hello, you're watching "gmt" on "bbc world news" with me, david eads. our top stories, the u.n. steps in as health workers in liberia say they're not getting fairly paid in the fight against ebola. as the workers call for danger money, the u.n. says they'll ensure that staff across west africa do get their wages. >> the united nations is going to work with the government to make sure that the people on the front line of this effort, the front line of this war are getting the pay that they deserve. six months captive.

we review nigeria's failed efforts to bring back their girls and free them from the grip of boko haram. also the reemergence of kim young un. we sift for clues to his extended absence from public life. and aaron's here, having a look at the big falls in the oil prices. >> absolutely, david. how low can they go? on monday, we saw the price of black gold fall to levels not seen since 2010. why? america's producing more of its own, so we've got an abundant supply around the world, and weaker demands. and we're going to take a look at what these lower pieces mean for producers and for all of us, the consumer. it's midday here in london. 7:00 a.m. in washington. 11:00 a.m. in liberia, where the united nations has stepped in to try to resolve a pay dispute in

which health workers refuse to treat victims of ebola. nurses and medical assistants are demanding their full pay in what they call danger money. our correspondent mark doyle is at the bbc's new ebola hub bureau in accra in ghana. he's been speaking to the head of the u.n. ebola response agency. >> our mission is simple in terms of its objective. stopping ebola. achieving that is going to be very complex. it's very complex crisis management, where we have to make sure all the elements of the response are put in place everywhere. wherever there's a gap, we will fall short, and ebola will be able to remain in that area, or spread from that area. so we have to kill it everywhere, putting in place that response is going to be extremely difficult. >> how long is it going to take? months? years? >> it can't take years. we have to get at it much faster than that. we are moving now as fast as we possibly can. in about 20 days, we've gone from no mission to about 100

people on the ground. helicopters flowing in. vehicles flowing in. we have a presence in all four countries. the headquarters in ghana where there is no ebola, as well as our operational activities in the three infected countries. we're every day getting stronger. every day we're in the process of catching up to this terrible disease. >> what's the one thing that you lack most? is it people? money? equipment? what is it? >> that's part of the complexity. it's not one thing. we need everything. we need people. we need money. we need helicopters. we need social mobilization. we need payment systems to make sure health care workers are getting paid. we need transportation systems. we need standardization of how we're going to do community care centers. we need trusted voices at local levels with the right messages telling people how to protect themselves and their families. we need it all. we need it everywhere. and we need it super fast. >> okay, now one issue you mentioned paying health workers, liberian health workers are complaining that they're not being paid enough hazard pay and they've threatened to go on

strike. clearly the liberian government is very strapped for cash, and can't afford that. would you be able to help in that area, for example? >> absolutely we're going to help in that area. the workers were on the front line of fighting this disease, especially national workers, health care workers, many of whom have died. the people doing the burial on the burial teams. the contact tracing. those activities are absolutely essential to ending this crisis. the people performing them deserve to be paid and they deserve to be paid in a timely way, and the united nations is going to work with the government to make sure the resources are available, the financial resources, and the money is reaching the people who are doing the work. >> that's a promise, is it? you're going to help pay the liberian burial teams? >> the united nations is going to work with the government to make sure that the people on the front line of this effort, the front line of this war are getting the pay that they deserve, yes. >> that's the u.n.'s tom bunbury

there. often the only i think that can help an ebola patient is proper care for the symptoms of the virus, which can then increase the chances of survival. aid workers have criticized the global response to the emergency. as yet, still no known vaccine. let's get a bit more for you. >> the enemy here is a virus, ebola. it's not a person. it's not a country. it's not a place. it's not a hospital. it's a virus.

