WORLD


Australian fire crews celebrate as rain brings relief in battle against raging blazes

A second day of light rain brought relief for firefighters battling bushfires that have killed 24 people across southeastern Australia, but hot, windy conditions are expected to return later in the week, officials warned today.
Sooty rain came down all along the coast, from Sydney all the way to Melbourne, with temperatures much lower in the low 20s Celsius, down from nearly 40 degrees in some areas over the weekend.