Fires continue to burn in Vic's Mallee

FIRES that have burnt 40,000 hectares in Victoria's Mallee region are expected to continue through the weekend.

Several bushfires are burning out of control in the Mallee with firefighters bracing for the aftermath of a strong southwesterly wind change Friday evening.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the fires were now 40,000 hectares in size.

He said it would be a very difficult fire for firefighters once the strong south-westerly wind change moved through.

"We could only hope that they get on top of it by the end of the day but our assessment is this fire will continue to be a going fire into tomorrow and the weekend," he said on Friday.

Twelve aircraft and six dozers are supporting about 300 firefighters in the battle to control the blazes occurring mainly in parkland and reserves.

The towns of Tempy and Gypsum on Friday afternoon received their second emergency warning in as many days, with Pier Milan also on alert, before the advice was downgraded.

Hopetoun West, Hopevale and Kenmare were put on an emergency alert for Friday evening with a bushfire headed south from Paradise Flora and Fauna Reserve towards Kenmare.

Residents in all the towns are being told that leaving their homes is the safest option and relief centres have been set up in Beulah and Ouyen.

Mildura incident controller Damian Kerr said crews worked in difficult conditions to contain several major blazes before the strong south-westerly change and another day of severe weather conditions in the state's northwest on Saturday.

Visibility in the area was low, and the Sunraysia Highway was closed between the Calder Highway and the township of Speed.

Firefighters were also focusing on a 20,000-hectare blaze in the Big Desert Wilderness Park near the South Australian border.

That fire was impacting on the Red Bluff Flora and Fauna Reserve.

Firefighters were battling a number of other fires which have merged near the Lake Albacutya Freeway Track in south-eastern Wyperfeld.

Fires are also burning near Rocket Lake in Murray Sunset National Park and next to Underbool Track in Wyperfeld National Park.

Both national parks have been closed along with Hattah Kulkyne National Park.

Authorities are urging people to stay informed and travellers in the area should plan their trip.

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Arsonists light Vic urban fringe fires

Police say twelve fires have been deliberately lit across Victoria with conditions worsening. Source: AAP

ARSONISTS have deliberately sparked 12 fires in Victoria as soaring temperatures and strong winds create the most dangerous fire conditions since Black Saturday.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said police believe 12 of the 68 fires burning across the state were deliberately lit.

Most of those fires were sparked on the urban fringes of Melbourne, including three grass fires in Epping, in the city's north.

Detectives are now investigating those fires.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said it was a disgraceful act for anyone to deliberately start a blaze on a day of high fire danger.

"There are no words that can be used to describe the lowlife that would light fires in these situations," he told reporters.

"They are putting lives at risk."

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Queen's granddaughter gives birth to girl

QUEEN Elizabeth II's granddaughter Zara Phillips has given birth to a girl, Buckingham Palace says.

Zara gave birth at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital to her first child, which weighed 7lbs 12oz.

The father, Mike Tindall, a former England rugby star, was present at the birth of his daughter, who is 16th in line to the throne.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Mike's parents, Mr Phillip and Mrs Linda Tindall, have been informed and are delighted with the news.

"The baby's name will be confirmed in due course."

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UK retail sales jump in Christmas period

UK retail sales have jumped more than expected during the crucial Christmas period despite poor weather before the holiday.

The Office of National Statistics says retail sales leapt by 2.6 per cent during December compared with the previous month.

Economists had predicted a rise of 0.2 per cent.

Friday's report was surprising because major chains such as Tesco had reported dismal figures for the period, and suggests the retail sector is supporting the economic recovery.

The statistics office says there was a record 8.7 per cent month-on-month increase in the quantity of goods bought at department stores.

But small stores led the charge.

Marc Ostwald, a strategist with Monument Securities, says that surge may have come from the poor weather, which may have prompted consumers to shop locally.

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Another Australian killed in Syria: report

THE federal government is working to confirm reports that another Australian has been killed in Syria.

"We are aware of unconfirmed reports of an Australian death in Syria," A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.

"As a matter of course, whenever contacted by next of kin in relation to a reported death of an Australian overseas, the department follows up."

DFAT says it would welcome any further information the media is able to provide.

The reports come just days after a Sydney woman Amira Ali and her husband Yusuf Ali were killed in the war-torn country.

At least seven Australians have died in fighting in the country since the civil war began in 2011.

DFAT is reminding Australians that it does not have an embassy in Syria so its capacity to deliver consular help is "extremely limited".

It continues to advise Australians in Syria to leave.

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Missing man feared daughter's relocation

Water police have joined the search for Greg Hutchings and daughter Eeva Dorendahl(pic). Source: AAP

A NSW man may be missing with his four-year-old daughter after discovering his former partner might have been planning to move to Finland with the child.

Greg Hutchings and his daughter Eeva Dorendahl, 4, were last seen on Pottsville Road at Pottsville in northern NSW on Saturday.

