A report into the bushfires that tore across Victoria, Australia, in early 2009 has called for sweeping changes to the way the authorities respond to natural disasters.
A wildfire burning in southern California has grown to more than 20 square miles and is threatening power lines that supply electricity to millions of people.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has insisted his ruling right-wing coalition will survive despite a split with his party's co-founder, Gianfranco Fini.