bush fires spread across southeast australia and hundreds of homes have been destroyed. ♪ welcome, i'm steven and al jazeera from doha and on the edge and lebanon economy is struggling to cope and 1-4 people are a syrian refugee. the growth speeds up but warnings of tougher times to come and looking for treasure, how one man's dream led to a search for $50 billion worth of

gold. ♪ first more than 20 bush fires are burning out of control throughout the state of south wales in australia and it is concentrated around the state capitol sidney and are described as worst in a decade. >> reporter: this is what firefighters are up against in the state of south wales and bush fires are burning out of control, manned by strong winds and made worse by unusually high temperatures. >> the activity that is being reported was extreme and certainly we had flames in access of 20-30 meters. >> on the outskirts of sidney with the famous blue mountains and the north on the central coast. >> this is a far emergency which could go on for quite some time. there are hundreds of people who are grieving the loss of

property, tragically there has been it seems one life lost further north, someone who was defending his house. we grieve for everyone impacted by these fires. >> reporter: this family this was all that is left of their home. the fires have forced hundreds of people to spend the night at evacuation shelters. >> you do your best and it kind of gets to the stage where you just realize you can't do anymore and you go. take what you can and go. and in my case it was the dog. >> reporter: smoke blanket and the fires are called the worst in south wales in a decade and officials warn it could take days to get it under control. >> reporter: we are in the blue

mountains, one of the worst hit areas and has been there and sent up this update. >> this area, the blue mountains just west of sidney had fires in the past but not for ten years or more and the under growth had a chance to grow back and the last few months have been exceptional dry and on thursday when they took hold there was a lot of fuel to keep them going. you see the under growth around them and the houses have been destroyed and this one street about 15 houses went. i'm afraid to say adam your house was one of them. obviously i'm very sorry for what you have lost but you did get back here in time, you just couldn't do much about it. >> that is right, i would have gotten back here at 1:00 or 2:00 and the fire was up the front without having water pressure issues, i got one of their water pumps and hoses and in the back and put it in the pool but the

fire had taken hold and we couldn't do anything about it. >> reporter: how does it feel to see this place like this? >> i feel terrible and it has been our family home a long time and it's so sad to have it gone. >> reporter: i'm sorry for what you have lost. you can still hear the helicopters above, the fires are not out yet and water is being dumped on them and there are other fires in south wales north and south of sidney, this crisis in south wales and the fires are not over yet. >> reporter: opposition fighters killed a military intelligence chief in azul and ja-jama and shot was a sniper and he was part of the assad inner circle and killing for the prime minister rafa. they made significant progress towards dismantling the chemical

arsonol and try to destroy them by november the first. a canadian lawyer held captive for 8 months has escaped and campo was working with the u.n. and ran away when the guards left the door open and they showed him being held over in damascus and thought he was being held over from assad. the economy is on the brink because of a huge influx of syrian refugees and lebanon has the highest number of people who are in the war and 1-4 people in the country are a refugee and we report from beirut. >> reporter: they have been escaping to lebanon just not in search of safety but work and many of them are too scared to tell their stories because some are here illegally and why they don't have work permits but the shop owners at times prefer to hire them because syrians are willing to work for lower wages.

>> translator: we can hire two syrians instead of one lebanese. syrians accept lower wages and it's better for us because we have a financial situation. >> reporter: this has caused resentment. >> translator: the lebanese can't find jobs. there will be a lot of unemployed people and our men will continue to migrate. there has been an invasion of syrians. >> reporter: this tiny nation hosts over a million syrians according to the government here. lebanon's economy is under strain. 20% of the nation's 4 million people are now unemployed. and he is among them and official statistics show average wages have dropped. >> translator: we work for around 600-800 a month. syrians work for 300 or less. >> reporter: next year the world bank says an additional 170,000 lebanese will not find jobs, adding to the already 1

