澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2009-12-31（在线收听）

Western Australia's major electricity provider has admitted it may be to blame for a devastating bushfire north of Perth. Police investigators say they are confident power lines sparked the blaze in Toodyay which ripped through 3,000 hectares and left almost 40 families homeless. Electricity company Western Power says it will compensate those affected if it's found to have been negligent. Authorities say the fire has been contained but it's not yet under control with small sections still burning.

Flooded parts of northern New South Wales have been declared natural disaster zones. Emergency funding will be made available to flood victims from the worst-hit areas in Brewarrina and Narrabri.

A British man who was kidnapped with four others in Iraq two years ago has been released. Thirty-six-year-old Peter Moore has been taken to the British Embassy in Baghdad. His four bodyguards who were also seized by a group of gunmen in 2007 are believed to have died.

And a mountain bike rider from Scotland has achieved worldwide fame after uploading his stunts onto the internet. The YouTube sensation has received more than 12 million hits on videos which see him flipping off trees and balancing his bike on an iron fence.