>> if the resources continue, those studies could possibly be begun and already provide some initial answers before christmas, before the end of the year. >> well, with me now is someone who's currently involved in ebola vaccine trials, dr. edward wright, a senior lecturer in medical microbiology from westminster university. thanks very much indeed for joining us now. first of all, you have the oxford trial, don't you? how is that progressing? >> well, that's come on tremendously well. if you think back to a few

months ago, there wasn't even talk of having this trial starting. and then meetings organized by the w.h.o., world health organization in geneva, pulling together all the public health experts globally and deciding the best way to fast track this development of vaccines and therapeutics are to treat people who are infected. >> fast track is the word. how fast are you tracking it? >> we have to appreciate first of all that we have had these vaccines available and they're being tested in the laboratory for several years before we got to this point. so we already have some very good data on safety and efficacy. so at the moment, this is a two-pronged approach with one of the vaccines produced by the national institute for health in america. this has started clinical trials in september in oxford, as you mentioned, and also in america. there's another vaccine, though, based on very similar principles. it's an animal vaccine that's been disabled but incorporates

one of the ebola viral proteins into it, so this gets expressed in humans and generates an antibody response. >> you can start the trials this week. i suppose those of us who understand this far less than you do just wonder, trials are great. but when can it start being used out in the field? >> well, there are several things you have to take the box off before you can proceed in any clinical study. you have to make sure it's safe. >> we're being told that in a matter of three or four weeks, we'll be looking at 10,000 cases across west africa already. so we know exponentially it's going crazy. do you still adhere to the same safety levels as you would for any other medicine, any other vaccine? or is there a sense of urgency, the likes of which we haven't seen before? >> i agree. there are safety issues that you have to maintain, you have to put in place. what is the fast-tracking is the amount of money, the amount of people, the amount of resources that are being put into developing these routines. so no safety barriers are being

averted. they're all being followed and all being correctly administered. so it's really the funding that's enabling the fast-tracking. you mentioned these numbers. 10,000. there's been million fears. a million people being infected. these figures are based on no further intervention, so it's a worst case scenario. >> when then do you think there could be a vaccine put in place that can work? i mean, i guess you're sort of in competition with others trying to do the same thing. >> i don't think anyone thinks of it as a competition. >> positively, i mean. >> working together -- i mean, there are two major vaccines in development, in clinical trials. at the moment, there are others. there are several therapeutic drugs that can treat people who are infected. the vaccines are to protect people before they become infected. we're anticipating these vaccines will be available in a limited rollout to people on the front line, the health care workers, by beginning of 2015.

but it's important to bear in mind that, you know, the basic intervention strategies of early diagnosis in isolation are already proving effective in the region. so vaccines are not the only response. we have to have this continual influx of funding and resources into the region. >> of course, of course. still plenty of patients to get the vaccine. edward wright, thanks very much indeed. >> thank you. >> if you want more on the situation on ebola as it unfolds, do stay with us here on "bbc world news." we're bringing you a special program with the very latest on ebola and all its issues. it's a program that will air every day this week on the channel. let's catch up on some other news for you now. police in hong kong have been clearing more barricades set up by pro-democracy activists near the government offices. it's the second day of operations which police say are to ease traffic disruption not to clear the protesters.

demonstrators have been occupying parts of hong kong for more than two weeks. they are seeking a fully democratic election for 2017. the trials began in thailand of two burmese migrants charged with killing two british tourists, despite their lawyer's request for a delay. the defense team said they've been given too little time to get themselves ready. thai police have been widely criticized for the way they've handled the investigation into the murders. australia is planning to introduce new immigration laws that will allow wealthy people, those who will invest at least $13 million u.s. dollars to become permanent residents after just a year. it already has a scheme to give wealthy people an opportunity to stay in the country if they invest a third of that amount over four years. now to a story which has kept many of us guessing for quite some time now. the apparent disappearance of kim jong un. there's been a flurry of

speculation about his health. some have even been wondering if he is still in charge. pictures have now emerged which show him at his first public appearance for weeks. from seoul, steve evans reports. >> reporter: he's back, all smiles. kim jong un in public view for the first time in 40 days, so ending speculation about who's in charge. the north korean leader now has a walking stick. these are still pictures, so it's impossible to say how easy he finds it to walk. before he disappeared from public view, he was filmed hobbling with difficulty. his limp very pronounced. it's impossible to say if he's had surgery between then and now. and it's impossible to say how fast he'll recover. ten days ago, his inner circle arrived in south korea, prompting speculation if these were the new men in charge. today's pictures show that they

