you're watching "gmt" with me, david eads. our top story, islamic state militants were out to kidnap and behead a member of the public on australian soil. police carry out one of their largest ever anti-terrorism raids as the prime minister warns the country it's at serious risk of attack. also in "gmt," jeremy bowen is with the syrian army as they confront the force of islamic state.

>> reporter: the syrians say it isn't going to work because they're experience, battle-hardened and they're fighting every day. also, decision day for scotland. voters must decide, independence or stick with the united kingdom. also coming up on the program, aaron, of course. alibaba. >> oh, david. this chinese internet giant is expected to be the largest stock market flotation, that's when a company starts selling shares, in history. alibaba could have a market value of some $170 billion. sounds great, but we're asking, do investors actually know what they're buying into? it's midday here in london. 7:00 a.m. in washington. 9:00 p.m. in the australian cities of sydney and brisbane, where the public have been told of a terrifying plot unearthed

by australian intelligence. the prime minister tony abbott told the country of a plan by australian citizens luinked to the so-called islamic state to kidnap and behead a member of the public. that triggered a major anti-terrorism operation in which several properties were raided, 15 people arrested. the country recently raised its national terror threat level to high for the very first time, this following australia's decision to send troops to join a global coalition against islamic state fighters in iraq. this is what mr. abbott had to say. >> that's the intelligence that we received, the exhortations, quite direct exhortations were coming from an australian who is apparently quite senior in isil, to networks of support back in australia, to conduct demonstration killings here in

this country. so this is not just suspicion. this is intent. and that's why the police and security agencies decided to act in a way they have. there are, i regret to say, networks of people here in this country who, despite living here, despite enjoying the australian way of life, they would do us harm, and it's very important that our police and security organizations be one step ahead of them, and i think this morning they were. >> tony abbott on a problem that australia and indeed several other countries face with islamic state sympathizers within their borders. in syria, the crisis is infinitely more intense, of course. there, the islamic state already runs large areas of the country. it's fighting both the syrian army and other rebel groups. the most recent fighting appears to be in the north of the country, close to the border with turkey, where kurdish military officials say that heavily armed i.s. fighters have

seized 16 kurdish villages as part of a major advance toward the city of ain al-arab. the west is now realizing the threat of islamic state. jeremy bowen has been given exclusive access to the syrian army. >> reporter: this is what the war has done in a district on the edge of damascus city center. it's been fought over since rebels seized it around two years ago. a new government offensive, more air strikes is happening now. the way syrians used to live is a memory. the syrian army allowed us into a small corner of the front line, about a 20-minute drive south of damascus.

a village. it was recaptured recently from rebels after hard fighting. this is a small outpost, around 300 meters separate the front lines. but what happens here says a lot about the war and the way that the fight against islamic state might go. these syrian soldiers said they were volunteers and that the west was finally catching up with their belief that on the opposite side of the lines were religious extremists. morale was high. the syrian general commanding this sector who seemed popular with his men didn't want to identify himself. >> translator: islamic state is a threat on the whole world. they control syria. they will take us back to the stone age. as a military power, they are not a threat. syria can crush them without the

help of the americans. >> reporter: the afternoon's firefight started when bullets came in from rebel positions. the syrian army has been much more effective than its enemies expected. the syrians say that any attacks to fight jihadi groups isn't going to work because they are experienced, battle hardened and they're fighting every day. but the u.s. and the uk believe this army is the tool of a brutal dictator. syrian soldiers were shooting at a mix of al qaeda sympathizers and supposed moderates, the fsa, which the americans want to use to fight islamic state. syrian soldiers say the west should help them fight

jihadists. >> i come here because i want to fight these people. they are coming here to destroy our country. i want to serve my brothers and sisters and my families and my people, the syrian people, the great syrian people. >> the area that's been recaptured by the syrian army is devastated. rebels blew this school up when it was being used by syrian soldiers. at the village's only shop, this woman said her children were terrified by the gunfire. >> translator: we are moving from one place to another. i have been displaced five times. what future do you think they will have? >> reporter: the war in syria isn't ending, it's renewing itself, and its politics are getting more tangled and more bloody. jeremy bowen, bbc news.

