Snippets:

A fire-fighter has died in Victoria, and fires continue to break out across much of the country.

As firefighters struggled to contain at least six fires in the state's north, west and east, there were ominous warnings of searing temperatures across Victoria on Australia Day.

More than 136,000ha of land across the state have burned in the past five days.

Tassie’s fires are hammering the West Coast and threatening Zeehan.

Robert Hill retires.

The South Australian senator is understood to have accepted a move to New York to become Australia's ambassador to the United Nations, News Ltd newspapers reported.

His replacement could be Nick Minchin.

Russian democracy not good enough for the G8, according to Rice.

Since Vladimir Putin became Russian president in 2000, his government has established a firm grip over all national broadcasters, the parliament has become a rubber-stamp for the Kremlin and popularly elected provincial governors have been replaced with Putin appointees.

Women and IT, and middle aged folk and SMS.

(A little bit late, but…) A conference being hosted by UTAS will (did) address the lack of women entering the area of computer science, as well as middle aged folk and SMSing.

Over 250 delegates from around the world will be in Hobart to attend the premier forum for Australasian computer science academics and associated professionals being hosted by UTAS. The international multi-conference comprises seven interconnected conferences under the same roof dealing with everything from supercomputers to ipods.

The event will be (was) hosted at Wrest Point from the 16^th to the 19^th.

Take a look at some UTAS art.

The Academy Gallery represents the high profile public face of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, University of Tasmania.

Hmm...