to connect with customersolkit mausing all the best marketing tools--like online promotions and email newsletters. so you can help your small business, do more business. try it free at constantcontact.com. hello. you're watching "gmt" on "bbc world news." i'm david eades. our top stories, an act of utter brutality. dozens of students killed at school by a suicide bomber in nigeria. nobody lays claim to the attack, but fingers point at the islamist group boko haram. time to commemorate 298 lives lost. a ceremony is getting under way in the netherlands to remember the victims of flight mh17, shot down over ukraine four months ago. also, when it pays to be a

scientist, it's silicon valley's breakthrough prize for the discoveries which could shape our future. also, aaron is here having a look at the leaders gathering at the apec summit. >> absolutely, david. and it's important to all of us because these asia pacific economies account for 40% of all global trade. but stealing the headlines today, this. this landmark meeting between the japanese and chinese leaders. they may be talking about cooperation, but away from the camera, can these two old enemies really seal any deals? it's midday here in london, 8:00 a.m. in washington, 1:00 p.m. in nigeria, where a suicide bomber has targeted a school just as students were gathering for morning assembly.

police say at least 47 people have been killed. almost 80 injured. the vast majority of them students. one witness has told us it was a horrific scene with dead and injured children at the assembly ground. the secondary school is in potiskum in the northeastern state of yobe. it's a town that's seen previous attacks by the islamist group boko haram. our nigeria correspondent will ross is in lagos for us, joins us now. will, another horrific case here. this is a pretty big school as well. a couple of thousand school children. >> reporter: yeah, and it seems by the timing of the attack, the aim was clearly just to kill and injure as many students as possible. the fact that the -- we're told it was a suicide bomber by the police, disguised himself as one of the students, so joined them as they were at that assembly before the school day got under way. and then set off the bomb.

so yes, a very large attack. clearly designed to have maximum impact. and as we've heard, scenes of horrific scenes there at the school. but also at the hospital where many parents rushed to get news of their sons and other relatives who were there. but it was clear that many of the people taken from the school to the hospital injured were in such a bad shape, they could not be saved, because very quickly, the number of dead rose during the last three or four hours. >> hard to imagine it's not going to go up further still. given that it's another school being targeted, it's sort of difficult to look much beyond boko haram, isn't it? >> i think that's right. when you look at the history of this group and how many attacks that have targeted schools over the last -- especially the last two years, but even if you look

back for the first few months of this year, schools were particularly hard-hit. and the message from boko haram, and let's not forget the name itself boko haram, although it's a nickname, it means western education is forbidden. and during previous attacks, they've sent a very clear message. one of the attacks back in february also, also in yobe state, all the girls were gaertgaert -- gathered together, they were told you must never go to school again, you must go home and get married. the boys, they were all killed in their dormitory. the dormitory was set on fire. some of them were shot. others had their throats slit. of course, a case in point when it comes to this clear drive to target schools. there are still, of course, 219 schoolgirls missing after being abducted from the secondary school back in april.

so it does seem to be a sustained campaign by boko haram. this is likely to be them again. the question i think for the authorities is what do they now do to try and protect the schools? some have closed down for a period of time in the past. and given how rampant the insecurity is and the fact that the jihadists now hold territory, they actually hold villages and towns, it's highly unlikely that the military or the police really have the resources to protect every school in the northeast. >> will, thanks very much indeed. will ross in lagos for us. a national memorial service is under way in the netherlands. this is four months after the malaysian airliner mh17 was shot out of the sky over rebel-held territory in ukraine. now, we have got the scene for you here live. a very somber scene at the moment. there is an orchestra, which has played music at various points, and i'm sure we'll get some more of that atmosphere in the arena there. all 298 passengers on that

flight died. it was on its way from amsterdam to kuala lumpur, hence the vast majority, 193 of those victims were dutch. some nine of them, their bodies have still not actually been recovered. and it's something which hit the netherlands very hard, it's often referred to as their 9/11. the 17th of july, 2014. the prime minister is there, as is king william alexander and the queen. our correspondent anna holligan has been looking back at how the relatives have been coming to terms with what hit them. >> reporter: dutch investigators still haven't been able to access this crash side, but robbie has been there. he's searching for his cousin daisy. so far, all the forensics have found is a piece of her hipbone. >> i had a perception that i could just walk around and find her. because in your dreams, you see her lying there in the field.