>> we've talked a lot on this program and elsewhere about the numbers of foreigners traveling to iraq and syria to join the islamic state. a lot of them coming from western countries. and yet relatively few of them appear to be from the united states, so we're going to be exploring why that is in about 20 minutes time. you can also go to our website for the very latest news and analysis on the advances of the so-called islamic state. the u.s.-led coalition to fight them, of course, and some background on the group itself. bbc.com/news. and some other news from around the world now. ukraine's president petro poroshenko is asking for more american help in his country's conflict with separatist rebels backed by russia. he'll be meeting president obama in washington in a few hours time. the fragile cease-fire in eastern ukraine continues to hold despite accusations of shelling coming from both sides. thailand's prime minister is being forced to apologize after comments he made in connection with the murder of two british

holiday makers drew pretty widespread condemnation. it was suggested that tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack. david miller and hannah witheridge were found dead on a thai beach. crime scene dna failed to match that of any suspect. rob ford, the controversial mayor of toronto, has been diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer. the 45-year-old will undergo chemo therapy. he withdrew his re-election bid last week after being diagnosed with an abdominal tumor. he made headlines after a string of drug and alcohol scandals. his brother doug is running in his place in october's mayoral election. well, they've talked the talk. now it's time for scots to walk the walk. the walk being to the polling stations across the country. its referendum day. time to decide if scotland should strike out as an

independent nation. that's the yes answer to the question on the paper. or stay in the united kingdom. that's the no vote. well, let's get over now to lucy hockings live at the royal highlands counting center near edinburgh. i suppose if anything's certain, lucy, it's that that is going to be one heck of a busy place soon. >> reporter: not so busy right now, david, but you are indeed right. people are out on the streets going to their local school halls out to cast their ballots, and driving here today, we did see people going to the polling booth in edinburgh as well. and for all of those people in the capital edinburgh, their votes will come here to the royal highland counting center. it's a bit quiet right now, but the tables and chairs are all set up, ready for people to come and count those votes. there are 32 other stations like this around scotland, but this is the key one. because it's here that we will

hear the final announcement sometime tomorrow morning. we're a little restricted today, because of electoral law about what we can and can't report about what is happening today, but i can tell you that the polls will close at 2100 gmt tonight, and we are expecting the busiest day possibly in scotland's electoral history. let me just take you through some of the facts and figures that we do know. more than 4 million scots have registered to vote, which is about 97% of those eligible. and the ballot paper just says six very simple words. should scotland be an independent country? people are talking about it as being, as i said, massive momentous decision that they'll be making today. with the latest, here's the bbc's daniel bircher. >> reporter: the doors to polling stations across scotland opened at 7:00 this morning and the first voters arrived to make their choice. here at morningside in

edinburgh, in all, votes will be cast in more than 2,600 places as scotland decides on its future. leading figures from both sides have been voting. scotland's first minister alex salmond near his home in aberdeenshire, while nicolas sturgeon voted in glasgow. alster darling was in edinburgh, and gordon brown cast his vote. more than 4 million people are registered to vote. that's 97% of those eligible. for the first time anywhere in the uk, people under the age of 18 will have a say. more than 100,000 16 and 17-year-olds are registered. they'll be answering yes or no to one single question, should scotland be an independent country? >> we want the vote to count. we're focused on that. the best way to ensure that their vote counts so to put one cross in the box in the answer