were not. their leader was back in pyongyang. on friday, balloons with messages against the north korean leader were launched from south korea over the border, prompting north korea to shoot at them. it's a relationship which blows hot and cold. kim jong un remains the focus of anger from the united states and the west. he is clearly not fully physically fit, but his power is undiminished. stephen evans, bbc news, seoul. well, do stay with us here on "bbc world news." still to come on "gmt" -- >> reporter: i'm karin giannone outside the court in pretoria where the second day of oscar pistorius's sentencing hearing is under way. the prosecution are pushing for the maximum possible jail sentence. the defense are trying to reduce that. more in a couple of minutes. you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal...

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thanks for being with us on "gmt." let's go back to our top story. the ebola outbreak. he's already killed more than 4,000 people since march. most in liberia, sierra leone, and guinea, and to an extent nigeria. but the virus has caused concern in many other parts of the world as well and that sparked efforts to try to contain the spread of the disease. three patients who contracted ebola in west africa have been treated in germany, and we know now one of those has died. the united states says it's anticipating more cases, and in london, one of the world's busiest airports, heathrow is to begin screening passengers for ebola. let's get over to heathrow airport now, because the bbc's jordan davis is there for us. jordan, what sort of measures and how quickly can they be brought in? >> reporter: well, we believe one flight has been screened at heathrow today. it arrived at half past 9:00

this morning. it was a brussels airlines flight from brussels that originated in liberia, that left liberia yesterday evening. now there is no exit screening in brussels at the moment. there will have been exit screening in liberia. so we understand one flight has been subject to that screening, terminal one at heathrow airport. and we know a bit about the mechanics of that as well. we know that border officials will pass the passport details of passengers on to health officials. when passengers have made their way through passport control, nurses and health officials will approach passengers discreetly, ask them where they've come from, take their temperature, and if they exhibit signs of the ebola virus, they'll be taken to hospital where a blood sample will be taken. now, those passengers who are

at-risk but don't exhibit symptoms of ebola will have to give over their contact details and they will be contacted every day by a health official while they're in the uk. >> jordan, heathrow is the major hub in britain, but does it need to be rolled out in other ports and airports as well? >> reporter: yes, it will. it will be rolled out across other terminals at heathrow by the end of the week. it will also be rolled out across gatwick airport and the eurostar terminal. the government says it has con tin g -- contingencies. so heathrow, gatwick and the eurostar very much the focus at the moment. >> jordan, thanks very much indeed. jordan davis at heathrow airport. it's been six months now

since more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted in northeast nigeria. they were seized from their school by boko haram islamist militants, and despite promises from the nigerian government that they would be rescued, they're still missing. will ross reports. >> reporter: they've been gone now for six months and are still in the hands of the boko haram jihadists. the nigerian government has repeatedly promised to get them back, but the 219 schoolgirls remain in captivity. today, in the remote farming community, the agony is only getting worse for the families of the missing girls. >> translator: we want the international community to put pressure on the government. the government must do more to get our daughters back. some parents are already dying. six women have gone insane because they are vulnerable and can't endure the trauma like men. even us men are broken.

>> translator: we are in a desperate situation. sometimes when you go to the farm and remember what has happened, we just start crying. there is no information about our daughters. we just hear that they would soon be rescued. but in the end, we realize there is no information. the most painful thing is that we don't even know where they're being held. >> reporter: thousands have been killed in the violence, and entire communities forced to flee their homes to camps like these. boko haram is still abducting people. this 14-year-old told me when his family fled, his brother who's 18, hid in the mountains. but when he sneaked down to the river to fetch water, he was captured by the jihadists. he has not seen his brother or his parents since. as the war rages on, campaigners still take to the streets to ensure that the abducted girls are never forgotten.