>> reporter: daisy was all fun and adventure with her boyfriend bryce. >> they were bonnie and clyde together. they did anything together. she was very sweet. she was an angel, really. >> reporter: many like robbie are angry about the speed of the dutch government's response. more bodies flown home. 196 dutch victims came from all over the netherlands. it's said here that everyone knew someone or knows someone who knew someone onboard. don on the left lost his younger brother eric on the right. don sold 50,000 of these white wristbands for charity and to unite the nation in sympathy and solidarity. >> we had a life before 17th of july and we have this life to deal with it. it was my little brother. >> reporter: there were 8 0

children on the plane. 17-year-old elsa was hans' only child. >> every time i go to the grave, i think it's a beautiful graveyard, but this grave shouldn't have been here. sometimes i even think that she will walk in here. everyone thinks of his child because that's the future of your life. and that's gone now. it's incredible that i will never see her smile. >> reporter: many western countries have accused pro-russian separatists of downing the flight with a surface-to-air missile. the russians show their satellite images show a ukrainian fighter jet in the vicinity at the time. as more bodies are taken away to be identified, and the netherlands comes together for memorial day, all of the relatives are acutely aware the longer the wreckage lies scattered in fields in eastern ukraine, the less chance there is of ever finding the truth.

anna holligan, bbc news, in eindhoven. >> we're going to bring you just a flavor of the service as it's under way. we'll just listen in for a moment. ♪ ♪ >> the families of the victims and the dutch prime minister, who is only just back from a trip to malaysia and to australia, garnering support for the dutch efforts to seek justice along with the families.

still nobody putting up their hands to say yes, we were responsible for this. so obviously a cause of great anxiety on top of the pain the crash itself has caused. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> that's the service taking place in amsterdam. now, pro-russian separatists were accused of shooting down flight mh17 with a missile, which they probably got from russia. still no acknowledgement of that. for its part, russia denied any involvement. the incident happening amid a deepening crisis, of course, in eastern ukraine, and skepticism and criticism in the west about president putin's ambitions. well now, british research group reports that a scandinavian airlines flight from copenhagen almost collided with a russian reconnaissance aircraft that was not transmitting its position. the group says there have been 40 such incursions by russian aircraft, ships and submarines in the course of this year. with me now is one of the

co-authors of the report, the research director at the leadership network. thanks so much for coming in. >> it's a pleasure to be here. >> 40-odd violations, but i guess there are violations and violations. how serious are these? >> even more situations or incidents as we call them. nato declared that it sees three times more air situations or incidents involving the russian airplanes, not situations in which they actually go into the air space, but the situation into the approach. so three times more, so what we single out are the incidents that can be tracked down to a specific date and specific area. we also single out some incidents that we think are more troublesome, more worrisome than the others. >> and what do you put it down to? what is your explanation? >> well, we've seen some incidents in which mainly the russian armed forces and security agencies have been

acting much more assertively than they have done before. we've seen russian aircraft going very close to the civilians' aircraft, who are going into international air space. we have seen close encounters at sea. we've seen three incidents which were dubbed high-risk incidents. one was in the material. the other two are the abduction of the estonian security operative in estonia. and the last one, the swedish hunt for an unknown object, unknown submarine. >> it sounds like sort of classic cold war games almost. >> certainly we've seen some of the old footage from the cold war getting relevant again. this is the biggest operation they've had since the cold war. i think the russians are acting

