follow australia's hottest 12 months on record and they have come unusually early in the year. and although crisis may have been averted today, the fire season has only just begun. jon donnison, bbc news, in the blue mountains. >> clearly a long way to go. , ins speak to phil mercer sydney for us. let's adjust the idea that the australian military actually caused the fire in lythgoe. >> this will cause an immense amount of anger and dismay in the australian community. we are hearing that the fire service is confirming that the biggest blaze in the blue mountains -- or certainly one of them -- was sparked by the military. a live explosives operation in a military base apparently sparking that blaze near lythgoe in the blue mountains. so, there will be a lot of finger-pointing and anger

because of this particular fire caused so much devastation and anxiety among those people who live in that part of eastern australia. ministry putfense its hand up and acknowledge this? >> what we are hearing in eastern australia tonight is the military says its investigation are still continuing. the fire service said it has carried out its own inquiry and is satisfied the military was to blame. causes ofook at the fire inustralia, many cause by lightning strikes or power cables rubbing together, causing sparks and strong winds. the work of arsonist cannot be discounted. also the work of careless or reckless drivers flicking cigarette butts out of their car windows. it is very unusual for the military to be brought into this, so i would imagine the military top brass here in australia will not only be extremely concerned, they will be fairly devastated, too, that

the actions of their staff, it would seem, would cause such a monumental inferno west of sydney. >> thanks very much, indeed. from the blue mountains we can speak to anthony black, captain of the rural fire brigade and along with other volunteers has been fighting fires for more than a week. anthony, thanks very much for giving us a few minutes of your time. just talk us through the sort of things you have had to deal with in the last few days. >> well, the fire we have had is not out of the -- fire. we had a very strong windstorm. we have power lines near the spring with a golf club that started the fire. they are adjoining settlements in the blue mountains. that fire was immediately -- it became a fire storm. e course of the next

three hours, we lost 146,000. happily, with no loss of life. in fact, no major injuries to any persons at all. but in a community of slightly less than 5000 houses, that is one out of 33 houses lost over the course of three hours. so, it was devastating. >> i guess some of your colleagues who are actually fighting these fires are actually suffering as a result of that, are they, in terms of their homes? >> we have half a dozen members, -- one of them has we have been putting crews on the ground 24 hours a day now for 7 days and will maintain it as long as required. tankersperating four and a small utility vehicle. so, basically we have vehicles on the ground at all times.

>> you said yourself, it is a small community in terms of numbers of people living there. where are you getting all of your crews from? >> we have --they come from all walks of life. professional people. many like myself who commute to sydney t owork. we just stopped working and fight fires if we have to. ho are employed and most employers in this district are very considerate to the needs of their workers who want to go out and fight fires. and perhaps, most impressive, our brigade has a very large number of high school students. all have to be over the age of 16 to be on the fire ground, but if their parents consent, they are allowed to do so. we have approximately 25 high school students who have been manning trucks they and might

ever since last thursday. fabulous group of young people. >> absolutely. very brave of them and it is great you can call on them. thank you very much for talking to us here on "gmt ." with me now as our science editor. quite a story, david. and the risk -- and let's not forget. there are real risks. >> real risks. and they are volunteers put extraordinary, i have not heard before, high school students also joining in. i think the impact on a small community of this kind of event can be utterly devastating. i saw for myself in the summer and arizona, a very similar forest fire where -- in arizona, a very similar forest fire, where the great challenge is unpredictability, because of the wind. if it changes direction the firefighting teams can get caught -- >> 19 -- >> 19 firefighters, all volunteers, all from a small town like the one where we have just been reporting from the

suddenly got caught up because the wind shifted, and they all died. precariousy existence. and it is made possible through the extraordinary goodwill of volunteers. >> a science editor, what i want to ask you, the science behind this. we talk about climate change. you have the prime minister tony abbott saying this had nothing to do with climate change. what do you reckon? bethe jury has to be said to out on this. there is no slamdunk answer you can give -- yes it is climate change him and no, it isn't. australia has always had fires of this type. in a sense, it is just natural. d, one of thehan key ingredients that allows a forest fire to take hold is high temperature. and if you look at the records, the last 12 months in australia have been the hottest ever recorded. conditions,ry another key ingredient. if you look at the climate