million who live below the poverty line and they have been hurt by the syria crisis and the middle and lower income workers who have been hit especially hard. before the mass migration of syrians lebanon already had a weak labor market. and he is among the thousands of qualified lebanese who can't find work and a bio chemist graduate who doesn't blame syrians for the country's economic ills. >> translator: there was an economic problem before the syrians came. the problem is the government, needs to find solutions. >> reporter: undoubtedly lebanon is a casualty of the war in syria and the people are just as much victims as the syrians themselves. al jazeera beirut. >> reporter: audi arabia rejected the seat on the council a day after being elected as a nonpermanent member and accused of double standards and hard to end wars and conflicts and it called for unspecified reforms

and the five permanent members have been divided over the crisis and russia and china will impose strong sanctions against syria. a series of explosions across iraq has killed at least 60 people and the bombs targeted residential including a children's hospital and play ground and 12 car bombs killed 48 and injured hundreds and in northern iraq 12 were killed when it blew up in a residential area east of mozul. u.s. justice department has brought new charges against former black water security contractors who were working in iraq. the four men accused of carrying out an unprovoked attack in a busy baghdad street in 2007. 17 iraq civilians were killed in the shooting and jordan has the story. >> reporter: september 2007, baghdad's square, u.s. security contractors allegedly opened fire on the crowd without

provocation and now the u.s. justice department is going to put on trial four of those guards for multiple counts of voluntary manslaughter and firearms violations. the guards used to work for the company known as black water worldwide, a company which had many close ties to the bush administration and for a time conducted nearly all of the security operations for the u.s. military and the state department in iraq. however, the justice department once it found out about the massacre decided to charge six of the guards with the manslaughter and firearms charges. however the case was thrown out in 2009 because the justice department allegedly concealed evidence from the defense. however, a judge recently decided that that was a mistake and so it gave the justice department a second chance to try to bring this case. now, four of the men are going to be standing trial on these charges including multiple

counts of voluntary manslaughter and if there is any long-term goal is that it perhaps might improve relations between the united states and iraq. the first case was dismissed and angered so many iraq citizens as the government that the vice president joe biden offered an official apology to the government and the people. no word yet on when these four former guards for black water will be arraigned or go on trial. >> reporter: the china economic growth is speeding up after increased investment by the government and 7.8% in the third quarter, the fastest rate this year and factory and retail sales were higher than previous months and it is on track to meet the target of 7.5% growth for the year. the numbers are impressive by western standards the second largest economy is growing at the slowest rate this 23 years and margaret reports. >> reporter: the exhibit halls

of the large trade fair are not as busy as they used to be and it's a gauge for how the country is doing and less exhibitors this year and many of them say they expect to make less money. >> translator: and business has not been too good but we have to adjust and make ourselves competitive by adapting to market needs and lowering our costs. >> reporter: there is little doubt that china's economy is growing. the drop in the country's expert figures is reflective of a global slow down and comes just as the government is putting economic reforms in place. the current leadership wants to increase domestic consumption in a free trade zone that opened in shanghi and this allows for operations in the service sector and particularly financial services. >> china is going to follow the standards and set and we are

trying to move this great economy into this great world and try to be part of that. >> reporter: back at the trade fair it's china's consumption that attracted foreign exhibitors to bring in new products. >> we feel this market, regardless of the economic service, there is demand from the community. so we feel there is a great opportunity here in china. >> reporter: china is getting richer but the wealth remains with a few and if it's not worked out it could force the government to deal with social issues that may bring with them political costs. >> reporter: coming up, on the program, an oasis in an arid land and a discovery of water supplies in drought stricken kendra and we visited a pioneer wildlife program in russia. ♪

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♪ welcome back, top stories on al jazeera, more than 20 bush fires are burning out of control in south wales in australia and hundreds of homes destroyed and hundreds of people have been evacuated. a series of explosions in iraq killed 60 people and the bombs were in residential areas including a children's hospital and playground. the world bank says lebanon economy is on the brink because of a huge influx of syrian refugees and they have the highest number of people who fled the war and 1-4 people in lebanon now is a syrian refugee.