on several levels here. they are trying to, of course, test the deference and see how we cooperate with one another. they are also trying to send a political signal, to nominate their countries, sweden and finland. to nato countries, especially the smaller ones along the eastern flank, don't think that nato would be there to help you. >> right, but of course, as we know, there is anxiety on both sides of the fence and there is russian anxiety about nato and about what nato's objectives might be. >> absolutely. and we've seen, of course, increased nato presence in the east. more exercises. more fighters in the baltic mission. but our case shows we have the cases of russian assertive actions. we don't show that much on the

native side. certainly, if you had these kind of incidents, they would be noticed and they would be propel gaited all over the media. >> it's unlikely to imagine anything in the near future is going to change. >> exactly. we are having the first recommendation, that they should actually rethink the current policy, because it can lead them much further than they would like to. but there's a recommendation about keeping restraint, and making sure that we have the right rules of engagement for this kind of situation. then making sure that we have military to military communication channels open. that if something happens, we can get in touch with the other side, make sure that we know what to do about the incident. we know how to investigate it. and also that we should urgently

talk about both sides. >> a learning gave. thank you very much for joining us. armored convoys are said to have been seen heading to bolster rebel positions in eastern ukraine. the united states has expressed support, warning that any efforts to seize more territory would be, as they put it, a blatant violation of a cease fire agreement. an israeli man has been stabbed and critically wounded near a train station in tel aviv. police say the suspect is a palestinian from the occupied west bank. they say the attack seems to be politically motivated. bombs have exploded in three cities in afghanistan, killing at least ten policemen. seven officers died when a suicide bomber attacked a

police. the taliban said they carried out the attacks. a third bombing injured two people. thanks for being with us here on "gmt." stay with us on "bbc world news." coming up, we've got lights, camera, atoms. the world's sharpest minds join a night of star. ♪

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catalonia's regional go aal government has vowed to step up its drive to leave spain. the catalan leader artur mass said it showed the region wants to lead itself. the ballot was organized by pro-opposition groups. lauren ferrer is in barcelona, an american journalist based in

spain has been following the developments in catalonia. thanks very much indeed for joining us. the spanish government madrid calls it fruitless. how do catalans feel about this particular vote? because it's not as if they all turned out, is it? >> it's not. that's what this really hinges on, that turnout number. even though more than 80% of those who did vote embraced independence, it was really only about 40% of catalans who signed ballots. they knew going into this vote that it was nonbinding, that it was symbolic, a mere exercise, and that no political change would necessarily come of that. so for the organizers here, they're heralding this as a victory, to get 40% of catalans out to the polls yesterday was a feat for them. the spanish government on their

part says well, look, this is not a mandate for change. if you take the example of scotland, scotland had more than 85% participation in its own independence referendum in september. so that was considered a legitimate figure from both sides. now here, you have far less than that. and so the question is how it will be perceived both in catalonia and in madrid. >> but is it fair to say, particularly given the economic circumstances of spain now, that there is a growing sense within catalonia that they are carrying far more burden than they should, and there are more people now ready to say enough's enough than perhaps ever before? >> right. i mean, we've seen a ground swell for the pro-independence movement in the past three years. it was really only a minority of catalans who were in favor of independence until about three years ago. that happened to coincide with the depth of the economic crisis here in spain. catalonia is wealthier than much of spain, and so many catalans

feel that their region is unfairly subsidizing poorer parts of spain and that they'd be better off on their own. now, on the negotiating table are a few options and what organizers of this hope for is to force madrid to that negotiating table. there are a couple options. one is federalism. and so many catalans believe that their region -- the power should be deinvolvolved. that would require the spanish government to amend the constitution. that's probably not likely in an election year. the ruling conservatives are not likely to make concessions to catalonia this year. however, there's another option -- >> the other option, you better give us it. >> the other option is renegotiating a fiscal pact between madrid and catalonia and that's the arrangement in which tax revenue is collected by the central government and distributed to the regions.