science, you are seeing a pattern of warming, greater number of heat waves, and look at the projections of the future, and you are likely to see more heat waves in the future. so, you got a basic ingredient that does not guarantee more fires but make them more likely. >> what do you think the international panel on climate change would say to tony abbott in response? >> they would say on one level he is right, you can never link a single event like this to a trend which is climate change. on the other hand you can say -- and the science points this way -- that events like forest fires and some parts of the world seemed to be becoming more likely. now, you may get all kinds of factors -- the sudden rainfall increases -- that negate that, but the trend seems pretty clear. thank you very much. not far from here, in fact, a royal christening will take place in just three hours. not a great deal has been seen of the baby in question, prince george.

three months since the media frenzy surrounding his birth. the ceremony today at saint james palace is far more low key. that is in line with the wishes of his parents, the duke and duchess of cambridge. let's cross live to st. james palace for our roy that's where our royal correspondent as therefore is. daniela? >> prince george will be christened at the passel -- castle royal at st. james's palace in a few hours. the guest list is small. just immediate family on the godparents. prince george will have seven godparents and all. you're largely from the duke and duchess of cambridge's circle of friends. the most famous person probably on the list and the only member of the royal family is zara tindall, formerly zara tindall zara phillips. it is kind of unusual for a christening -- but it does allow

the duke and duchess of cambridge to have the private christening they want. was intense. the first decide to prince george just a day old. but three months on, today's christening will be a more low- key affair. it will be the baby prince's first public appearance since this release of the photo in august, taken by grandfather michael middleton. the chapel royal at st. james's palace, a small, intimate venue by royal standards. the duke of cambridge, there is also a connection to his mother. it is where diana coffin -- diana's coffin rested in the days before her funeral. the couple has chosen the chapel instead of the more traditional room in buckingham palace. >> i think they want this to be quite a private, faly, normal kind of event. i don't think they want it to be overly royal or overly posh or or formal.te

i think they want to get their child christened. in 19 82,ristening prince william was dressed in a traditional lace and san roque made for queen victoria's eldest daughter. the delicate outfit is no longer used. prince george will wear an identical handmade christening gown. at st. james'sce palace, a historic photo will be taken. it will show the clean and three future monarchs. her son child, grandson william, and great-grandson george. it is an image and not seen since july 1894, the christening of the future edward the eighth. a long time his father george the fifth, grandfather -- and great-grandmother queen victoria. bewith his birth, there will a norma's interest in the new photos of prince george. they will be taken by jason bell, more used to celebrities

than royals. and even veterans of the royal beat think this is a stressful assignment. thee is probably down at palace now checking the lights and setting them up. he has probably done it a thousand times and will do test after test, and it will come to that moment when they sit down. and he will have to take that picture. and it will take three or four frames -- and his fingers and legs will be crossed hoping that nobody blinks. >> with friends one day will be head of the church of england. today, prince george alexander louis will be welcomed into the christian faith. we will see the queen, of course, and the duke of edinburgh here this afternoon for the christening, along with the prince of whales,, led duchess of cornwall, and not forgetting prince harry will be here as well. in terms of seeing prince george himself, we really only catch a glimpse of him today as he arrives at the chapel with his

parents. there will be these official christening photos taken afterwards, but we will not get a chance to see those of the day tomorrow. >> you will see a few burly policeman in the process, i am sure. us hereu for being with on bbc world news. still to come -- we take a look at why sweden has become a favored destination for refugees fleeing syria. in mexico, coastal towns and cities remain on alert as hurricane raymond continues to drift off the pacific coast. worst --g for the meteorologists have warned residents of mexico's western states of heavy rainfall in the coming days which could trigger threatening floods and landslides. the first category iii hurricane to approach mexico

