Two fires have merged together in California becoming the largest bushfire in the state’s history covering roughly 115,000 hectares and is only 30 per cent contained.

Approximately 10,000 people had been evacuated in the areas surrounding the fire which has destroyed 100 structures and threatens approximately 10,000 more.

Nine people have been confirmed dead in the state.

A tanker truck carrying flammable materials exploded in Milan overnight, killing at least two people and injuring 70.

The accident happened on a major highway heading to Bologna (Ba Loan Ya), causing major burns to victims and broken glass being hurled at passers-by causing further injury.

Police footage reveals a second truck hitting the tanker from behind was the likely cause of the explosion.

A koala virus could help researchers explain millions of years of accumulated ‘junk’ DNA in human genomes.

Researchers from The University of Queensland are studying a virus infecting koalas in the hope it could demonstrate how viruses have altered the DNA of humans and other species throughout history.

Virologist Professor Paul Young said the team has analysed the effects of the retrovirus infection, which is a virus which replicates and spreads within DNA.

Strange shapes appearing in the skies over large parts of Queensland on Tuesday sparked a social media frenzy after clouds formed an unusual portal-like hole over Brisbane.

It was not an alien invasion, but actually a fall-streak hole, says Harry Clark from the Bureau of Meteorology, where “Ice crystals start to form and fall down out of the cloud”.

Mr. Clark also said airplanes could also be responsible for the formation, siring up the cloud and allowing the ice to start falling to create the uncommon hole in the sky.

Southeast Queensland has awoken to a chilly start this morning as temperatures dropped overnight.

At 6am Brisbane was sitting on 7.5C, compared to a warm 16C start yesterday.

Meteorologist Adam Blazak from the Bureau of Meteorology agreed today’s temperature is at odds with recent warmer weather.

Mr Blazark said the dry atmosphere and light winds have contributed for Southeast Queensland's cooler overnight temperatures.

Violence in the Queensland prison system is fast becoming uncontrollable, with almost 3,000 jailhouse assaults recorded last financial year.

Although a large portion of these assault cases involve exclusively inmates, 284 prison staffers were victims of assault last year, a record high.

Overcrowding of Queensland prisons is a contributing factor, with cases such as the Brisbane Correctional Centre operating at 142% capacity resulting in the ‘doubling up’ of single prison cells.

Two Belgian children, aged 11 and 9, have become the youngest in the world to be euthanized according to official reports released this week.

The unnamed minors were administered lethal injections in 2016 and 2017 respectively, in Belgium, the only nation allowing terminally ill children the decision to die.

Belgium amended its euthanasia laws in 2014, making it legal for doctors to terminate the lives of children, however young, deemed to have the mental capacity to make the decision, and the consent of their parents.

Greece will demolish thousands of illegal buildings in response to the country’s worst wildfire disaster last month.

Prime Minister Tsipras (pronounced Sipras) said Greece must no longer tolerate the illegal construction that has be prevalent in the city dogged by bureaucracy and corruption.

Dozens of people died in the wildfire when they were unable to escape from buildings, and crowds bottlenecking in poorly designed streets.

The demolition of 3,200 buildings will start immediately.