‘Columns of fire’ in Australia

‘Columns of fire’ in Australia [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( After mass evacuations in Australia, those who remain in areas threatened by wildfires can’t leave. North Korea leader Kim Jung-un keeps talking ahead of this year-end deadline for denuclearization talks. And a prisoner swap between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists could help to ease tensions. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Mass evacuations, 'columns of fire' in Australia [A volunteer from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service works to extinguish spot fires following back burning operations in Mount Hay, in Australia’s Blue Mountains, on Dec. 28, 2019. Picture taken Dec. 28, 2019.]( Credit: Jill Gralow/Reuters Australia continues to smolder. [Tens of thousands of people were evacuated]( on Monday as "columns of fire" fueled by extreme heat and high winds bore down on a popular tourist region in Australia's southeast. Wildfires that have plagued the country's eastern coast for weeks [flared again to dangerous levels in Victoria state's East Gippsland](, an area encompassing two national parks, lakes and coastal plains that is half the size of Belgium. By late afternoon, officials warned holiday makers to stay off the roads because of thick smoke and unpredictable, fast-moving fires, adding that it was now too late for people who had not left the region to do so. The state's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said "columns of fire" were punching into the atmosphere and generating their own dangerous weather systems. "[There's lightning coming out of these columns](," Crisp told reporters. "It is unpredictable, it's dangerous out there." [Around 100 fires are burning across Australia](, the bulk of them in the southeast, across the states of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. But blazes are also threatening lives and homes on the other side of the country — fires in Western Australia, thousands of miles away from the country's east, [broke containment lines]( north of the port city of Albany on Sunday. Also: [Sydney fireworks to go ahead despite protests]( --------------------------------------------------------------- North Korea's Kim urges 'positive and offensive' security ahead of nuclear talk deadline North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for "[positive and offensive measures](" at a ruling party meeting to ensure security ahead of a [year-end deadline]( he has set for denuclearization talks with the United States. Kim [convened a weekend meeting of top Workers' Party officials]( to discuss policy matters amid rising tension over his deadline for Washington to soften its stance in stalled negotiations aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. At a Sunday session, Kim suggested action in the areas of foreign affairs, the munitions industry and armed forces, stressing the need to take "[positive and offensive measures for fully ensuring the sovereignty and security of the country](." North Korea has urged Washington to offer a new approach to resume negotiations, warning that it may take an unspecified "[new path](" if the United States fails to meet its expectations. US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said the US is [prepared to take action]( against any threats from North Korea. Also: [The surprising life of a student at a North Korean university]( --------------------------------------------------------------- NewsMatch Do you value the global journalism you read here every morning? [Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be matched. [Donate here](. Ukraine holds big prisoner swap with pro-Russian separatists [A prisoner of war is welcomed by his acquaintance after he was released by Ukrainian authorities and exchanged during a captives' swap between Ukraine and the separatist republics near the Mayorsk crossing point in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Dec. 29, 2019.] Credit: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east completed a large-scale prisoner swap on Sunday after busing scores of detainees in the five-year conflict to an exchange point in the breakaway Donbass region. The swap should help [build confidence between the two sides](, who are wrangling over how to implement a peace deal after the loss of more than 13,000 lives, but major disagreements remain and full normalization is far off. [Ukraine said 76 pro-government detainees were handed over, while separatists said they took 124 of their prisoners]( during the swap at a checkpoint near the industrial town of Horlivka. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following [Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula]( in 2014 and its subsequent support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. There have been several prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and the separatists. In the last swap, in December 2017, Ukraine handed over about 300 captives in exchange for around 70 people. In September, Russia and Ukraine also [swapped dozens of prisoners](. Also: [Ukraine fears Trump hold on aid exposed vulnerability in war with Russia]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a smart speaker? Listen to The World's new show called [The Number in the News](! We produce The Number in the News daily from our studio in Boston. Host Bianca Hillier will tell you one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. Add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. US air strikes on Iraq and Syria ‘successful.’ Is there more to come? US officials said on Sunday that [air strikes in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia group were successful](, but warned that "additional actions" may still be taken in the region to defend US interests. The US military carried out the strikes on Sunday against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the [killing of a US civilian contractor]( in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base. US President Donald Trump was briefed by his top national security advisers following the strikes at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. "[We will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy](," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters after the briefing with Trump. Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared briefly in a club ballroom to comment on the airstrikes. Esper termed the offensive "[successful](," but said that Trump was informed that a further military response could be warranted. "We discussed with him other options that are available," Esper said. "I would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own self-defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from Iran." Also: [Iran, militia vow revenge for US strikes in Iraq and Syria]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme Eagles are known as majestic creatures, and that [majesty is in full effect when they dive for food](. Extra: With cemeteries filling up and the rising cost of traditional burials, cremation is a preferred option for a growing number of Greek citizens. The church, however, considers cremation a sin. [The country's lone crematorium is open for business, despite pushback](. Reuters contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Global music trends from the past decade]( - [On the ice]( - [Russia's silencing tactics]( - [Chernobyl fallout]( - [Christmas lottery]( - [Mexico complains that Bolivia is harassing its diplomats]( - [More children's books tell immigrants' stories]( - [Executive order deadline extended]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX](, [WGBH](, and the [BBC](.