how stretched are the resources now in new south wales and queensland? are they able to hold back these fires? well, many of these fires are burning uncontrolled. so what the authorities are doing, it's almost like a military style operation. they are having to strategically plan to protect life and property as best they can. now, hundreds of firefighters are on the ground. they are being supported by a squadron of water bombing aircraft. weary firefighters, once again, having to fight fires today before the onslaught expected tomorrow. new zealand has sent in reinforcements for australia and there is a discussion between fire authorities here and their counterparts in the united states and canada, too, about perhaps getting reinforcements from there as well. and once again that gives you an indication just how serious it is, just how thinly this emergency line is being stretched with so many fires and the forecast being so grim for the next 24—48 hours. injusta injust a few in just a few minutes we will bring you another date from the new south wales

officials in new south wales say 150 homes have burned down. with me is our news reporter freya cole who has experience reporting on bushfires in australia. freya, thank you for being with us. bring us up—to—date. freya, thank you for being with us. bring us up-to-date. there has been some relief overnight on the weather. firefighters are doing what they can today to get on top of this bushfire disaster but don‘t get me wrong, the risk is far from bushfire disaster but don‘t get me wrong, the risk is farfrom over. there are still more than 100 fires burning across queensland and new south wales. any of those are still out of control. as we keep hearing, the worst is yet to come. 0n tuesday, australia is expecting conditions, high temperatures, strong winds, we are talking high—temperature is of around a0 degrees and the fire threat extends to right across the state. we are talking about the outskirts of syd ney talking about the outskirts of sydney at risk of bushfire. that is huge levels of population, potentially at risk. we did spe

of that, so east coast in new south wales. mind you, this is a very populous area we are talking about. we're talking about 6 million people who are bracing themselves for conditions. as the day grows hotter, as the winds grow stronger, this is where we are going to hear more localised, big fires. 0bviously all of this under the umbrella of this catastrophic fire danger. syd ney wo ke this catastrophic fire danger. sydney woke up to a haze as the smoke from other areas, neighbouring areas, has come and settled near the skies here. i certainly, and people around me, felt it. you could smell it in the air. and really, as the day progresses, the danger becomes more severe. the firefighters and the fire authorities have been updating people on an hourly or two hourly basis, and now we are seeing more localised fires, really. but it all comes down to the heat into the wind, because things can get out of control really quickly. and i think people have been told that, if they are in vulnerable areas, they should leave. because firefi

wales in the past few hours tare the new south wales mid north coast that's north of sydney meanwhile a huge army of emergency personnel remain on standby with some 20000 firefighters police and soldiers as world ready to move in if necessary ok for so you hope as a result of what i want to jump in there and and talk about these multiple directions the fires could be taking this area has 6000000 people and the affected area sidney of course a huge city it's under threat can you tell us more you are talking about the precautions being taken what's being done for the rural areas and could this affect sitting. well that's the big question at the moment so far it appears should remind a dog still it's notice but no longer there was a bush on the outskirts of sydney a report of an hour or 2 ago it was quickly extinguished as you say city is a big city it's got 5000000 people living there and a lot of people are very very concerned about the possibility of fires moving in from the blue mountains where there's a lot of forest and also from the north and the south where there are vast areas o

how stretched are the resources now in new south wales and queensland? are they able to hold back these fires? well, many of these fires are burning uncontrolled. so what the authorities are doing, it's almost like a military style operation. they are having to strategically plan to protect life and property as best they can. now, hundreds of firefighters are on the ground. they are being supported by a squadron of water bombing aircraft. weary firefighters, once again, having to fight fires today before the onslaught expected tomorrow. new zealand has sent in reinforcements for australia and there is a discussion between fire authorities here and their counterparts in the united states and canada, too, about perhaps getting reinforcements from there as well. and once again that gives you an indication just how serious it is, just how thinly this emergency line is being stretched with so many fires and the forecast being so grim for the next 24—48 hours. phil mercer therefore a sin city. iamjoined by i am joined by the headquarters of the new south wal