and so catalans hope to renegotiate that, pay less to the central government and keep more of their tax revenue loc locally. >> okay, lauren, thank you very much. how about this. glitz for the geeks. it's that time when some of the sharpest scientists in the west are granted recognition, and quite some prize money too for their cutting edge work in physics, life sciences, and mathematics. $36 million has been won at the breakthrough prize awards in silicon valley, which enjoy the backing of tech moguls like mark zuckerberg, facebook and google's co-founder sergei bryn. from california, peter bose reports. >> reporter: an awards show in an air ship hangar. a futuristic setting for the second breakthrough prize, and the red carpet treatment for some of the world's most successful scientists. a night for astro physicists and mathematicians, to rub shoulders with some familiar faces. >> this is a night that

celebrates people who work in a quieter, less public domain. and to publicly recognize that work is very important. to encourage people, inspire people to continue in their footsteps. >> reporter: this event is taking place in a nasa research center in the heart of silicon valley, but right now, it feels more like hollywood. a celebration designed to put the spotlight on some of the best minds and future thinkers from the world of science. the brain child of leading tech entrepreneurs, the $3 million prize is designed to inspire interest in the work of scientists. there were 12 individual or group winners. prizes for researchers who are trying to understand birth defects, cancer, and develop treatments for parkinson's disease. one of the winners was part of a team that made new discoveries about the fate of the universe. >> the $3 million, what's wonderful this time is that it gets spread among the entire

research group that was able to work on this project, and that's very unusual for a prize. it's very rare that you really recognize that science nowadays isn't the lone scientist that walks into the lab by himself. it's really this very social activity. >> it's to inspire them and reward them for taking risks, but also it's to really send a message to the next generation that scientists and people who take risks in the field of science can also be superheroes and they can have huge financial rewards. >> reporter: superstar scientists. a new breed of celebrity. inspiring the inquiring minds of the future. peter bose, bbc news in silicon valley, california. >> i think superstar scientist is a much nicer way of saying it, too, isn't it? coming up in the next half-hour here on "gmt," the elusive leader of islamic state, as it calls itself, that's abu bakr alb baghdadi is blaefed

blaefed -- believed to be injured. so what would these reports right at the top of islamic state mean for its operations? we'll be discussing that with our security correspondent. and you get on touch with me on twitter @david eades. thanks for watching "gmt." so right now if you get the 15 gig plan, we'll double the data and make it 30 gigs for the same price 30 gigs? wow - that's a lot. you don't have to do that for me. it's the same plan for everyone. families...businesses...whoever.

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welcome to "gmt" here on "bbc world news." i'm david eades. in this half-hour, is the leader of islamic state dead or alive? the fate of aber back -- abu ba baghdadi. david beckham's 15-year-old son brooklyn has reportedly signed a professional contract in the english premier league. also on the program, aaron's back. it looks like smoking could be back on our screens.

>> yep, david. but it's not tobacco, it's e-cigarettes they're trying to sell us. 49 years after the last tv advert showed people smoking, a new one will appear on british tv tonight trying to tout the benefits of e-cigarettes. but can any smoking advert really be morally right? well, welcome back. the leader of so-called islamic state abu bakr al baghdadi has a $10 million bounty on his head, if indeed he is still alive. the air strikes are believed to have hit mosul, where there may have been a gathering of islamic

state leaders. abu bakr al baghdadi is a key -- well, he is the key figure in islamic state. he's believed to have been born in 1971 in samarra north of baghdad. he was reportedly radicalized while he was being held at the u.s. camp bucca in iraq. he has a reputation as highly organized and a ruthless battlefield tactician. the u.s. ambassador to britain spoke to "bbc world news" just a short while ago about islamic state. >> i have nothing more to confirm in terms of the reports over the weekend. the threat posed by isil is one that america takes very seriously. so does the uk, so does the international community. that's why you see 60 countries having joined in this global coalition to get rid of it. it's a huge military component, but it's stopping the flow of fighters, stopping the flow of funding, stopping the flow of fanaticism. while all that hard work goes on, to provide the humanitarian

