes US debt crisis deal Politics More Politics » WA still Australia's top-performing economy: report Western Australia is still the country's top economy, but its dominance has slipped slightly. CommSec's latest quarterly State of the States report shows the ACT in second place, with Tasmania as the worst-performing economy. The report also finds demand for home loans is starting to pick up across the country as investment in the resources sector tapers. More » Concerns raised over state of Canberra's fire trails Silvio Berlusconi banned from Italian politics for two years Popular Labor MP Barry Collier stuns O'Farrell Government in Miranda by-election Cheney's defibrillator altered to thwart terrorist hacks Sport More Sport » Cahill backs Popovic for Socceroos Tim Cahill has backed Western Sydney mentor Tony Popovic for the Socceroos' coaching role. More » Shock win can be series-defining: Voges Sky Blues insist they're not a one-man team Fawkner expected to back up in Melbourne Cup White a Magpie as three-club deal goes through McKenzie not keen on grand slam talk Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Asteroid makes close approach and will return in 2032 A newly discovered asteroid made a "close" approach this week - at least in astronomical terms - coming within 6.7 million kilometres of Earth. More » Custom made shoes for race horse using 3D printing Rare giant oarfish found off Californian coast Rare mosquito fossil shows insect's blood-filled belly German wallaby makes first public appearance Environment More Environment » Bandt defends bushfire attack on Abbott Deputy Greens leader Adam Bandt has defended his decision to use the New South Wales bushfires to criticise the Coalition's climate change policy. More » Part of meteor that hit Russia pulled from lake Kiribatian seeks climate change asylum in New Zealand Scientists battle to save rare spider orchid Businesses may have to keep paying carbon tax if repeal fails About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. 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