firefighters are on standby across the australian state of new south wales. temperatures are soaring and that there are fears of wildfires. fires have already been burning in tasmania four days. the new year is almost a week- old. there have already been three drawn attacks in pakistan. the latest has killed at least seven people in the north. last year there were 122 strikes. while the u.s. says it is targeting people who threaten its security. last wednesday, killed this man, a tribal leader affiliated with the afghan taliban. drones have always been deeply unpopular with pakistanis because of civilian deaths because. now general stanley mcchrystal, in charge of forces in afghanistan, cautions about their overuse. but president obama has just named john brenan as the one he wants to run the cia and he has been one of the strongest advocates of drawn attacks as obama's counterterrorism chief. now more from the pakistani capital islamabad. >> the pakistani establishment have said the drone strikes are counterproductive because there is collateral damage. that

the concern is that fires are traveling into new south wales. sydney is expected to reach 34 degrees on tuesday. as fires break out, we could see it serious damage to property and potentially people. julia gillard was in tasmania. here is a little of what she has to say. >> i have come to tasmania for one purpose, and that is to say the nation is standing with them at this very difficult time. we will be standing with them in every way. i have already met victorians and people from new south wales who have come to work in support of their friends in tasmania as tasmania continues to fight these fires and then move into the recovery phase. >> the indian army is accusing pakistan of breaking the terms of the cease-fire in the disputed region of kashmir. the pakistani army claims one of its soldiers was killed in a cross border raids by the indian army. india said pakistan fired across the border for this. >> it is evident the pakistani army continues to violate the cease-fire agreement. maybe to facilitate infiltration attempts. the attempts of th

in 2004, 73, england and wales, in america, 11,624. in 2005, 50 in england and wales, and america, 350. and it goes on in both countries, here is my point, every time i hear you say that there is a safer country where you have more guns my brain takes me back to these figures. because in britain, we brought in a -- as you know, a handgun and assault weapon ban after what happened to don blaine, where a very similar situation happened with school children and guns. this is what happens when you take responsible action to respond to a massacre beyond any kind of comprehending -- >> first of all, the data that you're using for the murder rate in england is a sham. there is a monumental misreporting of what constitutes murder. if three people were murdered, it is likely to be counted as one -- >> that is an absolutely. >> see you don't know what you're talking about, i was just looking at the 2000 report, and these are your own government's data. these are your own government's data. >> how long do you think it takes the police or patholog

in 2004, 73, england and wales. in america 11,624., in america 12,352. >> now. >> so it goes on, the same levels in both countries. let me finish. here is my point. every time i hear you say that there is a safer country where you have more guns, my brain takes me back to these figures. because in britain, we brought in a, as you know, handgun and assault weapon ban after a situation where a similar number of school children were murdered with guns. this is the result of what happens when you take a responsible action to respond to a massacre beyond any kind of comprehension. why do you still persist in trying to persuade americans that the complete opposite is true? >> the first of all, according to your stabulary, the data that you are using for the murder rate in england is a shame. there is a monumental misreporting of what constitutes murder. if three people are murdered, it's more likely to be counted as one event -- >> what is absolute, absolute lie. that is an absolute -- >> well, you don't know what you are talking about. fro

in 2005, 50, in england and wales, in america, 12,three 52.e levels in both countries. let me finish, here is my point. every time i hear you say that there is a safer country, where you have more guns, my brain takes me bake to the figures. in britain, we had a similar number of school children murdered with guns this is the result of what happens when you take a responsible action to respond to a massacre bebeyond any comprehension y do you persist in trying to persuades american that it is complete opposite is true? >> according to the data that you are using for the murder rate in england is a shame. there is a monumental misreporting of what constitutes murder. if three are murdered, it is likely to be counted as one event. >> that is an absolute lie. no, you see. >> you don't know what you are talking about. >> mr. pratt t doesn't take long to count 50 gun murders. >> go tell the constabulary of britain if they are lying, ask you them for an apology, why don't you. >> you are telling me, these are simply invented statistics, that figures