relief to those affected. >> the u.s. ambassador to the uk. here with me is our security correspondent frank gardner. let's just start with baghdadi. obviously difficult to get any precise detail, but what do you understand? >> well, exactly what you've heard. there was an air strike. they were targeting him. he is the most sought after person, as far as the americans and the coalition are concerned. i think there will be other countries involved in this. you've got to look at how they got rid of his predecessor back in 2006. jordanian intelligence had very good human informants on the ground. they had a vested interest in getting rid of him, because he was extremely violent jihadist, he was a jordanian national, and their people eventually found him and the americans targeted him in an air strike. now, it's tempting to say that okay, so what, they get rid of this guy, another one pops up in his place. abu bakr al baghdadi is -- i wouldn't say irreplaceable, but a really key figure.

he's known as khalif ibrahim. he is the guy who has formed -- he's galvanized this whole movement into what it is today. he termed the dying embers of islamic state in iraq into this cohesive force that has swept like a hurricane through syria and iraq and conquered so much territory and drawn in all these identifying e fighters. so to get rid of him, for him to be martyred, would actually be quite a blow to them. >> we've had how many weeks i don't know of air strikes now. does this tell us something about the development of that intelligence now, that they're getting to a point where they think they can make these sorts of strides? >> it does. because i think at the beginning when they first started, he was fairly blunt. the only one that was really targeted in pinpoint was targeting the so-called khorasan group in northwest syria. but the others have been, you know, a pickup truck there, an

armored humvee there. you know, pretty small stuff. minnow stuff really. but they seem to be getting -- i hate to use this analogy, but they seem to be getting tear game on in the sense that they are getting better intelligence. that said, the syrian opposition media outfit here in the uk, almost every day is talking about civilian casualties from these air strikes. so there is -- you know, there is a collateral to this, which is not good. just to give you the big picture on this, there is only so far that these air strikes are going to do in degrading so-called islamic state isis. they're never going to get rid of it completely, while sunnis in that part of the middle east feel victimized by the shias in both syria and iraq. that's the fundamental problem. >> does it make any difference then having -- we hear president obama saying another 1,500 american troops are going into iraq. 1,500 is not a force. they've got a job to do. what is their role going to be? >> what it means is they're going to speed up and step up the training of the iraqi army.

but there are huge problems on the ground. iraq has got deep profound sectarian problems. the iraqi army has been shia-led and largely shia populated. the people doing most of the pushing out of isis in villages are shia militia. and there are convincing reports that once they pushed out islamic state, they then go and torch sunni houses. you're not going to win the battle that way in the long term, because sunnis are just going to say, you know what? i think we'd rather have isis. at least they're on our side. so the air strikes and targeting people like abu bakr al baghdadi can only go so far. they have got to solve the problem socially, on the ground, and give sunnis in iraq a fair say and a proper role in society. >> frank, thanks very much indeed. well, more than 630 members of a sunni tribe in iraq have been killed by i.s. fighters in just the last two weeks, according to a tribal leader who's been speaking to the bbc.

he said the dead inclauuded wom and children. those figures can't be independently confirmed. the bbc has obtained rare testimony from a man who says he survived one of the massacres in which about a hundred tribal fighters were shot dead. here's a report from baghdad. >> reporter: hooded fighters from islamic state round up fellow sunnis who dare to oppose them. this video is said to show members of the tribe detained on the 22nd of october in anbar province. we don't know their fate. but we managed to call one tribesman who says he fled the following day with other fighters. he's in an area that can't be reached, but on a poor line through a translator, he told me

