Sydney's air quality plummeted on Tuesday as a thick blanket of bushfire smoke clogged the city.
The haze has left the city as the 14th worst in the world on the World Air Quality Index.
A warning for severe fire danger has been issued, as temperatures soared to 37 degrees Celsius in the city's west.
Residents have also been advised to stay indoors, with the New South Wales Ambulance service emphasising that those with respiratory issues should "take extra care".
Trump says deal reached to disarm Hamas, Israeli support for plan remains uncertain
US President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza.
4 bodies located after 10 climbers go missing on Pakistani mountain
The bodies of four climbers were located by Pakistani search crews on Friday after at least 10 mountaineers went missing in a suspected avalanche on Broad Peak a day earlier, Pakistani sources said.
Kuwait says Iranian attack hits Chinese company building, kills one
Kuwait's Ministry of Defence said an Iranian attack targeted a building belonging to a Chinese company in the north of the country on Thursday, killing one worker and causing extensive material damage to the facility.
Japan quake snarls auto and chip supply chains as toll hits 34
A powerful earthquake that struck southern Japan this week has exposed the vulnerability of the country's manufacturing supply chains, a decade after a devastating quake in the same region triggered widespread industry disruption.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has attended a GCCÂ joint military exercise at the start of his official visit in Bahrain.
UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Syrian leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa discussed regional developments during a phone call on Friday.
The UAE has strongly condemned the drone attack targeting two vessels at Damietta Port in Egypt on Wednesday.