to the north and south of sydney in new south wales was up affecting countless thousands of homes. today is an opportunity to jump on the spot fires, for homes to be prepared, for people to pack their cars ready to flee. modern homes are not designed to withstand these fires. that is the message from authorities. there are 870 firefighters on the ground. to give you an idea of the scale of this feierabend in the last week. i million hectares bone. that is about one million football fields. and many more under threat with tomorrow's strong winds, high temperatures, and high humidity. gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour. humidity below 10%. gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour. humidity below10%. expected to cause conditions not seen before in sydney and new south wales. so, really, today is about batten down the hatches, clearing the grounds around these houses, clearing gutters of dry tender, and trying to salvage whatever personal items people can before they flee to the evacuation centre ‘s tomorrow. they are already potentially calling it black tuesday. it is not looking go

i'm on the south side of syd ney overnight. i'm on the south side of sydney in new south wales. yesterday we had catastrophic fire warnings, even down here as well and is the first time we've ever had those. we are regularly keeping an update on the absent example here, this one showing where the fires up and down the coast. further north, they are having a horrendous time, particularly in queensland, as you've heard. stilli particularly in queensland, as you've heard. still i think i'm a 70- you've heard. still i think i'm a 70— plus fires burning uncontained. some of these fires are notjust related to climate change, it is arson. it is one of the things where you see this strange event happening and people are saying not to talk about climate change, the fire seasons are getting longer, they are starting earlier and just last month, we had 20 of the most senior retired firefighters across all the states in australia actually warning that it was going to be a bad fire season, we need to be better prepared and i was meant to be a coast in the northern part of new south wales,

this time last year i was a new south wales reporting on bushfires ina south wales reporting on bushfires in a small country town called tathra, and it was completely wiped out. we are seeing that again this time around. to have another bushfire disaster in spring, when summer bushfire disaster in spring, when summer hasn't even begun yet, is quite frankly a frightening situation. i remember talking to people who had lost everything they owned, they were quite literally left with the clothes on their backs, and they spoke of that moment of terror when a bushfire is rapidly approaching and they have the choice either to leave or to take shelter, and for many, leaving their properties can be incredibly hard. they might be leaving behind pat ‘s, livestock, a lot of people in australia own horses and cattle. last summer was the hottest on record. weather forecasters are saying again, we are facing a very hot summer. let's listen to what ben had to say about that weather forecast. the actual weather conditions that we have had over the la st conditions that we have had over the last few days

well, here in new south wales, more hot and windy conditions are forecast for the end of the week. further north, in queensland, they're facing dangerous conditions right now. it is all hands on deck. there are evacuations in popular holiday destinations in the state of queensland. so, while firefighters in new south wales, though still battling many, many fires, are having something of a respite, their colleagues to the north are finding conditions very, very tough indeed. and we're hearing that queensland has drafted in firefighters from as far away as new zealand, because the dangers up there are so severe. let's get some of the day's other news: the former treasurer to the vatican cardinal george pell has been granted a right to a final appeal in australia's high court against his convictions for child sexual abuse. in march he was found guilty of attacking two choirboys in the 1990s and sentenced to six years in prison. zimbabwe's central bank has introduced new bank notes. it is an attempt to ease an acute cash shortage, but there are fears it could fuel inflation, in a count

this is one resident in north new south wales. everybody just working everybodyjust working so hard to. can't think, the word thank you is not enough. i don't know what the word is we all want to say but it's just not enough. this is a note that was left on a kitchen bench by one firefighter. "it was our pleasure to save your house. sorry that we could not save your sheds. urunga rfs" — that's rural fire service. "p.s — we owe you some milk". the owner of the house described it as the best note he's received for the latest i was joined by abc australia's lara hyams in the northern suburbs of sydney. for new south wales it's actually towards the north of the state and also along the mid north coast. that's were some of those conditions we have been seeing have been exceptionally drive for this time of year. yesterday there were threats that that was actually going to take a hold of sidney itself. the area where i am is located on the upper north shore of sydney in a suburb, there is bush land about 50 metres away and that fire

