澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-01-04（在线收听）

The New South Wales Emergency Services is urging Coonamble residents who refused to evacuate their homes to heed major flood warnings. About 1,000 people have already left their properties as the Castlereagh River rises. The town is preparing for its worst flooding in more than 50 years. The river is expected to peak at 5.5 meters early this morning.

Firefighters in Western Australia are hopeful of bringing a bushfire in the outer Perth suburb of Brigadoon under control. About 60 firefighters are battling the blaze which began yesterday afternoon. No houses have been lost but a shed and some fence lines have been destroyed.

The nation's holiday road toll has risen to 69 after the death in hospital of a man injured last week on the New South Wales south coast. The man suffered severe burns when his car hit a fuel tanker north of Batemans Bay. His two young girls died in the crash, his wife remains in a critical condition.

And the US and British embassies in Yemen have been shut down in response to continuing threats from al-Qaeda. It's believed a Yemen-based offshoot of Al-Qaeda was behind the foiled Christmas Day plane attack. As a result, full-body scanners will now be installed at Heathrow Airport in London.

I'll be back with more news later.