Australia

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA - My face flushed cherry red and my sweat-soaked sundress clung to my body. I stood, elated, on a wooden platform at the summit of Mt. Warning, a jagged peak in the Gondwana rain forest. The mountain, in the far northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia, bears witness to the first flicker of sunlight on the continent. By the time I reached it, however, the sun was setting and fog had crept in. Dappled twilight pierced the mist, affording glimpses of the vast subtropical valley below, and the buzz of cicadas filled the air. This dreamscape was just one stop in a series of excursions I had arranged to take from the relaxed beach town of Byron Bay during a nine-day stay in mid-December.

Qantas and Virgin Australia canceled flights that were scheduled Thursday (Australia time) to New Zealand and the western Australian city of Perth as an ash cloud from a Chilean volcano continued to spread into the area and strand thousands more travelers. The cloud has also wreaked havoc in South America . Disruptions of air travel in various parts of the world could last for months, experts say. The Sydney Morning Herald dubbed the cloud over Perth the "plume of gloom" and explained that levels of ash as low as 15,000 feet posed a safety risk for airlines.

Take a train ride across Australia from Perth to Sydney (or the other way around) to see the massive Outback and everything in between. The Indian Pacific train, named for the two oceans on either end of the route, covers 2,698 miles in four days, passing the Avon Valley, the city of Kalgoorlie, the Nullarbor Plain, Adelaide, the Blue Mountains and more. And there's a nice discount on this route. Until the end of February, passengers can save 30% off the trains' Gold Service , which features a sleeper car, meals and a welcoming reception with a glass of wine or beer.

The Australian government on Tuesday dropped its case against David Hicks in which it sought to block the former Guantanamo detainee from profiting from "Guantanamo: My Journey," a book he wrote about his experiences. Hicks, described as a former kangaroo skinner and Outback cowboy who left Australia for Afghanistan, was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001 and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, the Associated Press reports . While in Guantanamo, Hicks pleaded guilty to providing material support to Al Qaeda.

At least 130 people have died in howling wildfires in Australia, so fierce that they incinerated people trying to flee in their cars, sent towering walls of flames sweeping through small towns and sparked a new debate over whether homeowners should be allowed to stay to try to protect their property.

LONDON --- Deron Williams scored 13 points, including one series of plays that drew a leap off the bench and several fist pumps from Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and Kevin Durant added nine as Team USA grabbed a 56-42 halftime lead over Australia in a men's basketball quarterfinal at North Greenwich Arena. If the U.S. advances as expected, it will face Argentina in Friday's semifinals. Spain will play Russia is the other semifinal. LeBron James spiced up the proceedings with three no-look passes, but the U.S. shot only 42.9% in a mostly listless first half.

Australian scientists landed on an ice runway in Antarctica, opening a new air link between Australia and the continent. The flight, which will carry scientists and is not open to tourists, means Australia has joined other nations that have regular air contact with scientific bases there.

Several dozen Iraqi boat people turned away by Australia 10 months ago and shipped to a detention camp in Papua New Guinea have finally arrived in the country after being deemed to be genuine refugees. The 42 Iraqis granted temporary refugee protection visas by Australia were flown from a detention camp on Papua New Guinea's Manus island to Melbourne on Tuesday. About 2,600 other people remain in detention camps.

Australia will cut diplomatic relations with Libya and close that nation's People's Bureau in Canberra after finding evidence of Libyan destabilizing activities in Australia and the South Pacific, Prime Minister Bob Hawke said today. Hawke said Libyan diplomats have been given 10 days to leave the country.