that is the situation in new south wales. the danger in queensland is less severe — but toxic smoke is affecting brisbane. to illustrate the severity — we're told air quality there is now worse than beijing which is ten times the size. and we have this stark advice from the fire service... if you call for help, you may not get it. and here's a spokesperson. a lot of these fires have been burning for weeks now. and we have more thani burning for weeks now. and we have more than 1 million burning for weeks now. and we have more thani million hectares of burning for weeks now. and we have more than 1 million hectares of this a light still. and our concern is where the people in front of these fires. if we think back to last friday, but those fires did — they we re friday, but those fires did — they were spotted ahead sometimes a 6—12 km ahead of themselves and started new fires. so the capacity for these fires to move rapidly is absolutely extreme. this abc australia article explains why this tuesday may be particularl

we saw those pictures before from the new south wales rural fire service. these men and women, most are volunteers and literally they put their lives on the line full of it is incredibly dangerous. a bushfire of this size, you cannot control which way it will go and you do not know whether the wind is going to change suddenly. for these men and women, they really are putting their lives on the line and it is dangerous and a hot situation full thank you so much, coming in tojoin us to speak situation full thank you so much, coming in to join us to speak about the bushfires, one of the stories we are following today on the bbc. let's get some of the day's other news. protesters in chile have gathered for another day of anti—government demonstrations. on thursday, the chilean president sebastian pinera announced new measures to toughen penalties for looting and violence, after two weeks of protests that have left at least twenty people dead. vigils have been held in hong kong for a protester who died after he fell from a car park as riot police approached fi

new south wales is tst worst-hit ate. bushfires had already been burning since september.er but ncy warnings have also been issued for bushfires queensland. this is just outside the surf town popular with tourists. authorities are worried about the severity of the fires ahead of the hottest months. last year australia experienced its warmest mmer on record. it's devastating for animals, too. last week, one blaze ripped through 2000 hectares of bush in new south wales containing a koa sanctuary. hundreds of them died, and many suffered burns. >> we managed to salvage 10 koalas in this particular fi ground. they pretty well completed the search until one area they had to go yesterday has gone up in smoke again. reporter: bushfires are couson tralia, but this is a dramatic sta to the fire season, which scientists warn will grow longer and more intense because of climate change. nada: you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, talk about a science experiment. one project is out to sequence

many are still burning a new south wales and as you say, the catastrophic fire warnings issued for sydney and the surrounding areas have been lifted and for the most part, australia's biggest city has avoided that catastrophe that had been forecast and that is down really to lock in judgement. and also this military style firefighting operation that involves thousands of boots on the ground and a squadron of water bombing aircraft and eastern australia is still gripped by many, many fires and the attention today turns to the northern state of queensland, conditions up there very, very dangerous so while new south wales can breeze a bit of a sigh of relief today, further north in queensland, it's all hands on deck. it's very much dependent on what the weather brings in the coming days. well, the forecast is, right across eastern australia in the coming days, but it will be warm and windy again. today here in sydney, the toxic haze that blanketed much of the city yesterday has gone. it's pretty breezy today so has gone. it's pretty breezy today so relatively cool as well so a bit of respite

in northern new south wales, this young girl ‘s home but down. northern new south wales, this young girl 's home but down. tell us what happened to you 7 girl 's home but down. tell us what happened to you? on friday eighth november we had to evacuate our property and get some of our things together and leave because we had an evacuation wanting. we did not realise how severe the fire was that was about to hit us so my house bent down and many of my friends, we had over 80 houses in the area bent and many other sheds and machineries so thatis many other sheds and machineries so that is people ‘s livelihood, if they rely on that, and itjust swept through the entire area. it was unstoppable. the raf did everything they could do but it was a fire that was over a0 metres high. they could do but it was a fire that was over 40 metres high. the prime minister of australia scott morrison has criticised local council leaders for linking the fire emergency to global warming. what is your view on that? if we cannot talk about climate change when we are feeling the effects of climate change when c

