SYDNEY: Residents of the Australian capital Canberra were evacuated on Wednesday after a bushfire broke out near the airport as searing temperatures returned, ending a few days of respite, and the number of out-of-control blazes surged in the southeast. In recent weeks, Canberra and the cities of Sydney and Melbourne experienced air quality rated among the worst in the world under thick clouds of bushfire smoke. Here are today’s key events in the bushfire crisis:* Suburbs near Canberra Airport were evacuated late on Wednesday as an emergency level fire burned. * Players at the Australian Open tennis tournament continued to make pledges of financial assistance. American John Isner has pledged 25 per cent of all his prize money and A$100 for every ace he serves.

Source: New Strait Times January 22, 2020 08:48 UTC