new security camera footage released of last month's attack on the shopping center and west gate mall and shows people being shot out and scrambling for cover and alesha back is responsible for killing 71 people and we had a look at the video. >> reporter: heavily armed and on the phone and these images taking during the west gate mall attack have insight in the behavior of the gunmen and they are seen walking calmly through the corridors and a chilling contrast to the panicked shoppers. gunfire can clearly be seen here. one attacker takes the time to pray as two others sit by. at one point we see a woman with small children, she seems to be limping. followed by what appears to be an injured young girl. and behind them a gunman waiving them on to keep walking. the moment of panic is in the

cafe and 2:35 in the afternoon and at 1:46 help has arrived, two armed men seem to be figuring out how to perceive, a wounded person lies by the counter. they are eerie images showing what people had to endure and the brutality of the attack. one man is seen in the images being shot at point blank range which we will not show and it shows only four gunmen, such a small number to have killed so many. stephanie decker al jazeera. >> reporter: the philippines says supplys are reaching towns cutoff by an earthquake and people are in tents to arrive since tuesday and more than 160 people have been killed and rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: things gradually returning to normal and businesses restarting at this very important commercial center and last night was the first night for several when there were very few after shocks and

restoration has begun on buildings here and especially the older ones like the church in the philippine's oldest church. on this building as with others, people are trying to see what can be salvaged, what needs to be restored. the more immediate relief aid is needed in the neighboring islands where there are communities three days after the quake that are waiting to be helped and there has been some criticism of the authorities on whether they have been quick enough to get that help to these communities and the authorities say these are remote areas in the best of times with the damage from the quake to infrastructure and roads are out and bridges are down and it's difficult to reach them. still, there are thousands of people, thousands of families on boho living in temporary accommodations and waiting until they feel it's safe enough for them to return to their permanent homes. >> reporter: crews of a u.s. ship detaind in india is arrested for failing to produce the necessary paperwork for the weapons on board. the vessel is owned by

virginia-based antipiracy company called advan fort and it was seized on october 11, that 25 crew and security guards on board. hundreds of legislatures visited an shrine for those who died in the war and they stayed away from the shrine and convicted war criminals are honored and south korea asked not to visit the shrine and made an offering for the festival. last officials say they lack equipment and man power to find more than 30 bodies still missing after a plane crash on wednesday, 17 bodies have been found so far. and none of which could be immediately identified and 49 people on the plane were killed and the airline said it's yet to find out why it crashed. u.s. government workers are back at work after republicans and democrats agreed on a budget

deal, the u.s. treasury borrowing is going to february the 7th and doesn't solve issue because it gives congress time to find a long-lasting solution and patty reports. >> reporter: there were more than a few photo ops to mark the reopening of the federal government. as the streets of washington d.c. filled up again with workers, spots reopened and federal money started flowing again. perhaps no one captured the emotions of the moment more than abigale vote. >> happy. >> reporter: she is terminally ill and her father counts on benefits to pay for her care. >> you hear certain people talk about whole numbers and it's about who is losing more. >> reporter: president barack obama echoed the anger. >> the last few weeks have inflicted unnecessary damage on

our economy. >> reporter: and it's not over, republicans and democrats have given themselves a couple of months to come up with a long-term budget deal and the negotiators don't sound that optimistic. >> talking does not guaranty success but if you don't get together you can't move forward. >> reporter: it's not clear how the republicans who control the house are going to move forward and the latest crisis was created by the conservative members called the tea party and it seems they are unlikely to change tactics. >> people that say the tea party members will go home do not understand the system. they will not. people will be waving flags as they go by because this is what this particular constituency wanted. >> reporter: they have the courage to go against what constituents want and federal workers like doug parker are still worried. >> reporter: people are concerned and i hope the lessons are not lost and the people who brought the furlough or the shut down on that they don't want to

go through that again and that is what we would like to think but common sense doesn't seem to be a deep reservoir of it. >> reporter: the country has some reason to celebrate at least for now. patty with al jazeera washington. >> reporter: two large aquifers were found in kenya and brings hope to a country where 17 million people lack access to safe drinking water and kathryn reports from the northwest even county. >> reporter: and she had children and grandchildren on the daily search for water in the kenya dry and harsh county. there is a drought in some parts and means they have to go further and dig deeper to get the water. and when they find the water, it does not matter how it is, they have to make due. and water-born diseases are