we still have some 70 fires burning across new south wales and more than 40 across new south wales and more than a0 of them i get to be brought under control. we are talking about a massive area we are dealing with, some 600 or 700,000 hectares of bushland that is a light. so we are having to deal with that ahead of these worsening conditions on tuesday. so we have literally got firefighters out there protecting properties at the moment, being supported by water bombing helicopters. 0ur supported by water bombing helicopters. our real concern is actually moving into tuesday, where we are expecting temperatures in the high 30s although a0s, humidity in single digits, and winds gusting upwards of 80 kilometres an hour. so we have got grave concerns for tuesday. just ahead of tuesday, i wa nt to tuesday. just ahead of tuesday, i want to go back to that warning to people to really get out or look after themselves or risk not getting help. that is quite a stark warning? 0bviously with such a broad area thatis 0bviously with such a broad area that is now at risk, we need people to obviously

there are still more than 70 uncontained fires burning in new south wales. fire chiefs are warning the dangers facing the state — and neighbouring queensland — are farfrom over. phil mercer has the latest. well, we know that a helicopter, water bombing aircraft has crashed in the state of queensland. the report of the pilot is ok, we understand he suffered only minor injuries. it does underscore the dangers of fighting fires during the catastrophic fire warnings on tuesday here in new south wales. more than a dozen firefighters were injured. we know at the moment there are around 70 fires burning in the state of new south wales, to the north across the border in queensland. there are more than 60. those catastrophic warnings for new south wales were lifted a fair few hours ago so conditions compared to tuesday are far more favourable here in new south wales but the situation to the north in queensland, the conditions, the fire conditions there are deteriorating so the crisis, the bushfire crisis that s pa ns two crisis, the bushfire crisis that spans two

the new south wales rural fire service says it will be worse. conditions are expected to become more volatile and unpredictable as the day goes on and the wind is coming up now, so it is getting warmer, yes. we are expecting more tragedies, i think, warmer, yes. we are expecting more tragedies, ithink, around warmer, yes. we are expecting more tragedies, i think, around the area. we've had, you know, loss of life in our little community and we are old devastated by this. and what are people doing to prepare as the conditions are predicted to potentially become even worse? well, this year we have had what they call back—burning for at least three times, and the fire still came out us even times, and the fire still came out us even though we were very well prepared and had lots of firefighters here. there were over 200 firefighters here from various areas in australia that were helping us areas in australia that were helping us to fight fires with their trucks. the lack of water of course is a big problem, so we've had to ship in water tanks, et

it's exacerbated the massive bushfires in new south wales and queensland. and in zimbabwe in southern africa, serious drought is threatening both urban and rural life. the bbc‘s stephen sackur has been there. when the zambezi river is in full flow, you can see why the explorer david livingstone called it "a view for the angels." but look at the falls now. this is what southern africa's prolonged drought means — the volume of water is down by two—thirds. here we are at this viewpoint. yes. it's called the horseshoe falls viewpoint, but there's no falls? yes, steve. the change in the low falls, they're becoming more frequent. who knows? maybe one year there will be no fall completely, no water. two hours north of victoria falls is hwange national park, a land dying of thirst. hwange has the largest concentration of elephants in all of africa. i don't know if you can see, but there's a group of elephants just over there. now, each elephant needs about 300 kilograms of food a day. in a drought like this, and you can see how dry it is, that means they're c

the new south wales rural fire service says it will be worse. conditions are expected to become more volatile and unpredictable as the day goes on and the wind is coming up now, so it is getting warmer, yes. we are expecting more tragedies, i think, around the area. we‘ve had, you know, loss of life in our little community and we are old devastated by this. and what are people doing to prepare as the conditions are predicted to potentially become even worse? well, this year we have had what they call back—burning for at least three times, and the fire still came out us even though we were very well prepared and had lots of firefighters here. there were over 200 firefighters here from various areas in australia that were helping us to fight fires with their trucks. the lack of water of course is a big problem, so we‘ve had to ship in water tanks, et cetera to deal with it. people were trying to remove sticks and grass and clear the area but it didn‘t make any difference with this fire. it‘s volatile, it‘s like fireballs in the air tha