next to their choose. people sign a ballot and they can be identified by that, then their vote can't count. if you paut cross in one box and a check in another, that would again have to be rejected because you'd be voting for both options. it really is so important that voters focus on simply putting one cross in the box next to the answer they choose. >> reporter: ballot boxes have been distributed by road, air, and sea and will be collected after the polls close at 10:00 tonight. the ballot papers will be counted in each of scotland's 32 local authority areas, adding in votes already cast by post. the result is expected to be announced by the chief counting officer at the royal highlands center outside edinburgh tomorrow morning. daniel bircher, bbc news. >> lucy, we have to play a very delicate balancing act on a day like this in terms of even what we're showing and we'll keep that balancing going. but the bottom line is, i think i'm right in saying, scots will

never have voted on any issue in such number as they're going to do today. >> we are expecting a record turnout, david, you're exactly right. possibly 80%. think of those young 16-year-olds going out to vote for the very first time today. i've spoken to voters as well who haven't cast their ballots in previous general elections but have decided to today. it is a massive day for the country, and we've already seen some of the key leaders getting out there. media scrums following them wherever they go. here's a picture of alex salmond casting his ballot. he leads the yes campaign, and he is followed very closely wherever he goes. of course, the culmination of months, years of hard work from alex salmond, so you can see him here. and the leader of the other camps is alistair darling, the former chancellor, finance minister in the uk. but now the leader of the no camp. he was in edinburgh this

morning. very gloomy day here in edinburg the mist hanging low over the city. he was heckled a little bit. cheered and heckled. that happens more and more this week as well as we've seen the campaign get a little bit more acrimonious. but, david, one thing that is clear, not only is everybody watching it so closely here in scotland and the uk, but i really think around the world. this referendum is being followed so closely. because for centuries, scots have traveled the world. they've gone to other countries, australia, new zealand, canada, looking for a better life, and millions of people in the new world identify them partly as being scottish. my grandmother went to new zealand, so i see myself as being partly scottish and i'm just one of millions of people like that. so i think this is a referendum that captured the imagination of the world, and certainly the results tonight are going to be very, very closely. >> if you think that tenuous vote is beginning to get you a vote, you've got another thing

coming. it's going to be a great day. fascinating and so many people feeling that they've got an involvement. if you want to know the very best place to be, to find out the results as they come in, well look no further. we've got a special program for you live from scotland starting on thursday at 2200 gmt on "bbc world news." we'll be right there as the result is announced. that will be on friday, any time from 0600 gmt, we understand. do stay with us here on "gmt." still to come on the program, with afghanistan still in political deadlock and no clear president in sight, we take a look at the country's tribal groups to get their view on the future. you know what my business philosophy is, reynolds?

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ashraf ghani and abdullah abdullah were close to a power sharing deal, but mr. abdullah has announced he won't accept the election results. this despite last-minute and frantic efforts by the u.s. and u.n. to produce some sort of breakthrough. abdullah agreed to a 100% audit. the winner would be the president and the runner-up would be the chief executive officer. both were unwilling to compromise. the prolonged election process has reportedly cost the economy of the country more than $5 billion. the results are expected to be announced, though, in a matter of a few days. we'll wait and see for that. joining me now from the studio is the chairman of the united afghan tribes. thanks very much indeed for coming in and joining us here. do you believe that we are close to resolving this deadlock

crippling, as it has been? >> i think we've got a situation in afghanistan, david. first of all, the election commission was free. they had to make i the announcement who's the winner and who lost the election. unfortunately, before the announcement, the john kerry diplomacy put forward trying to bring the two candidates together to have a coalition government. that didn't work. >> jumped in too soon. >> exactly. unfortunately, they are also under some influence. >> i mean, the truth is, everyone had a vote. it has run on for what feels like forever now. what is the alternative? or is there an alternative? feels like maybe simply not that ready for that scale of

