Around 100 new fires ignited in NSW.
Firefighters are still battling more than 160 bush and grass fires across NSW after about 100 fresh blazes ignited in a 24-hour period.
There were more than 2200 personnel in the field working to slow the progress of the blazes.
“Crews will work over coming days to control this large number of fires ahead of forecast elevated fire danger on Saturday,” the RFS posted on Twitter.
Australian teacher held hostage by the Taliban has arrived home.
An Australian teacher who spent more than three years being held hostage by the Taliban has arrived home.
The Wagga Wagga teacher was working at a university in Kabul when he was kidnapped at gunpoint in 2016.
Timothy Weeks was freed earlier this month along with his American colleague as part of a prisoner swap
"I am very pleased to confirm that Tim has returned to Australia and very much welcome his return," she said.
Trump visits troops.
President Trump has visited American troops in Afghanistan and said the US and Taliban have been engaged in talks.
The visit for Thanksgiving came after a prisoner swap with the Taliban aimed at resuming peace negotiations.
Mr Trump has also reaffirmed the US will "substantially" reduce troop numbers to about 8,600.
Social media influencers warning Samoans against vaccinations.
Medical experts warned Samoans against heeding anti-vax messages spread by social media influencers amid a deadly measles outbreak in the Pacific nation that has so far claimed 39 lives since late October — most of them children.
"Forcing a medical procedure on an entire country, especially one that is proving to be ineffective, dangerous and making the virus more deadly, is straight up barbaric," she wrote on Facebook.
In the past week, more than 45,000 people have been vaccinated in Samoa
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Jackie Trad dismissed claims.
The head of Queensland’s education department, Jackie Trad, dismissed claims she muscled in on the search for a Brisbane school principal.
Opposition education spokesman Jarrod Bleijie claimed Ms Trad interfered with the recruitment process for a principal at a new school in her South Brisbane seat.
However, Tony Cook, the Education Department’s director-general, said that at no time did Ms Trad try involve herself in the decision making process.
Chemical has leaked into Brisbane river.
50 litres of a dangerous chemical leaked from a ship into Brisbane river late yesterday afternoon.
Queensland Fire and Emergency services said it was alerted about the substance leaking from a ship at Tingira St at Pinkenba near Brisbane Airport at about 5:30pm.
They said the chemical, styrene monomer, is a class three flammable liquid.
Bushfire has jumped fire break.
A bushfire covering more than 1000 hectares south-east of Canberra has jumped a fire break.
It was described by the NSW Rural Fire Service as “out of control” on Thursday night and was the only bushfire in NSW to be at a watch and act level.
A spokesman from the NSW Lake George Zone Rural Fire Service says properties are being defended by on-ground crews due to concerns around spot fires.
The fire is burning in Tallaganda National Park, 50 kilometres from Canberra.
Iced coffee company bought by Chinese company.
South Australians are being urged not to boycott Farmers Union Iced Coffee, following news that a Chinese-owned company would be taking over its parent company.
The news of changing parent companies was met with anger on social media, with many users vowing to stop buying the iced coffee altogether.
Tik Tok parent company allegations.
The parent company of popular app Tik Tok, ByteDance, said the personal data of users is not shared with Chinese authorities.
However, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute report has found that ByteDance “collaborates with public security bureaus across China, including in Xinjiang where it plays an active role in disseminating the party-state's propaganda".