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Australia’s Southeast Sweats in Heatwave, Lifting Bushfire Risk

A flock of cockatoos fly near hot air balloons as they take to the sky during the Canberra Balloon Spectacular as part of Canberra's Enlighten festival in Canberra, Australia, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
A flock of cockatoos fly near hot air balloons as they take to the sky during the Canberra Balloon Spectacular as part of Canberra's Enlighten festival in Canberra, Australia, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
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Australia’s Southeast Sweats in Heatwave, Lifting Bushfire Risk

A flock of cockatoos fly near hot air balloons as they take to the sky during the Canberra Balloon Spectacular as part of Canberra's Enlighten festival in Canberra, Australia, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
A flock of cockatoos fly near hot air balloons as they take to the sky during the Canberra Balloon Spectacular as part of Canberra's Enlighten festival in Canberra, Australia, 09 March 2024. (EPA)

Large swaths of Australia on Saturday sweated through severe heatwave conditions that lifted bushfire risk in the country's southeast.

The nation's weather forecaster on Saturday had heatwave alerts in place for South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, warning temperatures in some regions could go above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Victoria's capital Melbourne, a maximum temperature of 39 C (102.2 F) was forecast for Saturday, more than 15 degrees above the March mean, forecaster data showed. It was 31.5 C at 11.10 local time on Saturday, the forecaster said.

"Extreme fire danger is forecast for Central and South West districts, including Melbourne and Geelong," it said on social media platform X.

In New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, there were 19 bush and grass fires burning on Saturday, according to the state's Rural Fire Service agency website.

A senior meteorologist at the forecaster, Sarah Scully, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that hot weather would likely continue until Tuesday "when a much colder air mass and southerly change is forecast".

Australia's summer was gripped by an El Nino weather pattern, now easing, in which unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures cause heatwaves, cyclones, droughts and wildfires.

In February, tens of thousands of people had to evacuate amid an intense heatwave and massive bushfire in Victoria, which faced its worst conditions in four years.

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Varieties

Japanese Artist Finds Solace, Global Fans with Intricate Leaf-cutting

Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
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Japanese Artist Finds Solace, Global Fans with Intricate Leaf-cutting

Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Japanese leaf-cutting artist, who goes by the name Lito, holds his freshly cut work featuring a frog with an umbrella, during an interview in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them.
The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. The leaf art has also given him solace after earlier struggles with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a purpose in life — the joy of making people happy with his art, The Associated Press reported.
He enjoys working at night. From a pile of leaves treated with a wrinkle-free chemical, he picks one and places it on a cutting board.
First, he outlines the design on the leaf with a pen in his right hand. Then he takes a design knife in his left hand and starts cutting the leaf carefully. Slowly, the leaf begins to take the shape of a frog carrying an umbrella — a simple design he demonstrated in a recent interview with AP.

More complex, highly intensive work on a single leaf can take more than eight hours to complete.
His leaf-cutting works include titles such as “Scrolls of Frolicking Animals,” “Leaf Aquarium,” and “Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” Each piece includes his own twists, and often uses animals.
“I would rather finish it in one go when I am focused,” Lito, 38, said. He didn't want to disclose his real name for personal reasons.
Since his childhood, Lito says he has had high levels of concentration and patience. But he had trouble fitting into what was considered the norm at school or at work, despite all his efforts. He struggled to interpret others' feelings and to avoid confrontations.
After years of difficulty, he went to a hospital at age 30 and was told he has ADHD, a diagnosis that he felt explained why he has always done things differently.
He saw no point in forcing himself to do things the same way as other people, and began to adjust his life.
In early 2020, Lito came across the art of leaf cutting. He saw it as the perfect use of his patience and concentration.
Word of his skills has spread across social media, and he has published books on his leaf-cutting work. He holds a near monthly solo exhibition in various places in Japan.
“If I can make people happy by doing what I am doing, I want to do more. That’s my driving force for what's next,” Lito says.