election. >> this is the third presidential election that we have had. the afghan form of democracy, which has been there the last 3,000 years, and then all of a sudden in 2001, we had the western democracy, which was introduced. and in 2004, we had the first presidential election, which were taken well by the people. and then in 2009 and 2010 elections. and now this. if you see that the whole scale of the election that we have, the afghan people adopted the voting democracy, and it was going very well. you know seven million people came out to vote. >> but we are where we are. i just wonder, i guess your view would be perhaps you between you could do a better job, it wouldn't be as democratic, but it might be clearer cut. >> it would be less problematic and less costly. and it could be 3,000 and 4,000 people coming under one tent, making a decision for 30 million

people. it has played a pivotal role. the constitution was approved this way. as you know the interim government was approved in 2003 and 2002 this way. and recently president karzai, we saw an overwhelming majority of the afghans voted in favor of these. >> so more pragmatic, but less democratic. >> absolutely. but it works for a country. the western democracy, with all due respect, we accepted it, and i think now is the solution for us. as the election commission has to announce, regardless of who's getting upset and who's not getting upset, and then see if we put reconciliation between the two rivals or the two candidates. >> we'll be looking again. thank you very much indeed. >> thank you. the bbc has lodged a formal protest with the russian authorities after a news team from our moscow bureau was attacked in the south of the country. they were there investigating reports of russian servicemen being killed near the border

with ukraine. it was clearly an issue someone didn't want investigated. russian servicemen, according to the official line, aren't involved in ukraine, unless they go there in their vacation or their own spare time. our moscow correspondent steve rosenberg has this report. >> reporter: oksana tells me about the brother she calls a russian hero. constantine fought in chechnya and georgia. this summer, he performed his final mission. >> translator: when he called to say he was going away, he sounded kind of scared. he said, i'll be heading southwest. i didn't understand. to southwest ukraine, he says. i thought perhaps he meant the ukrainian border. stay safe, i told him. >> reporter: three weeks later, her brother was dead, killed by an artillery shell from ukraine. one official said. another claimed he died during military exercises.

>> translator: i asked that official, do you believe what you are telling me? no, he said. so why are you saying this, i said. i just want to understand how my brother was killed. >> reporter: perhaps not everyone here is so keen on the truth. later that day, we were attacked by at least three men as we were getting into our car. they hit our cameraman, smashed up the camera, and drove off with it. we didn't expect our day to end here in the hospital. we're here because our cameraman is having some x-rays and being checked out after the attack. someone clearly didn't want our material broadcast. after four hours of questioning at the police station, back in the car, we realized our equipment had been tampered with. >> someone cleaned the hard drive on my computer.

>> reporter: luckily, we'd made copies. state controlled media admits that russian soldiers have been killed in ukraine, but russian tv portrays them as volunteers who have taken leave of absence to go and fight. those independent russian journalists were brave enough to conduct their own investigations, face threats and intimidation. >> translator: they say there's no war. they say our soldiers are not involved. so who's to blame for his death? how did this happen? i'm tortured by this question. >> reporter: it is a simple question. all oksana wants is an answer. steve rosenberg, bbc news in southern russia. stay with us, because coming up in the next half-hour here on "gmt," as we've just heard, a major anti-terror operation in australia is just another

example of the influence the i.s. seems to have even far away from its bases in iraq and syria. coming up, i'll be speaking to the director of the washington, d.c. office, the muslim public affairs council about the global recruitment of fighters. stay with us for that here on "gmt." ♪ [ female announcer ] we love our smartphones. and now telcos using hp big data solutions are feeling the love, too. by offering things like on-the-spot data upgrades -- an idea that reduced overcharge complaints by 98%. no matter how fast your business needs to adapt, if hp big data solutions can keep wireless customers smiling, imagine what they can do for yours. make it matter.