this year. over 150 people were killed in mexico last month by two powerful storms which battered the country's east and west coasts. simultaneously. of coastal resort city acapulco has hardly had time to recover from the damage caused. and it is seeing a plunge and hotel bookings. swollen rivers continue to be registered, and water pumped out by cleanup crews and acapulco. >> this work is being done to prevent more flooding and over feel -- overflow of the river of its banks. it is being done with a dredge and a selection -- suction below the surface. that is why the river is not completely overflowing here. >> residents have been warned to stay away from rivers and streams them and schools in the area have been ordered to remain

close. raymond strengthen on the weekend and is blowing winds up to 195 kilometers an hour early on monday. it is currently still set some 200 kilometers off the coast, bringing only light rain and no strong winds as yet. it is hoped the ridge of high pressure could push it away from land. it couldrologists say still bring heavy rainfall to the area. the greek parliament has voted to suspend state funding for the far right golden door party. the new law allows indefinite funding freeze for parties leadership is charged with involvement in a criminal group or terrorism. bethany bell has this from athens. greekmp's voted overwhelmingly to suspend state funding for political parties

accused of criminal activities. the measure targets golden door and -- golden dawn. in may,er, shown here and two and p's are currently in custody awaiting trial on charges of being part of a criminal organization. there are rest of follow the murder of an anti-fascist musician by a man who says he is one of their supporters. but the far right parties strongly denies any links to the accused. mp'sarliament, golden dawn condemned the move to freeze their funding. is a legalawn political party. the suspension of the funding in essence suspends our constitution and system of government. you are suspending our public funding but you cannot thought -- stop our legal and political struggle. the controversial party has a

strong anti-austerity and anti- immigrant agenda. it has been accused of perpetuating attacks on migrants and political opponents. it denies being a neo-nazi movement, despite its short because s --wastika-like emblem. >> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry is meeting the italian prime minister enrico letta in rome. forletta is expected to ask an explanation on reports u.s. intelligence has been intercepting italian phone calls. it will also discuss air ran, syria, and the middle east peace process. saudi arabia will make a major shift in relations to the u.s. to protest what -- against what it sees as lack of action on syria. the intelligence chief reportedly said the u.s. failed to act effectively against syrian president assad. says ajustice minister

convict that survived his execution should not face a repeat hanging. the 37-year-old man was hanged in the northeastern city after he was convicted of smuggling drugs. but he was still breathing when his family went to collect his body from the morgue. the global police hunt is under way to find the parents of this little girl known as maria was found in a roma community in greece last week. and suppose has asked all of its 190 member countries to check the girl dna profile against databases of missing people. greek authorities are investigating whether she may have been a victim of child trafficking. pope francis has suspended the german bishop of limburg, the bishop known as the bishop of bling for his lavish lifestyle. franz-peter tebartz-van elst has faced calls -- calls to resign after reports of his excessive spending on his official redence, including 15,000 euros on a bathtub, three quarters of a million on the garden.

this week, we have been reporting on refugees from the conflict in syria as they seek asylum in europe there are thousands continue to flee the fighting. and in most cases, they undertake a perilous journey to what they see as a safe haven. our reports have traced paths through north africa and the dangerous journey across the mediterranean to port such as lampedusa and further north. but where do they end up? most applications were received in germany and france, with sweden just behind him. chris morris has been to stockholm to find out why. journey, end of a long new arrivals in sweden from syria. this is a migrant reception center where fingerprints are taken and asylum claims are processed. numbers have increased dramatically since sweden announced last month that syria is seeking asylum will be given permanent right of residence.