and patriots," from now it's patriots and differently skulled americans. [ laughter ] my guest jimmy wales is the driving force behind wikipedia. big deal, so is everyone else. [ laughter ] it's 2013, suck it mayans. [ laughter ] this is "the colbert report." ["the colbert report" theme music playing] [cheers and applause] welcome to the report, everybody. thank you so much for joining us. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting stephen] [cheers and applause] >> stephen: thank you so much. everybody, welcome to the broadcast. good to have you with us. nation, i am back! [cheers and applause] now, i haven't sat at this desk for 24 days. that is 576 hours or two viewings of les miserables. by the way, for the record i think javert is getting a raw deal here. he's just a cop doing his job. jean valjean is a criminal and must be brought to justice. you're a thief! hollywood soft on crime. [ laughter ] of course, i spent every minute of the break with my family. now, it turns out -- [ laughter ] they are a lovely bunch of people. [ laughter ] great company. i wish them all the best. see you in th

please welcome jake jimmy wales. hey, jimmy nice to see you again. thanks. >> stephen: all right.st off do you not wear ties in the internet world? >> ties? no, no, not really. >> stephen: wikipedia one of those loosey goosy places where you hang out on bean bags all day long and play pap pop a shot. >> ping pong. >> stephen: good to see you again. the last time you were here was right after i saved the he elephants. >> i remember that. >> stephen: six years now. since you were last one wikipedia was been ubiquitous -- i don't know what that means -- go to site for billions around the world. 19 billion page views a month. you must be rolling in the cash. [ laughter ] right? right? what is your business model? >> well, we're a charity. and we exist from donations from the general public. >> stephen: okay, so you have no business model. >> none, whatsoever. >> stephen: frankly that's why i want to have you on. this is it an intervention. [ laughter ] in december, you went on and went to wikipedia in december? [cheers and applause] you had that banner across the top it was yellow wit

off but what really was really it was a unique now it's one of the most accident nations defending wales and my whole plan will be the same in a few years all right so it's also about the mission itself this year captain watson you've got quite a quite quite an assembly of vessels and i guess as always for those who watch the show well lars they idea is always to get on the tail of the factory ship to get on the right and back a bit early to shut down the ship is that the strategy again this year or can you divulge anything any new strategy what's the mission this year captain. well this year we have four ships a helicopter three drones a military style drones or recognizance twenty crewmember and the best way to stop whaling is to get on to the stern of the slipway of the factors prevent them from loading that oil that they can load at will they can kill them that's been the most effective strategy also to keep them on the run to keep chasing them now the interesting thing is what makes it more difficult this year is that the one united states has ordered us to not approach within five

>> he knows as well as i do the road, few millionaires in wales. but what i can tell him is that in every year this parliament they will be paying more tax than they did in each year of the last labour government. >> thank you, mr. speaker. but isn't the real danger that with a government changes in tax and benefits in wales, you will see in particular in the community with the vast majority of people work of those people will have less money in their pockets? they will have less money to spend in local shops? there will be more shops closing. there will be fewer people in jobs and it will be a double whammy for the welsh economy? >> if he wants to be taken seriously with having a mess about deficit reduction, he knows you cannot begin to to deficit reduction until you take a serious approach to welfare reform. on the side of the house we're doing it in a fair and responsible way. a way that rewards hard work. >> order. questions to the prime minister. >> number one, mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i'm sure the whole house will wish to join

miller sought to reassure those who opposed the idea by telling the church of england and the church in wales will be excluded from the legislation. other churches would be allowed to opt in they chose. >> churches have a right to fight for and articulate their beliefs and to be under no compulsion to conduct same-sex marriages as the prime minister has said, we're 100% clear. if there's any church, synagogue or mosque that doesn't want to conduct a gay marriage, it will not be, absolutely must not be forced to hold it. that is why as part of our response we'll have a quadruple lock putting into english law clear and unambiguous protections. >> i think it is important that she does not become too defensive about this. freedom of religion also means that those faiths such as the quaker, the unitarians and others who want to be able to celebrate same-sex marriage should be able to do so. >> will she consider not putting such an ultimate lock on the church of england so that there

live on this planet of the dead oceans so it really is about so preservation it's not just for in wales and sharks and turtles it's protecting the entire out of versity of this oceanic ecosystem we can put a plant into the great whales and i think it's probably one of the most serious issues facing our future because i hope the ocean. is what makes us healthy as a species and doesn't matter where you live on land that the oceans. are not kept and watson. really carved out a new battle plan for ecologists yeah of course you were one of the founding founding us of greenpeace but at some point you decided that that approach was too bureaucratic perhaps and not really taking the fight to where needed to go and there you are you're in the southern ocean you're actually in our war with these japanese whalers who are violating international law are violating all kinds of laws pertaining to sanctuary and a sense you've been down there doing this fight we have seen the arab spring we've seen occupy wall street we've seen the nature of activism go from holding up a peace sign to taking the fight

