For our international readers - a few links for updates on the Australian bushfires

"We haven't, in my lifetime, had people on beaches waiting to be evacuated, in boats out to sea like it's a peacetime version of something that we’ve seen during wartime."

Authorities urged a mass exodus from towns on Australia's southeast coast, an area hugely popular in the current summer peak holiday season, warning that extreme heat forecast for the weekend will further stoke the fires.

 "Sitting Ducks Trapped in Traffic" - From the UK Sun

 Latest updates from the Sydney Morning Herald

 With Cronulla surfer Brett Cripps: “14 people and 2 dogs piled into a tinny made for 6 as flames lapped at the shore” From The ABC

January 2 - The View From The Washington Post

“Global Apathy Toward the Fires in Australia Is a Scary Portent for the Future” – from New York Magazine