he was shot twice and witnessed a mass execution. >> translator: there were many of us hiding in the weeds. they started firing at us, saying come out, you defectors, you stopped us reaching baghdad. i hid between the dead bodies. i saw about 100 of my guys executed in front of me. we were betrayed by the government. they said fight, and we will help you, and they didn't do anything. >> reporter: we put that allegation to iraq's national security adviser, who said the tribes are spearheading the fight in anbar and denied they've been abandoned. >> translator: it's a fact that many of these tribes are even more willing and determined to fight isis than some of our

troops. >> reporter: if these tribes are so crucial, how can it be that they are receiving so little help from the government? >> translator: the government and the tribes face various pressures, including the lack of weapons. but we're doing all we can to get arms in various ways to supply the tribes and everyone fighting isis. >> reporter: many here in washington believe that fight won't be won without the sunni tribes. they played a key role back in 2006 and 2007 in helping the americans to defeat al qaeda in iraq. u.s. officials want the government here to arm the tribes, and recruit them into a new national guard. but many, like omaya, have been left to fight their and battles. she took up arms with her tribe north of baghdad. relatives say this social care

adviser and mother of four killed three jihadis before dying in battle in june. her proud brother tells me she was braver than some generals who ran away. he says the jabouri tribe remains ready to fight. the government insists it is backing up the tribesmen. the iraqi air force carried out these strikes in revenge for the dead, but the powerful sunni tribes will want to see a lot more fire power from the shia-led government. bbc news, baghdad. time to catch up on the world of business. aaron is with us. apec, top of your agenda. >> apec indeed. very important gathering of the asia pacific economies. they account for 40% of all global trade. so what happens in this summit could have an impact on all of us around the world.

thanks very much, david. it is a gathering of the world's great and it is taking place today in beijing, as the apec summit, as it's called. it gets under way. leaders around the world are set to discuss the prospect of regional free trade agreements. now, already, many side deals have been struck. chinese president xi jinping and the russian president vladimir putin, they have signed a memorandum of understanding on the so-called western gas route. basically natural gas delivered to china via a new pipeline from western siberia. also, china and south korea have effectively reached a free trade agreement that may be signed, actually signed as early as today. and also, a few hours ago, president obama addressed the 21 leaders. he announced plans to extend visas for chinese nationals going to work or study in the united states. and said that the benefits of china's ongoing economic success would be felt across the globe. let's have a listen.

>> the united states welcomes the rise of a prosperous and stable china. i want to repeat that. [ applause ] i want to repeat that. we welcome the rise of a prosperous, peaceful, and stable china. in fact, over recent decades, the united states has worked to help integrate china into the global economy. not only because it's in china's best interest, but because it's in america's best interests and the world's best interests. we want china to do well. >> you hear that? he wanted to repeat it. he wanted to make sure that message was clear. but perhaps stealing the headlines today was this historic meeting between xi jinping and japan's prime

minister shinzo abe. for decades, china has deplored what it sees as the brutal invasion of china, and the years of dispute over contested islands. but now, the two leaders have held a meeting for the very first time. was it a productive meeting? and does it mark another step towards the goal of regional cooperation that china is certainly pushing for? let's get more. dr. kerry brown is previously head of asia program at chatham house. great to have you on the program. let's talk about this landmark meeting, if you will. clearly for these two to meet at all, push aside all the -- i mean, they realize that they both need each other for economic growth. >> indeed. it's quite incredible that both of them have been in power, xi jinping for over two years, abe for a little less. but this is the first time that they've formally met.