no other eu country offers that. >> we are just looking for somewhere safe, he says, and the only safe place in sweden. >> i decide to leave the area because it is becoming more dangerous. >> this man got here sunday after a two-week journey via turkey and greece. it was not cheap. he wants to remain anonymous as he awake anxiously for news that his family has been smuggled safely to lebanon. >> after two months, they will give me a residential permit, and after that, i can apply for my family ended two months they will be here. this is what we know. >> then you start a whole life in sweden? >> yes, hopefully. because we are looking for peace, and this is a piece country. -- peace country. >> anyone getting your and

claiming permanent residents can from syria,family making sweden a sought after destination. >> when we take a decision, it is a legal matter, but of course, it is very easy to see that if you want children to reunite with her parents him it is a moral question. so, i think there is a great need of european solidarity as well. >> at the swedish parliament, there is strong backing for this generous asylum policy but from a far what -- far right party with 10% support in the polls -- >> we think it is absolutely ridiculous to do so. no conflict is permanent, to begin with. but still, we give them permanent residency. this is totally illogical. are starting to put down swedish roots. learning the language at a local community center. there are still huge concerns about family back home. understandably, only a few are willing to be filmed. about hiss worried

fiancée, hoping soon to bring her. >> if we get married in lebanon or turkey, i think she will come here. >> that is your plan? >> yes. >> sweden has a long tradition of offering asylum and it has already taken a more syrian refugees than any other country in the eu. but when you look at the total numbers who have reached europe compared to the numbers who have crossed syrian borders into neighboring countries, it is a little more than a drop in the ocean. there will be many more to come, and europe need a policy to deal with them. chris morris, bbc news, stockholm. >> a reminder of our main story ." "gmt catastrophe appears to have been averted but there are still 35 raging out of control. tree -- to the fire fire chief saying high school

children are helping fire crews in their efforts to get the fire under control. coming up in the next half hour, we take a look at abortion and the organization women on waves trying to help women in countries where abortions are illegal and restricted. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard

to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

welcome to "newsline." i'm keikichi hanada in tokyo. here are some of the stories we're following this hour. pakistan's prime minister demanded u.s. leaders end drone strikes in his country saying the issue has become a major irritant. united nations delegates have criticized chinese leaders for their record on human rights, saying they need to stop putting limits on freedom.

and people in areas hit by the march 2011 disaster in japan have published a magazine in english as a thank you to overseas volunteers who helped clean up. pakistan's prime minister is hoping a summit this week in washington will bring about more amicable ties, but nawaz sharif says u.s. forces have to stop using drones in his country. he says attacks violate pakistan's territorial integrity and hurt the fight against terrorism. sharif spoke at the united states institute of peace. he said the attacks have disturbed and agitated his people. >> this issue has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship as well. i would therefore stress the need to the end of drone attacks. >> sharif is expected to raise the issue later on wednesday when he meets with u.s. president barack obama. he says pakistanis and americans

have common interests including the security problems in afghanistan. u.s. forces have been targeting islamist militants with drone strikes near pakistan's border with afghanistan. united nations investigators say at least 400 civilians have been killed since 2004. members of an international human rights group have been doing their own investigation of the attacks. researchers are amnesty international say the killing of civilians may be a violation of international law. amnesty's researchers studied u.s. attacks in northwestern pakistan from january 2012 to august of this year. they say some of the victims have no connection to islamist extremists. they're urging u.s. leaders to release more information and conduct a thorough investigation. white house press secretary jay carney denied that a strike's

illegal. >> we take extraordinary care to make sure counterterrorism actions are in accordance with law. >> carney said president obama believes that conventional missiles are far less precise atte and likely to cause more casualties. delegates from western countries have accused chinese leaders of widespread abuses of human rights. they blame the chinese for arresting activists blocking internet sites and restricting the freedoms of ethnic minorities. they made their appeals at the meeting in geneva of the united nations human rights council. >> human rights! >> council members reviewed records of 192 u.n. member states once every 4 years. this year, china was among those under scrutiny. the delegate from poland called for an investigation into the chinese government's crackdown

on journalists and activists. he said authorities should stop restricting freedom of expression immediately. the french envoy turned his attention to the situation in tibet and the autonomous region. he asked chinese leaders to ask u.n. human rights monitors to visit those areas. china's delegate said leaders in beijing have made improvements over the last four years. he said they've taken measures to protect people's rights to freedom of expression and religion, but he said attempts to split country disturbed tranquility of society will not be permanent, even under the banner of human rights. council members will write up their recommendations then present them to the chinese government by next march. one man who has kept china's human rights record in the international spotlight is activist chen guangcheng. his family just