>> every other thing is going on. elections are going on. the business of government, quote unquote, is going on, but we have 219 nigerian citizens that are still missing and the government is still very blase about it. >> reporter: a moving and powerful reminder of the tragedy that struck six months ago, here all the names are on display for everybody to see. but six months since the abductions took place, there's actually surprisingly little coverage of the story here, and one of the reasons is some of the media houses are worried that if they give the girls too much attention in their newspapers, it could upset the government. some relatives feel that the politicians are far more focused on next year's elections than on the missing girls. >> translator: i think the government is more concerned about politics now. we don't hear about our girls anymore. we only hear about political campaigns going on. that is what they are concerned about. >> reporter: many nigerians say

that's the case for all politicians, from whichever party. the parents, though, just want their daughters home. >> will ross with that report. now we're into day two of the oscar pistorius sentencing hearing. it's well under way in south africa. the athlete found guilty of the culpable homicide of reeva steenkamp last month, although he was cleared of murder. so far today, the court has been hearing from a social worker and former probation officer who's compiled a report on oscar pistorius and she says a custodial sentence would be inappropriate and excessive for the athlete, and she's been listing many reasons why, one being that south africa's prisons don't have the facilities he would need to deal with his physical disability. >> he will find it extremely difficult to walk on his stumps on cement and slippery floors. he also requires a rail in the shower to provide him with adequate support. this was not visible at previous

visits to the prison's basic facilities. there are no private showers and the exposure of the accused on his stumps to inmates will have a severe effect on him. there is no protection against his exposure. >> let's get some more on the situation and what's been happening in the court, because karin giannone is there for us, as ever. karin, i wonder what the prosecution makes of that sort of commentary. >> reporter: absolutely, david. well, this is the second defense witness coming on to the stand and saying they do not recommend a custodial sentence for oscar pistorius. talking about how a punishment is not to serve satisfied public opinion but rather to serve the public interests. but we saw gerrie nel beginning cross-examination here and

trying to make inroads into her pretty robust defense of what she was saying. he didn't seem to be getting very far in his customary aggressive style. but we have not heard, of course, the aggravation of part of this pre-sentencing arguments. it has only been the defense's witness so far. so remains to be seen who the prosecution, who the state are going to use to try to persuade the judge that they feel this is gross negligence by oscar pistorius in shooting reeva steenkamp. it should be at the very top of the scale of punishments, up to a maximum of 15 years, as is available to the judge. >> i was struck by gerrie nel's views of oscar pistorius's charity work as well. >> reporter: yes. when he was cross-examining oscar pistorius's agent, he tried to dismantle the picture that he had created throughout yesterday afternoon of oscar pistorius as a very active, charitable person who engaged in all sorts of commitments all

over the world for various charities, disabled charities, children's charities. but what gerrie nel has been trying to do, and very robustly, very aggressively, was try to create that as part of a picture of oscar pistorius having to do those sorts of commitments because of his sponsorship deal. so it all being about -- rather than altruistic, out of the goodness of his heart, out of these coldhearted commercial deals that made him richer. but it was a pretty intense exchange. it went on for a lot longer than many people suspected and gerrie nel really tried to put the boot into this and it took several hours this morning. >> okay, karin, thanks. i'm sure there will be a lot more boot flying in before the end of that as well. if you want the live updates on the pistorius sentencing hearing, you follow our correspondents inside and outside the court on twitter. so @karinbbc.

coming up in the next half-hour on "gmt," how to tackle islamic state militants. that's the question at the top of the agenda when president obama gathers with military leaders in washington. nderman g. nderman g. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. like smart pick ups. they'll only show up when you print a label and it's automatic. we save time and money. time? money? time and money. awesome. awesome! awesome! awesome! awesome! (all) awesome! i love logistics.

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welcome to "bbc world news." i'm david eads. in this half-hour, a progress report on islamic state, as president obama and military commanders from the coalition meet in washington. we'll also hear from the top u.n. representative in northern iraq about the latest refugee crisis to hit the region. is the catholic church changing its approach to homosexuali homosexuality? pope francis brings a fresh attitude to an age-old issue. also aaron is back, and the shine, is it really rubbing on?