it has made massive bushfires even worse in new south wales and queensland. and in zimbabwe, in southern africa, serious drought is threatening both urban and rural life. the bbc‘s stephen sackur has been there. when the zambezi river is in full flow, you can see why the explorer david livingstone called it "a view for the angels." but look at the falls now. this is what southern africa's prolonged drought means. the volume of water is down by two thirds. here we are at this viewpoint. yes. it's called the horseshoe falls viewpoint, but there's no falls? yes, steve. the change in — the low falls, they're becoming more frequent. who knows — maybe one year there'll be no fall completely, no water. two hours north of victoria falls is hwange national park, a land dying of thirst. hwange has the largest concentration of elephants in all of africa. i don't know if you can see, but there's a group of elephants just over there. now, each elephant needs about 300 kg of food a day. in a drought like this, and you can see how dry it is, that means they're constan

currently, more than 98% of new south wales is grappling with drought. we are very mindful of the scarcity of water, and just how precious it is, but the reality is we can't do firefighting without water, but we are using it wisely ends and sparingly to greatest effect. it means the bushfire season arrives earlier, lasts longer, and is more dangerous than ever. begging the question for many — could this be the new normal? freya cole, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. us health officials believe they may have identified the substance that's killed around a0 smokers of e—cigarettes and damaged the lungs of hundreds more. they say vitamin e acetate — an oil used to thicken some vaping products — has been detected in patients‘ lung fluid. protesters in chile have gathered for another day of anti—government demonstrations. on thursday, the chilean president sebastian pinera announced new measures to toughen penalties for looting and violence, after two weeks of protests that have left at least twenty people dead. spain's political

so while new south wales can breathe a bit of a sigh of relief today, further north in queensland, it's all hands on deck. it's very much dependent, phil, on what the weather brings in the coming days. well, the forecast is, right across eastern australia in the coming days, it will be warm and windy again. today here in sydney, the toxic haze that blanketed much of the city yesterday has gone. it's pretty breezy today so relatively cool as well so a bit of respite for the people of sydney who endured that catastrophic fire warning yesterday but spare a thought for other communities elsewhere in new south wales and queensland. they continue to be terrorised by often giant walls of flame and it's worth pointing out that with fires burning in queensland and new south wales, many are out of control and there is a feeling that the next few days could bring yet more perilous conditions. also making news today: the first public hearings in the trump impeachment inquiry begin on wednesday. until now, the testimony has been heard behind closed doors. democrats in the house of representatives ar

wales authorities are expecting conditions to get even worse. but plenty of people have heeded the warnings and of left early oversea others of chosen not to and accordingly i would vos to those who still might be there is that it is too light to leave on most of those flaws and shouldering is now your your only option as far pro-choice. fires are expected to spread quickly due to high temperatures and strong winds or story teams are warning of catastrophic fire danger for the city of sydney to. about 6000000 people are affected by the fires people in communities have been urged to stay away from bushland and to flee their homes before the fires escalate we've had the history for 27 use never had this before we live in the blue mountains where it was forced to but we've never had to destroy a public all this is unbelievable i've seen the fries and the. jump roads and that's just i mean that's even more than catastrophic because watching them in this you know you can do and always find a reason everybody just would. like 3 people have been confir

but this time in new south wales it's different. a record number of emergency warnings have been in place. we are very mindful of the scarcity of water and just how precious it is. but the reality is we can't do firefighting without water but we are using it wisely and sparingly to try and get the greatest effect. conditions in the fire zone have eased, but officials say that next week could see the danger return. ceremonies are taking place in germany, to mark thirty years since the fall of the berlin wall, a potent symbol of the cold war divide, between east and west. the chancellor angela merkel, who grew up in east germany, said the anniversary should be a call for europeans, to stand up for freedom, tolerance and human rights. jenny hill reports from berlin. berlin's in party made. celebrations to mark a moment which shaped the world as we know it today. cornelia was 11 when the wall came down and the doors to the west were flung open. i remember also that when we go to the west part, that the smelling, i will never forget abou

