Victorians on bushfire alert

The World Today examines the events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians. 

Despite the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs, the unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in January. 

The latest official data shows a slowdown in the growth of pay packets.  

Unpredictable and unrelenting wildfires have destroyed blocks of homes, stores and buildings in West Kelowna and part of the Shuswap region in British Columbia. The province is currently under a state of emergency. 30,000 people are on evacuation order across B.C. and 36,000 more ... Show More

At least 34 people have been killed and thousands evacuated after wildfires broke out across Algeria, the country's interior ministry says. The most extensive fires, in the mountainous Kabylie region to the east of Algiers, spread to residential areas in the coastal towns of Beja ... Show More

Two wildfires are raging through forestland and towns northwest of Athens, forcing residents to flee their homes as authorities fight to stop the flames reaching an area with oil refineries. 

Wildfires continue to rage in Canada. Thousands of residents in Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories, are fleeing for safety. 

The Victorian government has cancelled its plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, saying the cost of hosting would be too high. Funds will be diverted into sporting facilities and housing in regional Victoria.