>> david, you're not buying enough of this stuff, but all of this stuff is taking a bit of a hit. all the brands from liouis vuitton, prada, gucci are all pointing their finger at china. we're going to take a look and see if beijing's crackdown on corporate giving is to blame. how to halt the relentless advance of islamic state. that's the challenge that president obama and military commanders from around 20 countries will be confronting at a meeting in washington today. it's the first time such high-ranking military officials have come together since the u.s.-led coalition was formed last month. and it comes as president obama's former defense secretary leon panetta told the bbc's katty kay that very few anticipated how serious a threat

the islamic state would become. >> i would not have believed it would have been as bad as it is. i didn't believe that the sunnis would be as discouraged as they are. and that some of that resulted in some of these foreign fighters going into syria and becoming part of isis. and i think it's fair to say that although we knew there were extremists in syria, that there are very few that kind of looked at isis as that larger threat that it became in terms of invading iraq. >> you've run the cia, you've run the pentagon. do you think that this is an enemy that america can defeat? >> i do. i have tremendous confidence in our ability to defeat isis. and i'll tell you why. because we declared war after al qaeda after 9/11, and this was a very similar kind of enemy. as fanatical and dangerous and terrorist as isis was and more.

i think what's going to be needed more here, though, is a very long and sustained effort. this is going to be much longer in terms of our ability to ultimately disrupt and destroy them and it's going to take time and that's going to be the issue. the question the american people and the world is going to have to face in terms of the coalition we put together is whether or not we will stick with it and make sure that we follow through and take this to the final victory. >> former u.s. defense secretary leon panetta. the united nations has warned of a new refugee crisis. hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the fighting in iraq, and this time it's in iraq's western province of anbar, where as many as 180,000 people have fled the one city of ht. the city was taken by islamic state militants a matter of days ago. let's go to erbil, we can speak to the u.n. deputy humanitarian coordinator in iraq.

kevin kennedy, first of all, thank you very much indeed for joining us. just can you spell out the scale of this latest exodus? >> yes, david, thank you. the situation is very fluid. we know that tens of thousands of people have left the city of ht and surrounding areas and are on the move. the exact numbers are unknown. the reports vary from anywhere from 60,000 up towards 200,000 people. so whatever the number is, it's a significant displacement crisis that we have to meet. >> and where are they going? do they even know where they're going? >> they're going different directions. many are heading north towards haditha. others heading south towards an area between ramadi and fallujah. others further south, and then back up north to bag dad. one of our concerns is that with so many people on the move, we're receiving reports that some cities are turning people

away, and not allowing them to enter unless they have a sponsor or relative in the city. >> it's ironic, isn't it, because i think a lot of them went in as a city of refuge in the first place. is this the work ultimately of all actors in this awful caldron? it's not just about islamic state. it's about air strikes as well coming from the coalition. >> david, i think we're having a problem with audio. you cut out. >> okay. i just wonder. i'll try and keep the question a bit shorter. who is the responsible for the exodus? it's not just islamic state, is it? >> david, i don't know your question. but in terms of the worst crisis, iraq is a huge displaced crisis. we estimate up to 1.8 million

people in the country displaced with over 200,000 refugees. just here in erbil in the kurdish town region of iraq, just in the past eight, nine months, we've received almost 900,000 people. so throughout the entire country, you will find displaced people with very little possessions and in great need of assistance. >> kevin, i don't think kevin kennedy can hear me now, but it's good to hear on the latest issue facing the u.n. there with 180,000, possibly 200,000 refugees fleeing the town of ht there. we've got more on the website, of course, as you'd expect. you can read about some of the survival stories of those who have fled the fighting and managed to get to the relative safety of southeastern turkey. that's on the website bbc.com/news. let's head over to aaron with the business. and the business of falling oil prices. >> oil. the black gold stuff, it keeps falling. i'm going to explain why and we're going to talk more about that.

