Sydney's air quality plummeted on Tuesday as a thick blanket of bushfire smoke clogged the city.
The haze has left the city as the 14th worst in the world on the World Air Quality Index.
A warning for severe fire danger has been issued, as temperatures soared to 37 degrees Celsius in the city's west.
Residents have also been advised to stay indoors, with the New South Wales Ambulance service emphasising that those with respiratory issues should "take extra care".
Gunman kills six family members in eastern Iowa, police say
A gunman has killed six members of his family, then took his own life, during a spate of shootings on Monday in the eastern Iowa city of Muscatine, a waterfront town situated across the Mississippi River from Illinois, police said.
Nine dead, dozens wounded as Russia launches major attack across Ukraine
Russian air attacks on major Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv have killed at least nine and wounded more than 60 early on Tuesday, authorities said, following days of warnings that Moscow was planning a major assault.
Trump says no Israeli troops will go to Beirut after call with Netanyahu
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Moderna and other groups get $60 million to develop Ebola vaccine
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Bus driver charged with five counts of manslaughter in Virginia highway wreck
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