so it's i suppose a happy thing that the apec is happening in beijing. and so abe was there. as you saw, probably doing the meeting today. slightly strange protocol. abe arrived before xi jinping. xi jinping then gave him a rather frosty sort of look. it wasn't obviously great kind of atmospherics. but as you just said, the fact that they met at all is a big deal, because they've been silent before and having the world's second and third biggest economies, not talking to each other is pretty distressing. >> it is. not a lot of smiles in that handshake at all. aside from japan, it does seem that china is clearly sparking a closer relationship with russia and vice versa. so what does that mean, for example, in terms of russia and its soured relationship with europe, and what does it mean for the u.s. relationship with china? >> well, i think china -- i mean, xi jinping's first visit abroad when he became president last year was to go to russia,

and so the importance of russia is the massive border, the energy there. i mean, because russia is now diplomatically isolated, i guess china is just going to naturally, you know, make good weather of that. it's going to take advantage of it. whether this is a relationship that's based on deep long-term understandings of common strategic goals or not, obviously no one cares at the moment. i mean, they're just getting on. i think for europe and for america, it's a sign that china is now entering a period when it's really diversifying its diplomatic partners. it doesn't want all its eggs in one bat. it feels that america has been sort of containing it in a way, or that's its idea anyway. with europe, it has a good relationship in terms of the economy, but politically always a bit optimal. clearly it's diversifying so it doesn't feel so isolated. >> about 15 to 20 seconds. we've seen bilateral deals, but really is this full pacific regional deal, is it realistic? >> well, it's probably more

realistic than the tpp because at least they share something and that's the region. and these countries have got to find more spaces for growth. having a deal like this with each other is one of the easiest ways to do that, but it won't be easy. >> not at all. kerry, we appreciate your time. thanks very much. dr. kerry brown from the university of sydney. it's 49 years since the last television cigarette advert, until today. because the first e-cigarette advert showing people actually smoking these devices has aired on british television. some have raised concerns, of course, that this will encourage people, in particular young people to take up smoking. the advert shows middle-aged people talking about how e significa -- e-cigs helped them to kick the habit. >> i used to smoke normal cigarettes, but after i quit, i tried these. i actually prefer them. >> the first thing my husband said was that my clothes don't smell like smoke anymore. >> easy to refill. easy to use. >> lots of different flavors to

choose from. >> the battery lasts a lot longer than my old e-cigarette. >> juicy peach. that's my favorite. >> sandy charter joins us. actually, what you see on the commercial there. great to have you. we just saw a snippet at the program. you look at the commercial, you've got happy, friendly people in the sunshine, good-looking people. certainly healthy looking. you really did go for that kind of sexy tv commercial feel, didn't you? >> i don't think so. i think ours is more mainstream. i don't think ours is at all sexy, actually. >> but you had rules to follow under the advertising standards. don't target underage teens. must not show tobacco in a positive light or claim e-cigs are safe and healthy. the critics may have a point. these sort of commercials could attract younger people or even nonsmokers. you look at them, they're in the sun, having a good time and they're puchi ipuffing away.

>> we're showing the products being used in a good light. it's an alternative to smoking. we're really targeting current smokers to have a look at another option to crave their nicotine addiction. >> i absolutely understand that, but there are no concerns? because there are certainly concerns outside of your industry that this will attract people who don't smoke. they go okay, i'm not taking in all the tar in, i can get a bit of nicotine and i'm going to give these things a whirl. >> no. what recent studies have showed is that's not quite happening. the long-term effects, at the home we don't see that happening at all. we feel that our commercial is really geared at the smoker and not anybody else. >> have you managed to get away with this, with a commercial like this? i mean, are we looking at regul tighter regulations to come so you want to get it out there now? >> we went for a lot of hoops. we made sure that it adhered to all the regulations. and we aired it with the vaping

and it shows the product being used in a true light. >> how do you reassure users that e-cigs aren't harmful to the body? they haven't been around long enough, have they, to really do long-term studies and the effects on the body? >> i mean, you're right, there has to be more long-term studies, but what we've seen so far is that it's been pretty good. the main thing in cigarettes that really is harmful is the tar and the tobacco. and these are not present in electronic liquids and cigarettes. at the end of the day, the only thing that's of any harm is the nicotine. it's more of an addiction. >> okay, i say good luck with the commercial. thank you for joining us. follow me on twitter. tweet me. i'll tweet you back. you can get me @bbcaaron. that is it with the business. >> they smell quite pleasant. a fragrance. yeah. >> you tried them? >> nope. good to see you. do stay with us on "bbc world