good to see you. hello there. the world's top oil producers, they are watching their income from black gold slide, as prices continue to fall. on monday, just yesterday, global oil prices hit levels we've not seen since 2010. now, we know we've got abundant supplies of oil around the world and weak demand, and many are now wondering if we're looking at oil selling at 70 bucks a barrel in the not too distant future. oil prices peaked this year in june at $115 a barrel. since then, though, prices have fallen some 20%. now, yesterday, the price of a barrel of oil right here in london fell to around $87 a barrel. some experts even predicting it could fall to as low as $77 a barrel. but that would be possibly a level that could pressure the economic viability of the crude oil being produced in places like russia and the united states. let's get more on this. more than 40 years experience

and joins us. great to have you with us. we keep hearing about we've got an abundant supply around the world, but then we also know growth around the world is slowing and that means there's weaker demand. so is this simply a supply and demand picture? >> yes, it is. balance is tipping toward supply. we have more oil. but of course, all this has been obliterated in the last few years by politics. iraq was out of the picture. it wasn't producing that much. it's now gradually coming in. libya was out. it is now improving. we hear news that some exports are being resumed. but the important thing is the technology and innovation and entrepreneurial investment in the last five, ten years have resulted in more oil. and that is a reality. where the balance is, of course, it fluctuates. for example, the united states. everyone has heard of fracking. the u.s. with an oil production history of more than a century,

everything had been discovered, that was the belief. and yet in texas we are finding more, and north dakota. in the last few years, u.s. oil production has increased by more than three million barrels per day. and this potential exists every else in the world. politics are hindering it. in france, it is forbidden. in the united kingdom, people protest. and other parts of the world. so the potential is there. on the other hand, improvement in technology, cars using less oil, more efficient, and so on and so forth. >> i've got to get in here, because i want to ask you for people around the world watching, we'll be going hey, this is great news, right? cheaper gasoline, cheaper energy for all of us. >> well, it will be, but you have to be careful that what we pay for the petrol could be 30% tax or up to 70% or 80% tax. so when the crude is reduced,

that does not mean that the rest will be produced in proportion. but of course, lower price of crude would mean lower payment at the pump, but nothing in the proportion of 20% reduction as you said. >> okay, i've got to wrap it up there, but we always appreciate your time. thanks very much. talking to us about those global oil prices. okay, let's switch gears altogether. let's talk about luxury. who doesn't like a bit of luxury? david does. or some luxurious goods. because we know the chinese have always loved them. but something's happening on that because it does seem that luxury goods, the market, is taking a bit of a hit. leading brands including louis vuitton and gucci and brands like prada are reporting disappointing numbers. earlier today, the luxury handbag maker announced a profit

warning. bu 1/3 of global luxury goods, china, that's where it's been coming from. after seeing a 30% rise in growth in sales in china in 2011, growth has slowed to 2%. so here's the question. are the chinese developing a resistance to ostentatious brands, or is this because beijing continues cracking down on corporate gift giving? that's the question i put to one of our experts a little earlier. listen to this. >> i think the fact is the state is coming down hard on gift-giving practices and that's hurt goods like particularly watches where they are a fairly common item for gifting. but at the same time, i think what you're seeing with some of the bigger more mainstream brands, chinese consumers are becoming much more discerning about what they buy when it comes down to bling. i think they want to be exclusive. they want to buy something that nobody else has. things like louis vuitton and gucci are being seen as almost too common. the very high end of luxury is doing very well and i think the affordable end of luxury is doing very well because it's

attracting newer shoppers. but the middle part is really getting squeezed. i think for a particularly mainstream luxury goods is becoming really important to connect in different ways with the consumer. first of all, product is foremost. you have to offer something different, something that the consumer thinks is adding value for money. is different and exclusive that somebody else doesn't have. i think companies like burbery is doing very well. it's going online early, by having a big social media campaign, personalization, what have you. i think that sort of rethink needs to happen at some of the traditional companies, which can be a little slower in terms of that sort of thinking. >> sure can. interesting stuff there. what about this? the battle for control of your living room steps up a gear today. the cause? play station tv launches in the united states. in fact, it launches in europe

