What is the reason for Catastrophic warnings amid Australian bushfires (AFP)?”
WAYNE Swan will spend $200 million to recruit 500 extra Australian Federal Police officers in next week’s budget as the Rudd Government moves to reinforce the fight against organised crime and terrorism. And the Treasurer has confirmed the budget will also include $50 million to give three million senior’s card holders discounted travel on public transport nationally, instead of only in their home states. News of the budget measures came yesterday as Mr Swan continued to warn Australians to expect savage spending cuts next Tuesday as part of the “war on inflation”. But the Opposition rejected the warnings as spin, and Brendan Nelson will use a speech in Brisbane today to accuse Mr Swan and Kevin Rudd of inventing the existence of an inflation crisis for political reasons and, in doing so, damaging the national economy. Before last year’s election, Mr Rudd said the AFP was under strength and that a Labor government would lift recruitment by 500 over five years on top of already establis
Some 25,000 lightning strikes set off about 100 blazes in South Australia state alone. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifztFfY3zYP0ji5rZspzqk6zRK9Q ‘Catastrophic’ warnings amid Australian bushfires (AFP) – 10 hours ago SYDNEY — Some 25,000 lightning strikes set off about 100 blazes in South Australia state alone, most of which had since burned out. Meanwhile emergency crews were battling 34 fires in New South Wales, some on the outskirts of Sydney, the Rural Fire Service (RFS) said. More than a quarter of the state was considered at catastrophic risk. Hundred-year records tumbled this week as the south and south-east sweltered through a heatwave which dried out vast tracts of bush and farmland already in the grip of a decade-long drought. The first “catastrophic” or “Code Red” warnings — a new category introduced after February’s deadly Black Saturday fires –