Mr Hutchings had arranged to meet his former partner, Eeva's mother, in Pottsville around midday but he never showed.

Mr Hutchings' family have since revealed the 35-year-old may have been concerned Eeva was going to go overseas.

His sister, Sheri Hutchings, said the discovery of a Finnish passport was possibly the catalyst.

"Greg has lived and loved that little girl with the lightest of love and would never compromise her safety," she wrote on her Facebook page.

"He has been concerned that Eeva's mum might relocate them to Finland without Greg's knowledge.

"His discovery of a secret Finnish passport for Eeva has probably been the catalyst for his hesitation in returning Eeva to her mum."

Ms Hutchings said she had complete trust Eeva was safe, happy and very well cared for.

Police would not comment on whether a passport was a motive for the disappearance.

Emergency services, including jet skis and a police helicopter, continued the search for Mr Hutchings and Eeva around Pottsville on Tuesday.

Crews scoured waterways and beaches but could not find the missing pair.

Tweed Police Inspector Gary Cowan said the pair had camped in the area before.

"It's an area where the dad and daughter have been camping before so if they have gone to ground for whatever reason, they've probably got food and water there," he told the ABC on Tuesday.

The search is expected to continue throughout the night and into Wednesday.

It has been reported Eeva was due to return home to the Sunshine Coast with her mother after staying with Mr Hutchings in Pottsville.

Mr Hutchings is of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall, with short brown curly hair and of a thin build.

Police say he was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, grey trousers and carrying a black backpack.

Eeva is also of Caucasian appearance, with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing an oversized blue and white-coloured shirt and multicoloured board shorts.

Police are urging anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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NSW cyclist dies following crash

A FEMALE cyclist has died four days after a crash south of Sydney.

Emergency services were called to McKell Avenue at Waterfall on Saturday morning after reports a cyclist and a car had collided.

Officers found a 35-year-old woman with serious injuries.

Police were told the woman was riding along the road when she collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction.

Police say the woman died in hospital on Tuesday.

Inquiries into the crash are continuing, police say.

A 23-year-old man died late on Monday night when his car ran off the road and hit a tree late at Salamander Bay near Port Stephens.

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China expects 3.6bn Lunar New Year trips

CHINESE officials say they are expecting citizens to make 3.6 billion trips during the Chinese New Year travel period that starts on Thursday.

The holiday is the most important one in China and represents the world's largest seasonal migration of people as families reunite.

The Year of the Horse starts on January 31. The Spring Festival transportation period lasts 40 days from January 16.

Lian Weiliang, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, says they expect 200 million more journeys than in 2013.

Lian also told a news conference on Tuesday snow and bad weather could hamper the mass migration.

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Banana ban for health-kick monkeys

MONKEYS at a British zoo have been banned from eating bananas - because they are too unhealthy.

Animal nutritionists have likened giving bananas to the primates at Paignton Zoo in Devon to humans eating too much cake and chocolate.

The monkeys have been on a health kick and have been avoiding food that is too sweet and sugary - including bananas.

Amy Plowman, head of conservation and advocacy, said: "People usually try to improve their diet by eating more fruit - but fruit cultivated for humans is much higher in sugar and much lower in protein and fibre than most wild fruit because we like our fruit to be so sweet and juicy.

"Giving this fruit to animals is equivalent to giving them cake and chocolate.

"Compared to the food they would eat in the wild, bananas are much more energy-dense - they have lots of calories - and contain much more sugar that's bad for their teeth and can lead to diabetes and similar conditions.

"It can also cause gastrointestinal problems as their stomachs are mostly adapted to eating fibrous foods with very low digestibility."

Plowman said it had not been too hard to wean the monkeys off bananas and give them vegetables instead.

"They didn't get a choice but - unlike children - they couldn't complain."

A typical monkey diet now features lots of green leafy vegetables, smaller amounts of other vegetables and as much browse - leafy branches - as possible, especially for the leaf-eating monkeys.

A specialist pellet feed gives them the correct balance of nutrients, while small amounts of cooked brown rice can be scattered around enclosures to encourage foraging.

Animals do still get bananas if they are unwell and the keepers need to make sure they take medication.

"Putting it in a piece of banana works really well, as it's such a treat now," Plowman said.

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Man charged as dying passenger abandoned

A MOTORBIKE rider has been arrested for allegedly leaving a passenger who died on a Queensland road.

Police were called to Jambin-Dakenbah Road in Biloela about 4am (AEST) on January 10, where they found a man who died despite medical efforts at the scene.

Police allege the man sustained fatal injuries while he was a passenger on a motorbike a 28-year-old man was riding.

The rider, from Argoon, has been charged with a string of offences, including dangerous operation of vehicle causing death.

He was also charged for leaving the scene of the incident without getting help.

He will appear in Biloela Magistrates Court on January 29.

Police issued a special thanks to the Jambin and Biloela communities for their assistance in the case.

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