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welcome to "gmt" here on "bbc world news." i'm david eads. in this half-hour, what makes the radicalized muslim? as thousands head from europe to the middle east to fight, we hear from the u.s., where so far, few have followed that lead. >> we are the educated. >> we are the educators. >> a film about one journalist's coverage of iran's turbulent politics, started the 58 celebration of british and international cinema in london.

aaron is back having a look at renewed ties between india and china. >> it's a meeting of the titans. narendra modi welcomes xi jinping. we're going to go live to mumbai to find out just what is on the table. welcome back to the program. now we heard earlier about the arrest in australia, people suspected of planning so-called demonstration killings. thought to mean beheadings. the plans were apparently encouraged by an australian who's a senior member of the islamic state, as it calls itself. just another example of the influence the i.s. seems to have, even far away from its bases in iraq and syria. let's have a look at the figures. it's thought there could be around 2,000 westerners fighting

with i.s. of that figure of 2,000, up to 500 of them come from the uk, it's believed. the australian government says around 150 of its citizens have been or are currently overseas fighting with extremists in iraq and syria. the u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel, though, says around 100 americans have joined i.s. that's a smaller proportion than from so many european countries. let's just talk about why this might be, because joining me from washington is the director of the washington, d.c. office of the muslim public affairs council. thanks very much indeed for joining us. a very complex answer possibly. we don't quite know why. but can you give us a straight forward version of your view as to why it should be that so far, so far muslims from the u.s. are making that journey? >> well, i think, david, number one, the i.s., or isil message

or rhetoric does not resonate with american muslims. american muslims have a very different experience, both indigenous and the immigrant communities. they are extremely well socially and economically integrated into american society and have strong institutions, both civic and politically and religiously to counter the influence or the rhetoric that isil or other groups like isil might have domestically in the u.s. and this has been the case with isil, al qaeda, and all other groups, the influence on american muslims had been completely minimal because of the strong integration, and strong engagement of american muslim institutions. >> that's interesting, because i know a lot of countries across europe would say that we feel that we integrate pretty well. i suppose part of it is a perception as to what a muslim might be bringing to a country. do you think perhaps we're more gripped by security concerns

than you are? >> well, i think the security concerns are pretty similar. i think the u.s. post-9/11 has had major security concerns, and to a certain extent, that has impacted negatively the american muslim experience, which has secure ties in the relationship. but if you look at the american muslim communities, you can easily see the case that the integration process is very different. in america, we have a history of being a nation of immigrants. everyone in america at some point was an immigrant, each community came through, each community integrated into society, and built institutions. i think in europe, it's a bit different. there's a bit more closer ties to countries of origin for muslim communities. the economic and social integration is a bit different. the level of education. and marginalization of communities, especially by far right parties, who are anti-immigration and

anti-immigrant, causes a lot of self-marginalization and a feeling of not being part of society. >> do you think there's also a geographical issue? i mean, let's face it, we are much closer than you are. >> yes, that's definitely a reason. i think the atlantic ocean has a large part to do with it. physical location, economic issues, social issues, all of these join to make a difference experience for american muslims and european muslims. >> it's good to speak to you. haris tarin joining us from washington, many thanks. >> thank you. on sunday, it's going to be a year since the siege on the westgate shopping mall in nairobi. 67 people killed when islamist gunmen took over the very smart complex in kenya's capital. our journalist describes what it was like to be there and cover the attack. >> reporter: it was from this

spot that we reported on the siege of the westgate mall, which is behind me. nothing could have prepared us for the shocking, horrific, and sometimes scary experiences. we have seen many people, casualties. we've been asked to lie down now. we have got to lie down. we don't know what's going on. ordinarily, this is a very busy shopping area. you would find shoppers looking for parking spots around here. several shopping malls. but on that fateful saturday, everything changed. etch the traffic situation here changed. it was more balances carrying injured people from westgate. we also saw trucks carrying bodies. later on when it became clear that this wasn't a robbery, as many people had thought initially, that this was a more serious attack. the military armored vehicles then took over. the most difficult story for me to tell was about children. dozens of them on the rooftop attending a competition.