emergency services in new south wales are bracing for several busy days ahead forecasts predict severe fire danger across white suites of australia's most populous state including near the country's largest city sydney with so many fires already burning authorities say homes and lives will be at risk and they've issued a stark warning on twitter if you're threatened by fire you may not get help. bolivia's embattled president evo morales says what he calls and he democratic groups have staged a coup de time in the south american country weeks of protest and unrest reached a tipping point when police in the central city of santa cruz joined in with the demonstrations they were supposed to be controlling earlier police in the capital pounds marched in the streets as protesters cheered them on protesters accused of rigging last month's election to secure a 4th term. well for more on this story i'm joined by david the reporter and a satirist and i thank you for coming in what's behind these protests well the purchase actually caused by a dispute over the results of the country's general ele

there are more than 100 bushfires across new south wales and queensland. some firefighters have come from new zealand to help tackle this natural disaster. as you say, we havejust heard from prime minister scott morrison who had a pretty stark warning for people on the eastern side but also for those living in western australia. these fires have already claimed two lives that have been concerned —— confirmed and as the premier said, we are expecting worse news as the day unfolds. they have been hundreds of properties that have been destroyed, homes that have been destroyed, homes that have been destroyed, and as we get access to further areas that have been cut off, we are expecting worse news again. we are expecting very similar conditions in western australia over the next few days. we currently have 31 out of 37 districts in western australia that are in the high fire rating and three of those will go to catastrophic in the days ahead. so that is a pretty stark warning from the prime minister. we not even into the summer months in australia yet so w

a state of emergency is declared in new south wales and now queensland, with warnings that bushfires in australia could pose a catastrophic threat to sydney. bolivia's president evo morales announces his resignation after weeks of protests over last month's disputed elections. cyclone bulbul rips through coastal areas of bangladesh and india, killing at least 13 people and forcing more than two million out of their homes. we start with breaking news this hour. police in hong kong have used live ammunition at pro—democracy demonstrations and shot one protester at close range. protesters had called for a general strike on monday and have been trying to disrupt transport in hong kong by setting up barricades. shocking pictures of the incident in the sai wan ho district were live streamed on social media. an unarmed demonstrator can be seen approaching an officer, and then falling to the ground after being shot at close local media are reporting that he is in critical condition in hospital. letters across to hong kong now. martin yip is there. —— let us. what are the latest details

than australia's most populous states new south wales or authorities had warned of catastrophic conditions on wednesday the fires of killed at least 3 people in recent days. porter jerry joins me now in studio he has more on those fires i mean 1st of all just bring us up to date what's the latest on the situation there was so as you say this is one of the nation's worst of a bushfire threats or as it stands at the moment the fire is they are contained in an area that stretches from the mid north coast of the state of new south wales up to central queensland and this is an area that's about a 1000000 heck it is of land so this is a 1000000 hectares of land that has burnt or is burning at the moment there are dozens of fires still burning and a state of emergency has been declared in both of those states in new south wales on tuesday was catastrophic conditions warn the fire authorities had warned that hundreds of farms could be just royd luckily it didn't turn out to be as bad as that because there was a huge deployment of firefighters and some cooler conditions came in that that helped thi

traditionally, the bushfire season in new south wales starts on 0ctober season in new south wales starts on october the first budget this year they brought that forward to august they brought that forward to august the first. they did that again last year and last, was the hottest on record. we are seeing some are almost blend into winter back home in australia. let's take a listen to that a stark warning again from ben shepherd about the weather that is to come. the actual weather conditions we have had over the last few days, it is typically what we would see in the middle of the worst parts of summer. we have had an extraordinary start to this fire season already. we will be approaching 1 million hectares of actual bushland that is being burnt and at this stage, the bureau of meteorology is predicting more of this weather over the coming months so this weather over the coming months so it doesn't bode well for the rest of the fire season. and you have been speaking to people affected? yes, there are still people staying with their homes and protecting from the bushfire. it is their ch

