Sydney  - The enormity of south-east Australia's forest fires was revealed Sunday, with as many as 40 people believed dead, hundreds of houses destroyed and swathes of countryside turned to ash.

The official death toll from Saturday's inferno stands at 25, but police expect the number to rise above 40 as they pick through the wreckage of homes, sheds and vehicles.

More than 400 fires have incinerated 150,000 hectares north of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state.

Sydney  - The enormity of south-east Australia's forest fires was revealed Sunday, with as many as 40 people believed dead, hundreds of houses destroyed and swathes of countryside turned to ash.

The official death toll from Saturday's inferno stands at 25, but police expect the number to rise above 40 as daylight allows them to pick through the wreckage of homes, sheds and vehicles.

More than 150,000 hectares has burned in the hinterland north of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state.

Sydney - At least 14 people are dead in forest fires that Friday ravaged Australia's south-east corner.

High winds and record-breaking temperatures combined to create tinder-box conditions in forests north of Melbourne in the state of Victoria.

Fires, some deliberately lit, devoured hundred of homes and may have led to dozens of deaths.

Melbourne, Feb 7 : Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr has revealed that she is pretty happy with her Hollywood actor beau, Orlando Bloom.

Melbourne, Feb 7 : Cricket Australia bosses have announced that they have no plans to ban cricketers' wives and partners from future tours.

There was a debate on having wives on tour after a row between Michael Clarke and Simon Katich over Clarke's fiancee Lara Bingle.

Former bikini babe, Bingle has been linked to the dust-up because of suggestions that Clarke wanted the Australian team song sung early so he could leave the SCG dressingrooms to be with his fiancee.

However, sources insisted that this was not the case.

Melbourne, February 7 : Aussie scientists have created a special "hotel" in Sydney as part of their new research project to study sleep disorders, wherein people will be locked away from the world for days, and monitored around the clock.

Their aim will to be gain fresh insights into how the body reacts to shift work, jet lag, sleep disorders, and even space travel.

The country's first large-scale Time Isolation Research Unit was built as part of the 10 million-dollar co-location of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.