news." still to come on "gmt," bend it like -- well, it would be beckham, but it would be brooklyn. david beckham's oldest son signs with arsenal. is this the start of a footballing dynasty? daddy, this is blair, he booked this room with priceline express deals and saved a ton. i got everything i wanted. i always do. he seemed nice. and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard. because you work. now capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath, and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job and focusing on what you need to know.

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hello, i'm david eades. the top stories this hour, a suicide bomber described as a student has attacked a secondary school in northeastern nigeria, killing at least 47. the leaders of china and japan have met ahead of a summit of asia pacific nations in an attempt to improve strained relations over competing territorial claims. now we go from one legendary sporting name to another. it seems we could see a beckham shirt back in the premier

league. not the old man david. his eldest son brooklyn has reportedly signed his first professional football contract with arsenal. the 15-year-old has been attracting attention from a number of sides, we're told. among them, his father's former club manchester united. thought to have been interested. but it seems arsenal have beat them to it. with me is a sports journalist. it's a bit of a challenge following your dad, but that's quite a coup, isn't it? >> it is a coup. as you said, a big challenge, because if you look at the history of not just football, but of sport, sons of famous fathers haven't quite made it. the burden of always being compared to who the father was. so while he's considered quite good, and obviously arsenal wouldn't have signed him unless he was promising. i don't want to be too cynical, but the beckhams have shown themselves to be great marketeers. i wonder if he's the footballing star and romeo who's done a bit

of marketing is the marketing man. >> but as you say, arsenal wouldn't presumably do this for publicity. they would only do it if they saw some potential. >> yes, absolutely. we haven't actually seen him play and we don't quite know how good he will be. and of course, we must remember the wastage of that sort of signing in football is very big. other lesser known names are signed and within a couple years they're told no, you're not going to make it. >> interestingly, though, they do get younger and younger in terms of achieving the grid. theo walcott, an arsenal player now, he was brought in at 16. he was playing before he was 17. >> yes. arsenal have quite a good record of bringing in young players because the system that arson wenger has brought in, and this was the big revolution, not only in arsenal but in english football, you bring them young, you teach them the arsenal way, the attacking way that he likes. so we'll have to see. it will be very different to the manchester united style of david

beckham's. we'll have to see can he really bend the ball. >> yes, can he bend it like beckham sr. do you think it is remotely possible that he could be playing premier league -- i mean, he could be playing premier league football within a couple years. >> he could. depends how good he is. we must see how well he gets integrated into the arsenal setup. and then, of course, we'll have all those comparisons. david beckham scoring for england against his son. >> it's a possibility. you mentioned romeo briefly. do we know much about his sporting prowess? >> i don't think his sporting prowess is that good, but he's very good at marketing himself and being put about in men's wear and things like that. >> which his dad was pretty good at as well. it all makes for a good story. thanks very much indeed for that. bringstous the end of "gmt" for today. but lucy is with us to tell us what's coming up in "impact." >> david, thank you. there are three beckham boys, don't forget. in a few minutes, we're going to bring you the latest that we're

hearing from nigeria on that suicide attack at a school. i'll also be speaking to the spokesperson for shinzo abe, the japanese prime minister. he had that very significant meeting with president xi, but there were some awkward moments there. the two men shaking hands, barely looking at each other. we'll find out what was discussed at that meeting, whether this really is a diplomatic breakthrough. all that and more coming up on "impact." [ salesman ] congrats on the new car. [ woman ] thanks. the dealership reviews on cars.com made it easy, but... [ man ] we thought it might be a little more tense. you miss the drama? yeah. [ technician ] ask him whatever you want.

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