>> last recorded year of 2011 in england and wales were 39.

in new south wales, an estimated 10,000 sheep have been killed. others are live, but only just. given the expense of the blazes, the damage to property has been remarkably light. this historic house in the southern state of victoria was the exception rather than the rule. new south wales got off more lightly still, with plenty of land scorched but few houses destroyed, thanks to a massive fire fighting effort coordinated from central control room on the scale of the space mission. temperatures dipped all across southern of study on wednesday, helping the firefighters, but his only temporary relief. >> or the first time since 1996, not one single player has been voted into u.s. baseball hall of fame. barry bonds, roger clemens, and sammy sosa were among the famous players who were voted down this year after accusations of performance enhancing drugs. >> are rumors of steroid use have been reopened. allegations of using performance enhancing drugs kept out of barry bonds, and he is not the only one who has been snubbed. >> this is the most star- studded class a possible baseball h

and of fire danger rating is far too high. >> it is not just new south wales that has been affected. victoria, the state that suffered the black saturday disaster in 2009 is being hit again. seldom has austria seen such a m.p. way. a british soldier has been shot dead and an army base. the attacker was wearing an afghan army uniform. it happened as the president of afghanistan arrived for round of meetings with officials. we will have more on that visit. let's get this report. >> as their british instructors look on, afghan soldiers are being trained in said a british base. they work and live backcourt -- close quarters but always in the background are armed british soldiers called guardian angels. their protection against insider tax. the stand watch. increasingly uneasy relationship. the first british soldier to die this year still has not been named. but like the fire that -- five others who died before him in their six month tour of duty he was killed by afghan security forces. the afghan commander in the area explained what happened. >> before firing on the british soldiers, he

. >> the new south wales bushfires are being fanned by ferocious wind and some of the highest temperatures the state has witnessed. four large regions are placed at the highest state of alert. it means the bush fires are not controllable and fast moving. residents have been strongly urge to escape their path. at ground level we saw for cells how terrifying and unpredictable the fire fronts can be. this is one of that made roads. the princess highway. highway.'s off it, the country homes and properties most at risk. you get a sense of the conditions the firefighters are dealing with. the swirling, vicious winds. 45 degrees and there is a sudden change in the wind and that is what makes these fires and predictable. in the small town, they have decided to stay and protect her home. our garden hose your main defense. >> with roads shut and communities isolated, many face a different kind of agony. stranded from family members as the fires closed in. >> they cannot get out and i cannot get in. >> helicopters bombarded the fires with water. raced from blaze to blaze. to little avail. the weather

so i dugout the homicide figures from guns in england and wales by comparison to the united states of america going back to 2003. i'm going to read these quickly to you 2003, gun murders in england 68. in america 11,920. in america 11,624. in 2005, 50 in england, in america 12,352. >> now. >> let me finish. here is my point. every time i hear you say, there is a safer country where you have more guns my brain takes me back to these figures in britain we brought in a handgun and assault weapon ban after a situation where a similar number of school children were murdered with guns. this is what happens when you take a responsible. action. why do you still persist in trying to persuade americans that the opposite is true. >> first of all, the data that you are using for the murder rate in england is a shame. there is a monumental miss reporting of what constitutes murder. >> what an absolute lie. >> well -- you don't know what you are talking about. >> mr. pratt, it doesn't take very long. >> you are these are your own government's data. go tell them that they are lying. you asked them f