common and this is a large volume of undergroundwater a few kilometers from her home. >> translator: getting food and water has always been a struggle for my family and i. if what you are saying is true, then our life will change. i just hope it's not another false promise. >> reporter: this is one of the two aquifers that have been discovered and may be large enough to supply the country's water for 70 years. people knew there is water under ground and this area is called the local language for land of water. it's where different people meet before heading on to feed the lake, a lifeline to thousands. drought related deaths are common in the region and she shows us her brother's grave and tell us us at the time of his death he was severely malnourished and south deaths are what the government wants to stop. the water will be crucial for

irrigation with a good supply of water to kaana can produce enough food to sustain its 1 million people. >> our first priority is to ensure the people, the communities benefit from the water. there after we can see how the rest of the country can also enjoy these resources. >> reporter: but it will take a while before the water finally reaches's person here. this family are hearing about the discovery and moves closer to the aquifer which has been sealed for now and in a couple days they decided to move on and heading to the border of sudan and maybe into sudan itself, a two-day journey and hope by the time they come back they won't have to move again and kathryn with al jazeera. >> reporter: and we have a water engineer and advisor at the water partnership and said the discovery is the first step in a long path before kenyans

can actually benefit from them. >> on one hand you have the opportunity there is no much water and on the other hand we have lots of challenges and the infrastructure does not exist and moving groundwater to productive use and you have to use a lot of energy and electricity will be needed to pump the water to the irrigation i mean for the irrigation system. but at the same time the irrigation infrastructure lsz is not in place. so you have the resource but it's very difficult to utilize it without adequate institutions and infrastructure and sustainably utilize the resource of water. >> reporter: archeologists are digging for gold and it follows an hindu man claims that there are riches there and he said a king told him about it in a dream and said there was an under ground hoard worth $50

billion and we are outside of the fort. >> reporter: it's behind a temple where the digging is taking place and it will be several days before they can find anything, if there is anything there to find. but speaking to locals here they truly believe there is, hundreds of them have gathered from around the area as well as dozens of media and believe in the priest's vision that there is gold under the temple and their only hope is they get to share in some of the wealth in the area and they are under fire for basing this on superstition instead of scientific merit. >> reporter: bear comes come by hunters in russia and kill them for skins and babies are sold to circus but one wildlife program is trying to change that and david has the details. >> reporter: out of hibernation

and a mother bear is shot at point-blank range and it's out lawed but it still continues. there is a black market for bear skins and cubs that can be sold to circus or end up as a specialty dish in a restaurant. traumatized and frightened caring for the cubs when they are the most vulnerable is a difficult task and ground breaking work by the rescue center means the orphans not only survive but thrive. they are bottle fed 8 times a day on mixture of milk and vitamins and learn to eat porage and they wear the same gloves and cloths which has the smell of bears. when they gained enough weight they are released in the springtime into a large forest enclosure where they learn to get food by themselves.

today apples have been laid as bait by the handlers and if the slightest sound or sight of humans the bears will take flight and climb the nearest tree. as they enjoy the unexpected treat, a tranquilizer dart was being prepared for one of them. her appetite for the fruit made him an easy target and tagged with a radio collar he put on fat to survive the coming months and minutes away from freedom. >> translator: this place was specifically chosen because there are very few people here, the local village is practically abandoned and perfect for bear rehabilitation. >> reporter: more than 150 bears have so far been successfully reintroduced into

the forest and each one is set free as near as possible to where they were first found. sasha will have to survive on his own for four weeks on a diet of berrys and roots before he builds his own den to survive the russian winter. his first steps were a bit wobbly because of the after effects of the tranquilizer but no encouragement to put humans behind him and take his natural place back in the forest, david with al jazeera. >> reporter: after 18 years together and raising children and 50 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren a couple finally decided to marry in church and entered a civil union 40 years ago and family members of the 103-year-old man and

99-year-old woman wanted a catholic marriage and the priest who took the ceremony said it was the first time he married a couple of this age and they are still together. there is the home page of our website. and the top story the fires in australia. americans are still looking for work. the enrollment numbers show obama's early days but what are the real numbers. and unpaid parking tickets and library books could keep you from getting a mortgage. i'm ali veshi and this is "real money." ♪ this is "real money" you are most important part of the show. join your live coverings conversation for the next half hour.