The World Today

The Climate Council is warning that Australians in the ACT and New South Wales need to prepare for more intense and longer fire seasons in their states. The report also finds that the economic cost of bushfires across Australia will double by 2050. Macquarie University Biology Professor Lesley Hughes is one of the report's authors.

One of the issues on the agenda for this week's COAG meeting of state and territory leaders is how to classify the controversial Adler shotgun. Most of the states and territories want the weapon to be put in Category D, which means only professional shooters can access it. But several Nationals MPs and senators say it should be in the less restrictive Category B, including the party's leader Barnaby Joyce. Tim Fischer helped craft Australia's gun laws with John Howard following the massacre at Port Arthur. He says he's worried about the influence of the gun lobby in Australia and that it's vital that all the states get on the same page.

The NSW Government will relax Sydney's lockout laws in light of recommendations from former High Court judge Ian Callinan QC. In his review of the laws Mr Callinan found that they have reduced alcohol-related violence, but at a cost to the city's vibrancy.

Victorian Year 12 students have received their VCE score five days early. A technical glitch meant many were able to access their score, via text message.

Humanitarian groups are finding it difficult to even get to the Indonesian province of Aceh, which was struck by an earthquake in early hours of Wednesday morning. Authorities have confirmed that it killed at least 100 people and injured many more. But they say they fear the death toll will increase.

A passenger plane belonging to Pakistan's national carrier has crashed, killing all 47 people on board. The Pakistan International Airlines flight from Chitral to Islamabad crashed into mountains just short of its destination on Wednesday. On board was the famous Pakistani pop singer-turned-Islamic preacher, Junaid Jamshed.

US president-elect Donald Trump has created new controversy after being named Time Magazine's Person of the Year. He beat other top 10 finalists including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Britain's populist right leader Nigel Farage. Each year, Time editors select the person who has the most influenced the news and the world in the past year.

The race to be the next Prime Minister of New Zealand appears to be firming with the withdrawal from the contest of one of the three candidates, Judith Collins. That leaves John Key's Deputy, Bill English, as front-runner.

The Australian National University is hosting the country's first cyber security game. More 90 participants from government, business and academia are taking part in the event today in an attempt to work out ways of addressing cyber security threats. Hosted in partnership with the RAND Corporation, the ANU's 360 degrees Cyber Game puts participants through two strategic scenarios set in the online environment of 2022. The idea is to think about how we might better protect ourselves now and into the future.

An independent review of Queensland's deadly red fire ant eradication program has called for the Federal Government to double its efforts and spend almost $400 million over the next decade. But a former State Government employee says that money should not go to Biosecurity Queensland.