conditions will improve by this afternoon across new south wales. as you can see within the next 48 hours rain will return to the coast of queensland. further flooding landslides will be a return. as for japan precipitation is snow rather than rain. we're seeing snow showers ongoing across the northwest. we have a high pressure system over the continent. we have a high mountain range in the middle of japan. this is why we usually see dry weather across the pacific side and snowy weather across the of japan side. further snow could cause avalanches. now in north america, pacific storm is drifting into the west producing widespread snow showers across the mountains and rain across the coast. we have winter storm warnings and advisories posted here. we have another system spreading frozen precipitation and snow along the west canada border and similar situation is happening in the southern part of ontario, quebec and the north eastern states. to the south there will be severe weather in oklahoma tonight. the threat will also spread to the southern part

more than 100 have been reported, mainly in the state of new south wales. searing temperatures and strong winds are making it difficult for firefighters to put out the flames. >> there was an expectation, a hope, that something would abate these weather conditions as it moves across new south wales. the fact is that it is not. >> reporter: a firefighter was burned on his hand. authorities warn that the fires could reach residential areas. they are urging residents to stay on alert and evacuate, if necessary. takeo nakajima, sydney. >>> japanese prime minister shinzo abe is making plans to change the status quo. he's seen his country's coast guard ships play cat and mouse with chinese government vessels in the east china sea, and he's watched north korean leaders launch rockets. abe is moving forward with plans to strengthen national defense. abe intends to scrap guidelines endorsed by the former government. defense ministry officials have drawn up their budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. they're looking for an additional 100 billion yen, more than

it has affected new south wales and victoria. >> for the people of victoria, these fires are especially terrifying. they were devastated by the black saturday disaster in 2009 in which more than 170 lost their lives. the 40 degree temperatures and raging winds are of similar one wins and intensity. many are of risks from the fast advancing fire france. one person had to be rescued after being trapped in a burning house. a fire crew survived what is called a board over, when flames leaped over their truck. -- a. byrne over, when flames leaped over their truck. for the local wildlife, too, the combination of heat, winds, and dry bushland is potentially deadly. in neighboring new south wales, where fires have been raging since the beginning of the year, residents are confronting the same hazardous conditions. this week around a rural town, some 50 properties are been destroyed and today, fires are jumping containment lines. sydney is experiencing the hottest day on record. these are some of the most treacherous conditions that fire crews have faced for years. bbc news, sidney. >> and talki

captain wales scrambles to another emergency mission.onding to calls to go into combat, there is a lot of waiting around. >> go, go, go. >> reporter: and some training the unconventional way. >> i love playing play station and xbox. the younger generation, let's put it that way. >> reporter: graduating top gun in california, harry is now an apache helicopter co-pilot, a gunner. >> when you fly, the whole floor vibrates. when you fire a missile, the whole aircraft shutters a little bit. >> reporter: he is the man with his finger on the trigger. he's not afraid to use it. >> take a life to save a life. that's what we revolve around, i suppose. if there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, we'll take the game, i suppose. >> reporter: while he was out there, he marked a few major milestones, his 28th birthday, marred by a taliban attack on his base. the high-profile prince suddenly became a high-level target. >> obviously the papers are like oh, this is all against me. no one really knows that. guys dealt with it really well. it was

from south wales, here is nick bryant. >> 1/4 glance burning out of control. if buyers -- forest lands burning out of control after a fire scorched its way through. this used to be thick, green bush. within minutes, it was transformed into a goackened wasteland, and here end of world field -- and an end to end of world fiel-- and an eerie, end of the world feel. 130 bush fires are still raging across new south wales. it is amazing that no one yet has lost their life. the story's key emerging, though, the extraordinary sks, especiallyd -- of extraordinary escapes', especially in tasmania. he was babysitting his young children when they were caught up in the firestorm. the children and their grandparents were forced to seek shelter in the sea as flames engulfed the shoreline precaution -- engulfed the shoreline. >> huizar tornadoes of fire coming across toward us -- we saw, tornadoes of fire coming across toward us. it was all around us. >> 43 horrifying hours, they hid under the jetty, nec -- and for three horrifying hours, they hid under the jetty, neck deep i