at least 15 people died there. from here, we saw the raw unedited tv footage. pictures of people who had been killed at point-blank range, some of which was too horrific to show on air. we also met the survivors. some of them were too traumatized to talk to us. they simply waved my microphone away. ♪ the dead will answer they shall live ♪ >> reporter: but there were also uplifting stories, like that of the mother of two who lay on the floor for hours waiting for help to come. >> i raised my head up and i asked him if he's one of the bad guys. he says, no, lady, i'm one of the police, and i'm not the bad guy and isle here to rescue you. >> reporter: she generated a sentiment of solidarity amongst all kenyans, but it was no doubt a life-changing event for many. for a while, shoppers kept out

of shopping malls like westgate. but a year on, many have moved on. this building is currently being repaired. but then, there's too many questions unanswered. why did that operation last four and a half days? how many gunmen were there? and what was the end game? these questions still linger, and security is still a concern for many. let's catch up on business. aaron is here. this hurts. could this be a steal for alibaba? >> oh, the pain! alibaba, the chinese giant. the numbers involved in this company going public, unbelievable. let me explain, david. thanks very much. you work on those other lines. we start with what could be the biggest stock market flotation in history. of course, the stock market flotation is simply when a company starts selling shares for the very first time. yes, we're talking about the

chinese internet giant alibaba. it's expected to complete its sales of shares to its big investors, today, this thursday, like those institutional investors, before it starts opening and trading to all of us, the general public, on the new york stock exchange come tomorrow, friday. now, alibaba's original and main business is a website that connects chinese manufacturers with buyers all around the world. the empire, though, it also includes chinese equivalents of e-bay, twitter, youtube, and paypal. so let me show you some of those numbers as i mentioned, because they are pretty mighty indeed. alibaba now accounts for around 80% of everything bought online, retail sales in china. that's a lot. in fact, it sold items worth almost $300 billion in the year to the end of june. that is far more than e-bay and amazon combined. it is expected to have a stock market value. that's an eye-watering sum. of $170 billion once it starts

trading on friday. but steven hartley says that buying shares in alibaba is a little more complicated than usual. have a listen. >> in terms of the structure of the ipo, you're actually buying shares in a holding company in the cayman islands that have rights to the profits from mainland china, so on one hand, you could be buying into an entity that as far as the legal structure is concerned is questioned in china, or has been questioned in the past. it's also worth going back a few years to when alibaba did ali-pay. that was done under the noses of yahoo, which has a stake in alibaba. the ali-pay bit isn't included in the cayman islands entity either. >> there you go. the chinese president xi jinping is on a three-day visit to

india, hosted by the new prime minister in india, narendra modi. the two countries have signed 12 agreements in delhi, one of which will see china investing $20 billion into india's infrastructure over the next five years. china has also promised to give indian businessesing including pharmaceutical firms and farmers more access to china's very vast market. let's go over to mumbai. great to see you. there's no doubt to me we're talking about two very big, very giant economies. but they've not always seen eye to eye, which i can only imagine makes that visit even more important. >> exactly, because as we talk, even as these two leaders are meeting in india, you had some skirmishes being reported. this has been a big issue between india and china for the last five decades. there have been border problems and they've not been able to resolve it. but on the other side, this hasn't stopped the two countries

when it comes to economic ties, and we've seen even on this trip. you've seen a number of deals signed between the two sides. as you mentioned, 12 deals, $20 billion. but i think the big takeaway or the big picture, there are really two factors. number one, china is slowing down a bit and its companies need a new market where they can expand. india is that market. on the other hand, for india it works well because india wants to improve its infrastructure, manufacturing, and ask narendra modi promised new jobs. he needs more investment in the country. so it's a win/win situation for both of them. the second key factor is that even though the two countries are partners, there's a huge imbalance because india imports much more from china than it exports and that's a concern for india, and that's why chinese president has said and promised that he'll look at opening chinese markets for indian companies, especially when it

