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Temperatures in the Australian state of Victoria have reached 117 F or 47 C. Via the UK Guardian:

At least 25 people have died in Australia’s worst wildfire disaster in decades as flames rage across the south-east of the country. There are fears that the death toll could exceed 40.

A fatal combination of scorching temperatures, tinder-dry leaves and strong winds saw huge bush fires engulf parts of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

Worst hit was Victoria, with 25 confirmed deaths in a massive blaze that swept through four rural towns in the Gippsland farming region, north-west of Melbourne, as firefighters struggled on at least 10 major fronts. Witnesses described seeing trees exploding and skies raining ash.

Six people in one car were killed at Kinglake, while four deaths were reported at nearby Wandong, three at Strathewen and one in Clonbinane.

“This is an absolute tragedy for the state and we believe the figure may even get worse,” said state deputy police commissioner Kiernan Walshe. “We base that on the fact that we’re only just getting into these areas now… to search buildings… the figure could get into the forties.”

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Coverage of the Vice President’s speech 45th annual Munich Conference on Security Policy from the New York Times:

The highly anticipated speech, seen as the first major outline of the new administration’s relations with the world, came just days after Kyrgyzstan’s president announced a decision to close a United States base there that is crucial to the war in Afghanistan, which President Obama has made his biggest foreign policy priority. That announcement was made in Moscow, and many American officials concluded that the Russians had pressured Kyrgyzstan as part of their campaign to reassert control over former Soviet republics.

Foreign policy experts said that the Obama administration was likely averse to making any outright concessions on the missile defense system just days after the Kyrgyz announcement, fearing it could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Mr. Biden, they said, seemed to be balancing the need to appear firm against the administration’s hopes to reverse a several-year slide in American relations with Moscow.

Some Western diplomats had expected Mr. Biden to announce a strategic review of the missile defense system as a way to defuse tensions between Washington and Moscow. Although Mr. Biden did not go that far, he did leave room in both the speech — and in an interview afterward — for unspecified changes in the plan.

The following is the text of Vice President Biden’s speech delivered today at the 45th annual Munich Conference on Security Policy.

Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much. Ladies and gentleman, it’s an honor to be back in Munich. I’ve attended this conference many times as a United States senator, and three of my congressional colleagues are here with me today. But I am honored to be back here, as well, as the Vice President of the United States, representing a new administration and, hopefully, a new day.

Today I am especially honored to represent this administration. And we’ve gone through the oldest of our traditions: that is the peaceful transfer of power. And now, I bring the regrets of two friends who are usually here. But because we are still grappling with legislation relating to our so-called stimulus package to deal with our economic issues — both Senators John McCain and John Kerry were hoping to join my three House colleagues here today, they are usually here, but they send their regrets.

I come to Europe on behalf of a new administration, and an administration that’s determined to set a new tone not only in Washington, but in America’s relations around the world. That new tone is rooted in a strong bipartisanship to meet these common challenges. And we recognize that these challenges, the need to meet them, is not an opportunity — not a luxury, but it’s an absolute necessity. While every new beginning is a moment of hope, this moment — for America and the countries represented in this room — it is fraught with some considerable concern and peril.

In this moment, our obligation to our fellow citizens is to — in our view — put aside the petty and political notion that — to reject the zero sum mentalities and rigid ideologies, and to listen to and learn from one another, and to work together for a common prosperity and security of all of us assembled in this room. That’s what, in our view, this moment demands. And that’s what this new administration is determined to do.

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The Taliban has bombed the main supply route for NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, forcing the US to seek alternative routes. Inside Story looks at the options available to the Obama administration.

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A report from NDTV Kenya on the Hawkers Market Girls Centre.

It’s estimated that at least half the population of Nairobi live in slums. The children of the slums flock to the city’s markets to search for food among their waste. Shariffa Keshavjee and other customers set up the Hawkers Market Girls Centre to give at least some slum children the chance of a better life. The Centre offers vocational training in professions such as hair dressing and tailoring, as well as classes in life skills such as computer literacy and basic healthcare. Each year up to forty girls are either employed or set up in business with assistance from the project.

The Centre also offers valuable lessons in how to make small incomes go further. The girls grow their own vegetables, harvest rainwater and earn some extra cash by selling homemade charcoal briquettes. “Giving the girls an income generating skill is very important,” says Shariffa. “We can’t ask them to contribute to the project, but by selling what they make they feel like they are giving something back.”

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Iraq’s provincial elections gave the country’s political process a new impetus and millions of Iraqis hope of better days ahead. Political observers have predicted that if secular and nationalist parties succeed in creating a progressive block, Iraq will then be on the road to democracy. Maysoon Aldamuji, an Iraqi member of parliament, and Mundher Adhami, a researcher at King’s College, London, discuss this prospect.

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Aid agencies warn that more than 5 million people in Zimbabwe people will have to rely on food handouts as an acute shortage of food persists. This was once the bread basket of Africa.

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