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Superyacht sinks in Sydney marina after fire
A large superyacht has sunk after a fire in a Sydney marina and another is expected to sink in the coming hours, officials said this morning.
Emergency crews were called to the marina in the suburb of Mosman around 3.30 this morning. Four people have been treated for smoke inhalation and crews have been working to keep the fire from spreading to other vessels nearby.
Adam Dewberry, the superintendent of Fire and Rescue NSW, told ABC Radio Sydney this morning:
One of those yachts has sunk. We expect the other one will sink as well. We’ll also be looking and working with the port’s authorities to contain any contaminated fuels and oils out of the vessels.
MOSMAN – FRNSW , Port Authority and NSW Police working to extinguish a number of vessels on fire in the marina on the western side of the Spit Bridge. Called in just before 3:30am. pic.twitter.com/nBwcWcRPNy
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) January 8, 2026
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Updated at 21.17 CET
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to take over as we wrap up the week. Let’s get to it.
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Queensland on alert for severe weather and possible cyclone
North-east Queensland is under a severe weather warning and flood watches and warnings as a tropical low threatens to turn into a tropical cyclone.
As of 4am on Friday the low was about 95km from the coast, with sustained winds of 55km/h and gusts up to 85km/h. The system was expected to take a sharp turn southwards today, heading for Townsville, with a “moderate” chance it will pick up enough strength to be classed a cyclone when it crosses the coast on the weekend.
The BoM said if the risk of a tropical cyclone increases further, then gales with wind gusts to 120 km/h may develop during Friday and Saturday initially about exposed coastal parts between Port Douglas and Proserpine, including Cairns and Townsville.
As our story on devastating stock losses in Queensland points out, even if it’s not technically a cyclone, further downpours could be very bad news for those inland.
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Updated at 21.11 CET
Rooftop solar reportedly easing record demand for power during heatwave
An interesting aspect of the heatwave is highlighted by a report in the Financial Review this morning about how record demand for power on the grid is being eased by rooftop solar.
The article says that demand in the national electricity market reached its highest-ever level at about 4pm on Wednesday with the nation drawing 38.9 gigawatts.
That beat a previous record set in December 2024, the article says.
While in the past that might have placed strain on the grid, rooftop solar came to the rescue with about 12GW of power, making up almost 30% of the demand.
All renewables sources together – so wind power and hydro – met 67% of demand.
So although that’s good news, because there is still not enough battery storage, by the time the sun went down most of the nation’s demand was met by coal and gas.
Rooftop solar unit on a house in Canberra. Photograph: AAPShare
Updated at 21.13 CET
‘We wanted to pack up what was precious’
At the Seymour disaster relief centre in Victoria, the Black Summer bushfires are still a nightmarish memory for people seeking shelter.
Cait Kelly went along to speak to some of the people taking shelter.
“We wanted to pack up what was precious,” one says. “We’ve got photos and documents, some of my needlework that is framed, but what do you take when you have a house full of stuff you want to keep? … We just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope.”
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Updated at 21.10 CET
Hume Highway closed and regional trains cancelled amid Victorian bushfires
Victoria’s Hume Highway was closed last night and regional trains were cancelled as firefighters from at least two states fought bushfires in the worst heatwave to descend on Australia since 2019-20.
As Melbourne prepared for a forecast of 41C today the acting premier, Ben Carroll, described Victoria as “one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world”.
“There is also the real risk of heat-related illness throughout the state tomorrow.”
The state health department urged Victorians “to be prepared – stay hydrated, stay indoors as much as possible and make sure you check-in on loved ones”.
Read more here:
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Updated at 20.40 CET
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will pick up the news thread.
Firefighters are preparing for catastrophic conditions across many parts of Victoria today after a week of scorching temperatures. The entire state is under a total fire ban and parks and camping grounds are closed. There are also extreme fire danger ratings for much of South Australia and the New South Wales Riverina. We have more coming up.
At the other end of the continent, the BoM estimates about a 50/50 chance of a tropical cyclone crossing the coast in Queensland this weekend. More on that too, soon.
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