. >> we know that new south wales is about to move into an extreme heat period, indeed in parts of new south wales fire risk levels could be moved to catastrophic. >> reporter: authorities issued their own warnings. they say there's a possibility of spreading wildfires in the days to come. >>> nato members are rolling out more military hardware to deal with any possible fallout from the conflict in syria. turkey is boostininin defenses. the trucks carrying the equipment left monday from a base in the southern part of the netherlands. the u.s., germany, and netherlands agreed in december to send a total of six air defense batteries to turkey to protect their nato ally. dutch chief of defense general tom mittendorf says the threat of syrian missiles landing across the border is increasing. the convoy of batteries is scheduled to arrive in turkey in less than three weeks. the location is about 100 kilometers from the border with syria. this is the first time since the iraq war that nato has deployed its patriot missiles in turkey. >>> a group including the executive chairman of internet s

high winds and heavy rains are now moving towards new south wales. australia's most opulent estate -- popular state. >> do you have a sweet tooth? how about sea salt truffles? >> they sound like something dreamed up i willie wonka -- up by willy wonka, but there is nothing fictitious about these. they can be sampled at the show. kaiser's say there is a shift towards exotic flavors and high- quality -- organizers say there is a shift towards exotic flavors and high-quality ingredients. >> stay with us here on dw. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

the australian state of new south wales is preparing for one of its worst bushfires in years .everal southern states are experiencing extremely dry and hot conditions. more now on our top story. protests and vigils continue over the gang rape of a student. many people are calling for tougher laws to deal with cases of sexual assault. the father of the victim has denied he -- he was quoted as saying he should only be revealed as -- if a new anti-rape law is named after her. a total revamp of the police force and judiciary is needed. >> i would like to prioritize police reform and judicial reform. [indiscernible]if our police force remains as incompetent and corrupt and dysfunctional as it is, and our courts continue to drag even ordinary cases for decades. even these extraordinary cases, including crimes related to terrorism. the courts let them drag on for decades on end. the judicial system, which is incapable of the caving -- delivering sure and speedy justice, should not be trusted with death penalty or even more to her kony and laws that some people are demanding. -- more d

. >> 602 wales drive. >> 602 wales drive? >> yes. >> ion stead of dispatching an ambulance to wales drive. they send a paramedic to wells street. 27 miles away from darlene. darlene dies from a blood clot, police say. after an ambulance takes more than 45 minutes to find her. >> very, very critical amount of time in terms of the response time necessary to save somebody's life. >> when you call 911, slowly say and spell out the name of the street address. at number 16, lost patients. nursing home patient mary cole turns up missing during a bed check. finding her becomes a man hunt. noted on her missing person poster, she suffers from alzheimer's disease anticipate may be disoriented. her daughter clings to hope and joins the search. >> we gave her morning until pitch dark. >> four days goes by before she's found inside the nursing home, locked in a storage closet. >> i believed and trusted them a when they said we searched every room. we moved furniture. it was a lie. >> mary wandered into that closet and got trapped. >> my mo

these outbreaks in southern new south wales are an unpredictable energy. they devoured more than three and a half thousand square commuters in the most populous state alone. the biggest impact is on farmers, with vast amounts of pastures, crop, and livestock lost. another day of cooler conditions is helping the firefighting efforts. it is run with military precision. heavy machinery helped build defensive lines, while boots on the ground tackle the flames on the front line. air support is critical. the bush fires have been burning for almost a week. further north, parts of queensland have not been scared. a blaze near brisbane has been brought under control, but it has taken a monumental effort for crews to gain the upper hand. the heat wave that brought punishing conditions to the southeastern states earlier this week is forecast to return in the coming days. >> we are looking at temperatures across much of new south wales in to the lower to mid 40's tomorrow and certainly extending into the high 40's saturday. >> australia can expect above average temper

at an animal sanctuary in wales one shivery chimp is taking to a blanket when she's outside. caretaker say it's because she's used to living in a house. others eat ice. apparently they don't mind the ice that much. >>> here in the u.s. they're getting millimeter more a little high tech than a blanket. >> reporter: these orangutans like to keep embarrass and now there's an app for that. keepers at the smithsonian national zoo have given these apes an ipad. 36-year-old bonnie enjoys playing the drums. 16-year-old kyle likes to watch video. keeper erin stromberg says the ipads are a natural fit for the highly intelligent primates. >> it's really fun to watch them interact with something and get such enjoyment and flip through it and really understand what they're doing, tapping the drums, playing the piano. >> reporter: while they don't play words with friends, the zookeepers say the apps they do use provide mental stimulation which helps keep the apes healthy. >> well, any animal in the zoo that doesn't get enough stimulation is going to be more unhappy, not breathe as well. >>