wales they stretch almost a 1000. others along the east coast from brisbane to sydney residents of some 100000 homes near sydney are doing their best to take shelter after authorities warned that it was too late for them to leave their homes a fire that erupted in sydney's northern suburbs in the late afternoon immediately cut off escape routes for some residents one local fire chief says conditions are so bad that one of the fire takes hold we are not able to stop it. protect life. protect property and sure everybody is a safe as possible. these are the principles guiding austerities on australia's east coast bracing themselves for the worst bushfires in the nation's history more than 50 blazes are burning across the state of new south wales authorities are expecting conditions to get even worse. up plenty of people have heeded the warnings and of left early obviously others of chosen not to and accordingly our vase to those who still might be there is that it used to like to live on most of those farms and shoulderi

the premier of new south wales in australia has confirmed two people have been killed and several are still unaccounted for as bushfires wreak havoc across eastern australia. firefighters have been struggling to reach people in a number of remote locations and have described the situation as unprecedented. with me is our news reporter, freya cole. just stand by for one second, we have just been hearing from scott morrison, basically, a couple of new lines confirming, sadly, those two deaths. but also saying they are expecting similar conditions to hit western australia in the next few days. essentially bracing for worst news to come. how bad are these fires? i mean, those comments from scott morrison confirm what we already knew from firefighters, and as for western australia, basically, it just goes to as for western australia, basically, itjust goes to show how much at risk the entire country is, coming into what is expected to be another very hot and dry summer. the bushfires that we are seeing at the moment, on the eastern side of the country, conditions have eased ever so country

emergency services in new south wales are bracing for several busy days ahead forecasts predict severe fire danger across white suites of australia's most populous state including near the country's largest city sydney with so many fires already burning authorities say homes and lives will be at risk and they've issued a stark warning on twitter if you're threatened by fire you may not get help. for now and in a football had a belly joined to the wall celebrations with an elaborate ceremony in him pick a stadium before the home clash with leipsic but this is his were on form and spoil the balance party. this wasn't just any grey olsen day in berlin exactly 30 years on from the fall of the berlin wall cancer commemorated that historic occasion with a replica that their fans tore down before kickoff. there was another symbolic moment in front of the oscar nothing sums up the spirits of reunification like an old east german trami bursting through the wall and head to channel that spirit to burst into the late nights a 1000000 little stand hammering part of. the berlin wall midfielder made

wales and we can likely expect some increased fire dangers early in the middle of next week as well we will not have all these fars can timed before then we will not have all these fires can tined and locked up for many many weeks given the enormity of the firefighting effort when i get more now from andrew thomas who joins us live from sydney under the weather conditions were expected to improve on wednesday so tell us what's been happening. well here in sydney they definitely have derren it's 25 degrees right now this time yesterday it was in the high 30 degrees celsius and the wind well you can see there's no wind at school today but there were fierce winds all day on tuesday and it was those 2 factors combined with a very very dry landscape out the months of drought that made the fire authorities so worried about the conditions on tuesday that a little bit labeled them catastrophic will in the end catastrophic conditions didn't lead to catastrophe which of course was the great fear loss of life through on controlled by the well lots and lots of fires across the southeastern stat

our top story: as weather conditions worsen in australia's new south wales, the fire service warns it is now too late to leave in some areas. activists in hong kong block roads and clash with police, a day after some of the most violent unrest during five months of pro—democracy protests. this is the scene live. hillary clinton tells the bbc she is dumbfounded that the uk government won't release a report into russian covert actions in the uk. an unexpected polluter. shipping is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. what can be done? a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. also in the programme: are you dreaming of a woke christmas? eco campaigners are urging us to reduce waste this year, consider renting a tree that is then replanted, not send cards, and reuse decorations. so what do you think? are you on board? are you keeping christmas waste to a minimum? get in touch. just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. as predicted, more than 50 bushfires in new south wales in australia are burning, about half