comes to pharmaceuticals, farm equipment, and even i.t. companies, so that's the second big takeaway. >> and just very, very briefly, as chief minister, mr. modi, he visited china like five times. he knows china very well. he's impressed with its success story. >> absolutely. i mean, when he was chief minister for 12 years, he visited china quite a few times. chinese companies have invested in a big way. in fact, if you look at one region that's got maximum investment in india in china. that's why there's a better understanding. chinese know how prime minister modi works, there's mutual respect and they share a lot in common in terms of their economic outlook for their countries. that's why you see synergy between the two countries. >> we'll talk to you soon, mate. thank you. let's talk about this. plus-size specialists are very

well-known for their curve-conscious designs in the uk stores. the company, though, i have to tell you, it caused a stir at the london fashion week earlier this week on tuesday when it held the very first plus-size runway at the biannual event. now, the design features collaborations with six high end designers, all of whom offered up versions of their designs in the plus sizes. it's big business globally. we know, with waistlines growing. here's an example. in the united states, there are more than an estimated 100 million plus-size shoppers. maria malone is an expert in fashion buying and merchandising at manchester metropolitan university. i spoke to her earlier. this is what she had to say. >> this market share, the size of this market is going to grow. by next year, it's going to be a 6 billion pound market. back in 2008, it was a 3.81 billion pound market, these are

incredible figures. the retailers are saying, we know that that exists and while we have been quietly working on these ranges, a lot of these ranges in the uk are established. what's different now is they're starting to aim at the younger market as well. so in aiming at the younger market, they're saying to these people hey, look what we've got to offer. you don't have to be a model size to look good in fashion, or to have fun in fashion. we are catering for you. we can make you look good. and that's got to be a great business move. >> it sure is. follow me on twitter. you can get me on @bbcaaron. here in the uk, more than 50% of people able to buy stuff are plus sizes. >> yep. there's money in it. >> thanks for being with us here on bbc news. still to come on "gmt" -- >> please, i'd rather be by myself. >> it's the books i'm worried about. >> a coming of age drama showcasing britain's rising stars. we'll be taking a look at this

feature making its world premiere at london film festival. [ hypnotist ] you are feeling satisfied without standard leather. you are feeling exhilarated with front-wheel drive. you are feeling powerful with a 4-cylinder engine. [ male announcer ] open your eyes... to the 6-cylinder, 8-speed lexus gs. with more standard horsepower than any of its german competitors. this is a wake-up call. ♪

i'm david eads. the top stories this hour. australian police carry out one of their largest ever anti-terrorism raids after receiving intelligence that militants connected with islamic state were planning to behead a member of the public. voting's under way in scotland, where it's being decided whether to remain within the united kingdom or become an independent state. like a lot of things in the film industry, the festival circuit is a pretty competitive business. these days, film festivals aren't just considered to be events, they're powerful brands. they've got the power to float

or sink a movie, from tribeca, to sundance, to cannes, they can be judged on perhaps their a-list appeal, their indie opportunities, or maybe their behind-the-scenes deals. next up, it's london's turn to showcase the world's best new films, and claire stewart, director of the london film festival is here with me. first of all, let's just get a look at what may be your top billing this time around, "a testament of youth." we'll have a look at that. >> please, i'd rather be by myself. >> it's the books i'm worried about. i've never seen anyone beat them up that way. wadsworth, shelley, paul byron. all these romantics aren't good for you, you know. >> don't worry. they have very little influence. >> so i saw earlier. i'm sorry about the badly timed arrival, by the way.