next month. it's not actually -- if you can see it right here, it's not actually a television at all. it's a tiny box that attaches to your tv set, and then lets you play station games and stream video. victoria fritz in new york. she's been taking a look at sony's move to conquer home entertainment. >> reporter: an entry level console at an entry level price. play station tv is pitched at newcomers as well as loyal fans of the gaming brand. the choice of package for the launch is telling. >> let's just say here under this game feature, you can actually restrict content if they're age 12 or older or age 10 or older. they're not playing games that are not age appropriate for them. >> reporter: but sony is keen to play up its serious gaming credentials. you can play the majority of sony's video back catalog through the one device. that should reopen dormant channels of revenue for a company looking to maintain dominance in the market.

the gaming world is crowded with competition, but the play station tv is not just a microconsole. it's a gateway to a much bigger online ecosystem, promising to boost the iq of your television. smarter tv is where sony and its rivals hope to position themselves in the battle for your living room. checking e-mails a, instant messaging, streaming media. sony joins well established players in this arena, and amazon and google already have consoles in the market. so how will it compare? the play station tv has already been in japan a year. so far, sales are less than encouraging. >> and if all you're getting on play station tv are parts of video gails or the actual video games running on your television or streaming old play station 3 games from five years ago as rentals, i don't think that's enough to compete with what could become a very large and active ecosystem on apple's side

or amazon or google's side. >> reporter: from music to video games, sony has its own services to promote. how open it will be to allow other content providers on to the device and into the hands of its customers is unclear. victoria fritz, bbc news, new york. >> there you go. what do you think of that? follow me on twitter. tweet me, i'll tweet you back. you can get me @bbcaaron. david, it's another streaming device. >> indeed, yes. >> that's what we need. >> long may it survive. thanks, aaron. still the come in "gmt" -- ♪ let freedom ring ♪ >> singing for women's rights. we're in tennessee to find out what issues are affecting women's rights there ahead of midterm elections. ♪ [ male announcer ] give extra. get extra.

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hello, i'm david eads. the top stories this hour, the united nations steps in as health workers in liberia say they're not getting fairly paid in the fight against ebola. the north korean leader kim jong un has made his first public appearance in more than a month following intense speculation about his health. senior roman catholic bishops have recommended a softening of the church's position on homosexuality. a preliminary statement issued by the bishops said the church should recognize some positive ath aspects of civil unions. gay rights groups have welcomed the move. they've described it as seismic. conservative groups have denounced the report. they call it a betrayal that will only serve to confuse catholics. with me in the studio is peter williams from catholic voices, a uk-based group that examines issues affecting the catholic

faith. thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you. >> seismic is a big word, but this is a pretty big jump to start talking about gifts and qualities that homosexuals have to offer. >> it's certainly remarkable langua language. this is like a midterm report. now let's debate this further, in the circles that center around language, which will be brought forward in the next week and that will go on to next year. this is really only a minor report, but language. it starts by talking about how the church is supposed to welcome and make sure that same-sex tracks of people are given fraternal space within the church. that's hugely wonderful language. it also talks about the relationships themselves, that when it comes to actual personal

sacrifice, the mutual aid in those relationships constitutes precious support. so this is very positive language. >> this is also pretty preliminary, but pope benedict talked about homosexual relationships as intrinsically disordered. there's a big jump being made from one to the other. we assume this is pope francis right here. >> we don't know to what degree pope francis is involved, but while that seems really bad, it doesn't mean what people think it means. it doesn't mean they have a mental disorder. it simply means the relations p relationships aren't rightly ordered. >> this is very much a shift in language. >> it seems it's been brought by archbishop bruno forte.