officials in new south wales say a hundred and fifty homes have burned down. the bbcs freya cole has been keeping up—to—date with the situation there. has been some relief tonight and firefighters are trying to get on top of it don't get me wrong, there are hundreds of fires burning across queensland and new south wales and as we keep hearing, the worst is yet to come. on tuesday, australia is expecting conditions, high temperatures, strong winds, high temperatures, strong winds, high temperatures of around a0 degrees and that fire threat extends to right across the state. we are talking about the outskirts of syd ney talking about the outskirts of sydney at risk, huge populations, we spoke to the fire service a short time ago and he spoke about that message for people to get prepared now because come tuesday, the resources might be so stretched that if they call the help, that help might not arrive. we are talking about a massive area we are dealing with, some 600 or 700 thousand hectares that is a light so we are having to deal with that ahead of these w

wales and queensland are also under warning. protests have once again broken out in chile with riot police firing tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators in santiago it comes after president sebastian pinera offer to rewrite the current constitution which dates back to the pinochet era once very written a new document will be put to a public referendum opposition figures have criticized that move saying the vote should be health 1st so that people's views could be reconsider the headlines keep it here on al-jazeera much more news to come up next whose truth is it anyway hong kong fact and fiction. the dream to take a poll to see would hundreds of fellow was to a tropical paradise. when i when a student is to gates the secretive sect accused of abuse and violence in fiji. on al-jazeera. a. serious thing.

and australians living in rural areas in the state of new south wales have been urged to flee to the cities of bush fires raging across the state residents of some 100000 homes near sydney are also work for us. coming up next on news asia smaug yet again over the indian capital makes breathing a struggle for residents. aiming for gold meet the young indian boy who is refusing to let a tragic accident get in the way of history it's and us didn't auto warm the earth fell into a coma while a north korean custody and later died why are its parents seeking justice here in berlin. she has that coming right up on t.v. news asia thank you for watching. leg. unstuck the leg loyalists defeat and remaining tommy play. forrest drama 56 hard to clinch victory against france. play the game 60 minutes plenty. much of it. linked to news from africa the world or links to exceptional stories and discussions from a busy town while website dedicated comes to pick up join us on facebook g w a for. how to. discover your concept discover with about. up to $100.00 it is the ideals of the bombs are more rele

with dozens of fires raging across new south wales residents everywhere are recounting their brush with death. i was right here bob look it's that whole i. bear no meal is what. an inferno it was like the apocalypse might was like hell on earth. even seasoned firefighters seem shell shocked by the ferocity of the blazes i'm still gathering thoughts trying to remember what it was that actually did so whether america believe what i saw. it was an unprecedented event hundreds of people have been moved to evacuation centers anxiously holding out hope that their property has survived being really apprehensive and evacuated since yesterday and i've come back and my house is still there. but others haven't been so fortunate at least 150 homes have been lost emergency services in new south wales are bracing for several busy days ahead forecasts predict severe fire danger across white suites of australia's most populous state including near the country's largest city sydney with so many fires already burning authorities say homes and lives will be at risk and they've issued a stark warning on tw

the winds could well gust quite widely a0 to 50 mph across parts of south wales in south—west england on tuesday. that could bring some disruption to travel. and with that, we're going to have more heavy rain on top of already saturated ground. another 15—20 millimetres in places, maybe even more over the high ground of south—west england. it won't be raining all the time. behind it we will see a few bright sunny spells, but also the heavy showers merging to give longer spells of rain. so i really u nsettled spells of rain. so i really unsettled day. windiest across southern and south—western coasts. mild, though, with that tropical moisture. highs between ten and 1a celsius. as we going to wednesday, we have this area of low pressure rotating around and sliding its way eastwards a cross rotating around and sliding its way eastwards across the uk, so still some strong winds, especially for northern scotland, southern and western coasts, and also further outbreaks of rain. but as we going to thursday, we start to pull down a north—easterly wind, so colder air flooding back down