. >>> well, much of england, scotland, and wales is in the grip of bitter cold and heavy snow.an animal sanctuary in wales one shivering chimp is taking to using a blanket when she's outside. her caretaker say it's because she's used to living in a house. others eat ice. apparently they don't mind the ice that much. >>> here in the u.s. some primates are getting their hands on something a little more high tech than a blanket. susan mcginnis went to the zoo and found yore rain tangs going ape over the ipad. >> reporter: these orangutans like to keep busy, and now there's an app for that. keepers at the smithsonian national zoo have given these apes an ipad. >> what are we going to play today? >> reporter: 36-year-old bonnie enjoys playing the drums. 16-year-old kyle likes to watch video. keeper erin stromberg says the ipads are a natural fit for the highly intelligent primates. >> it's just really fun to watch them interact with something and get such enjoyment and flip through it and really understand what they're doing, tapping the drums, playing the piano. >> reporter: while

including scotland northern ireland wales but particularly in europe itself if you take for example the baltic states three small countries that have a smaller population in total in ireland and yet the european union favored their total separation from the soviet union and supported them but i think that there's a degree of high-pockets say it all in my opinion simply is dictated by the strategic and all of the either the european major parts that germany britain or the united states so i think we have to look at the reality of the situation it's not the actual world where we're living in a pure democracy where people say oh grand freedom to everyone there's total high-pockets say and contradiction to the world at the moment with relation to the formation of small nation states because they want to look at spain i mean why should the richest part of spain pay for the rest of the country if they want to be on their own. well we put the question another way around the way why don't they feel they have to share their story directly with other parts of the country i mean you can reproduce.

this is the worst heat wave, actually in new south wales in living memory. yesterday the hottest average temperature across the country ever. australia, is, of course the world's driest inhabited continent, vulnerable to bushfires, every year you see them. scientists believe creeping climate shift for even hotter temperatures globally and that includes australia. i spoke with matt inwood superintendent of rural fire services in new south wales. here's part of what he told me about the sheer size of the blazes. >> apparently we have just over 130 fires burning across new south wales. 30 of those fires at this stage remain uncontained. fire crews are continuing to work throughout the night over here tonight making sure that we're certainly rendering properties safe and property protection mode on some fire grounds. and establishing containment lines which crews can back burn off as we start to see a cool passing through the south of the state at present. >> desperate situation there. winter weather tightening its grip on the refugee camps along syria's borders

this is what captain wales has been flying. >> our job is to make sure guys are safe on the ground.g someone who is shooting at them, then we'll do it. >> reporter: no one is saying how many insurgents harry might have killed during his 19 week deployment. but sitting in the front seat means it was harry who was in charge of the apache weapons system. >> got the panel up here so we know exactly what's going on. >> reporter: other bits of kit met more basic requirements. >> in our bag we have [ inaudible ]. if you're in the aircraft three and a half, four hours, if i can hold on, i will. once you've been out here two or three weeks, you master the art. >> reporter: away from his helicopter, captain wales mixed freely on base, eating in the canteen like anyone else. >> he's not treated any differently. my interaction with him is exactly the same as with any of my other officers. >> reporter: on down time between missions, video games with the crew. >> there it is! >> it's mainly squadron. that's the way he likes to be treated when he's in work, essentially. >> reporter: back on the fl

more than 130 fires are raging in new south wales.g a repeat of 2009's black saturday, which was a series of bush fires in which 173 people were killed and destroyed thousands of homes. as temperatures soar to 109 degrees, officials are warning residents that the risk is real and potentially deadly. we are at fire service headquarters in sydney tonight. how widespread are these fires? >> reporter: these fires basically are almost australia-wide. at the weekend, they hit tasmania and this heat wave really moved up through victoria, up to new south wales, and this heat threat is now moving into southeastern queensland. yet to see if any of those fires eventuate in queensland. you would certainly expect so. in tasmania, the threat was very true there because 100 homes were lost. in victoria, there were reports of up to 20 homes and in new south wales, no confirmed home losses at the moment, thankfully and most importantly, no lives have been lost. >> i know there's obviously a concern that there could be a loss of life if these fires con