many of the fathers want a much stronger language, but that between the language used to express the church's teaching as well as the contents of the teaching itself i think is a tight rope the church really needs to walk. >> that's the point. can we feel a split coming on here, if conservatives maintain their position and that's more liberal view here. >> there very well may be disagreements. the whole point is to bring these debates, these discussions but the idea that conservative members would want to split away from the church, they wouldn't be very conservative if they did that. >> they might want the others to go. >> to get out. they might do. but they can't do that. ultimately this is about trying to advise the holy father on what really should happen with regards to the pastoral support given to the catholic family, and this is about making sure that all the church fathers are able to bring out their opinions

and thoroughly examine them and see what's best for every catholic. >> peter, thank you very much indeed for that. the u.s. midterm elections are now three weeks away. our bbc north america correspondent is out on a road trip down the so-called blues highway having a look at some of the big election issues and how they're being reflected in music. he stopped off in the home of country music, tennessee, where the election is being closely followed by women's rights campaigners. >> we're here to see grammy nominated country singer gretchen peters, who's spoken out about women's rights in a state where she feels they're under threat. >> what scares me about what's happening in the midterms right now in tennessee is that there's definitely a movement to try and restrict women's access to abortion, to birth control. it's draconian. the amendments on the ballot

would actually not provide for abortion even in the case of rape or incest or the potential death of a mother. and i think no matter how you feel about the issue of abortion, that is extreme. ♪ not much time to reminisce >> we're on the outskirts of memphis to visit this mobile women's health clinic, but it's not the kind of family planning clinic that you traditionally think of. this is a pro life clinic. the main aim of the practitioners in there is to convince women not to have an abortion. >> we are in what is known as the bible belt of the united states. i think from a christian perspective, we do not agree with abortion. i believe that life begins at conception. and so i don't think that anyone has the right to take the life of another human being.

>> even under circumstances of rape? >> i've actually had a couple of opportunities to speak with young women who were raped and going to have an abortion as a result of that. and, you know, what i would say to them is they're going to be victimized twice. once when they were raped, and then when they have to suffer the consequences of the decision of having an abortion. ♪ let freedom ring let the white dove sing ♪ >> but with the largely conservative fan base, it can be risky for a country singer in tennessee to come out in favor of a woman's right to have an abortion. >> well, i got hate mail. for a period of several weeks, i got some pretty ugly hate mail. and i didn't really enjoy being in the spotlight in that way too much. but i also felt really strongly that -- i feel strongly about women's issues.

>> a musical view from tennessee there. liam's on the road all week. on wednesday, he'll be in arkansas, so do stay with us for that. now, if you think about someone crashing a pool party, it might not conjure up images of these ones. american base jumpers in kuala lumpur decided they were going to arrive in a nearby pool party in style one at a time. the sports enthusiasts did what you think they're going to do. they launched themselves off the 330-meter-high kuala lumpur tower and parachuted down into a skyscraper rooftop. thank goodness they hit it. real james bond stuff. they're met by cheers from fellow enthusiasts and everyone had a good time. just time to remind you of our top story here on "gmt." the u.n. has stepped in to try to resolve a disnewt liberia

where health workers say they're not getting fairly paid in the fight against ebola. the head of the u.n.'s new ebola agency has told the bbc it will work with governments to ensure people on the front line get the pay they deserve. thanks for watching "gmt." minivn t-bones you. guess what: your insurance company will only give you 37-thousand to replace it. "depreciation" they claim. "how can my car depreciate before it's first oil change?" you ask. maybe the better question is, why do you have that insurance company? with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. for bfor a love this strong is a labor of love. there's new iams naturals, with no corn or chicken by-product meal, grain-free, and costs up to 25% less. iams naturals. just one of many iams formulas to keep love strong.

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space. 1969. [ zap ] no! the doctor we saw on the beach is a future version, 200 years older than the one up there. the doctor: canton everett delaware iii. who's he? what the hell is that? [ u.s. southern accent ] mr. president. you didn't have to kill her. she couldn't even remember you. how does that work? we can only remember you while we're seeing you, is that it? [ gasp ] the doctor: canton, are you okay? doctor, i'm pregnant. [ breathing ] no! [ echoing ] aah!