Firefighters battling a huge grassfire in Queensland have witnessed a rarely seen destructive phenomenon - a fire tornado.

Crews fighting the fire near Thargomindah, in the state's far west, watched in awe as a massive fire tornado formed inside the inferno on Sunday.

Bulloo Shire Mayor John Ferguson says as the giant column of flame rose, it was photographed by a local woman.

"It went up about 300 metres in the air," he said.

"Then about 30 metres of flame broke off and flew about 400 metres over the fire break, which was the main road, and started another fire."By signing up to WHO\'s tobacco treaty, China pledges to tighten controls on cigarette industry

China, the last great hope of the global tobacco industry, is promising to tighten controls on cigarettes in 2004 to comply with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which it signed in November.

Although the country makes and consumes more cigarettes than any other in the world, the government plans to challenge the expansion of the tobacco market with tough new regulations on advertising, health warnings, and juvenile smoking

At first sight, it is difficult to imagine that the palls of smoke that now linger in many of Beijing\'s restaurants and bars will be blown away any time soon given the cultural and financial resistance to change

But the government insists it will take steps to