>> i can see this is all very highly unusual for you. >> no. >> you're already polishing up the anecdotes for your friends back at school. >> "testament of youth." is that your top billing? it's a world premiere you've got there. a lot of british talent. does that make it sort of the best in show? >> that's our centerpiece. we're opening with the european premiere of highly anticipated film "the imitation game." there's an enormous amount of talent on show at this year's festival. >> how important is that tag of premie premiere, as opposed to european premiere. an outsider must think it must be bigger and better. how important is that for a festival? >> i think we take it very seriously, because world premieres are the first opportunity for anyone in the world to actually see the film. and that's way that you really

do make a mark internationally as well as for local audiences and i think that's a very important part of what we're doing. at the london film festival, we're really building our position in that sort of award season window as well. >> right. because i wonder, what have you got, how many is it -- >> 248. >> 248 films. >> to be precise. >> but you must go through a vast number of films to get there and are you also competing with other festivals who say no, we want that one? >> i guess there is friendly competition, is how i would like to think of it. it doesn't get sneaky. but certainly, it's a big part of the process, is negotiating on all of these films to secure them. we are i think also very unique as well as having that important industrial role, we are also a festival very much for the public. >> right. let's have another look at one of the films, this is rose

water, jon stewart involved of comedy central "daily show" fame. i think we've got a clip of that. >> i'm a journalist. i'm covering the election for newsweek magazine. >> what is the attraction of something like this? can we be brutally honest and say it's because testify jon stewart and it's a big name and it's odd to some people that he's doing this, or is it a beautiful film? >> the film is i think an incredibly significant film. it's about the story of the journalist reporting for the bbc on world events and was arrested in iran in 2009 when he was covering the election there. it's a dramatic adaptation of his memoir, so i think it's very important both in terms of the story itself. gael plays the lead and does a brilliant performance, but it's also fascinating from the perspective of seeing jon

stewart tackle something in a serious, dramatic framework as opposed to what we know him for, that more satirical comedy. >> jon stewart, no relation. >> definitely not. sadly. >> thanks for joining us on "gmt." boulder, colorado, is well-known in america for its liberal politics, laid back lifestyle at the foot of the rocky mountains. but a real estate boom has driven property prices up and it's caused a shortage in affordable housing. as part of the bbc's traveling pop-up bureau, david went to boulder. here's his report. >> reporter: it doesn't take very long to go from boulder into nature. and that's really the whole point. this is part of what makes boulder, boulder. but in the city below, land and space, it's prompting concern. >> more, more, more. denser, denser, denser.

>> in some ways, it doesn't feel like a real city anymore. how do we keep your janitors, your plumbers, people like that in the city so that we are a diverse community? >> reporter: boulder was a hippie destination in the 1960s. more recently, it's been a tech and business surge taking place, and that's changed things. boulder is now one of the worst u.s. cities for income inequality. as boulder's popularity grows, it can't really physically grow. this is the land around boulder the city has purchased over the years to keep preserves. it's called open space. about 45,000 acres at this point. >> that combined with the desirability of living in boulder created housing for very low-income, and we have housing that's resulting for market forces at the very high level, but the middle is hollowed out.

>> reporter: cecily is feeling that middle class squeeze. she's a nurse and she's been able to stay in boulder because of her subsidized housing, but she'll lose that housing help if her salary goes up any further. >> i've finally gotten to this point where my head is above the water line. if i were to have to then leave here out of boulder or into the market rate, once again, the water line would be really high. >> reporter: so just why might cecily have to go? take a look at the number of affordable rental properties, which have dropped by nearly 2/3 in the past decade. plus, it's estimated that in just five years, five years, people making under $60,000 a year won't be able to afford a place to live. boulder's options within its limited space really comes down to a choice of priorities. do you make the city denser, but with more room for the middle

class? or, as some are asking, will that hurt boulder's character? >> i came here because of that small town feel, and i'm very concerned that that's changing. >> and that's "gmt" for today. just to remind you, though, 2200 gmt, scotland decides, our special program for you. join us then. bye for now. bout? foreign markets. asian debt that recognizes the shift in the global economy. you know, the kind that capitalizes on diversity across the credit spectrum and gets exposure to frontier and emerging markets. if you convert 4-quarter p/e of the s&p 500, its yield is doing a lot better... if you've had to become your own investment expert, maybe it's time for bny mellon, a different kind of wealth manager ...and black swans are unpredictable.

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