welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: it's power politics chinese style as the country's president unveils his vision for the future. we'll have the latest live from beijing. translation: it is time for us to ta ke translation: it is time for us to take the centrestage in the world and to make greater contribution for the humankind. celebrations as islamic state fighters are forced out of raqqa, the syrian city isis called its capital. the son of a maltese journalist killed in a car bomb attack blames a culture of impunity for his mother's death. and we have a special report on the people who have risked everything to escape from north korea. hello. welcome to the programme.

china's president xijinping has been reflecting on his last five years in office in a speech to top officials of the communist party congress. the congress, which takes place every five years, is a piece of political theatre, though key proceedings are shrouded in secrecy. it's thought the line—up of the politburo standing committee, which contains china's most senior decision—makers, will be revealed towards the end of the congress next week. president xi received rapturous applause from the congress as he outlined the future role his country should play in the world, one in which china, he said, would take centre stage. translation: we need to work further towards achieving socialism with chinese characteristics, to build a

world of country and to build a great power in the world. it is also the age for the party, for the people to unite together and to strive for a better life. it is time for older generations of chinese to realise rich utilisation —— rejuvinisation. it is time for us to ta ke rejuvinisation. it is time for us to take the centrestage in the world and to make greater contribution for the humankind. amid all the congratulations, xi jinping did mention some areas where china was facing problems. translation: our challenge lies in

the imbalance growth. this has become an obstacle in meeting the demand of the people. we must realise the challenge of our country and the change of the challenge is a historical challenge, which has presented challenges to the party. the basis of growth, the imbalance of the growth needs to be resolved. quality of growth, efficiency growth needs to be improved so that the

needs to be improved so that the need of the people can be met in economy, social, cultural and eco— areas. and better improve people's lives and advanced progress of society. xi jinping also told delegates that growth in the country's economy meant china would become increasingly powerful. translation: china is rising in the east of the world with a very new face. through our long—term strive, socialism with chinese characteristics has entered a new era. this is a new positioning we

are taking. socialism with chinese characteristics in this new era means in the contemporary times chinese have suffered, but now have the calm a great power in the world —— but now have become a great power in the world. we can see the great rejuvinisation of china in the new future. in the 21st century, technology and science play an important role. in the world, we are highly raising the socialism with chinese characteristics. this also

means socialism of chinese characteristics, our thoughts, our system and our culture are flourishing. let's get an overview of how the speech is going. our correspondent robin brant is in beijing. this is going to be a very length the speech. i think we are on to section three. last time there were 12 sections. if a lot for xi jinping to cover. interestingly in the last few minutes, we have had a nod to the one thing that domestically i think is most closely associated with this man, with its leader, and thatis with this man, with its leader, and that is his anticorruption efforts, the efforts to rid the communist party of the virus, i think he has referred to it in this speech of corruption, which made it an organisation when he came to power towards the end of 2012 that was

increasingly distrusted and disliked by many people in this country and perhaps was seen as losing its legitimacy. he has sought to change that. it has also been political control and oppression for him because many of those people who have been targeted right up until just a few months before this congress have been rivals, or those in the future who may be rivals. so clearly, i think that reference to ridding the party of any virus that may threaten its health, we have heard him use those words in the past few minutes, is a reference to the anticorru ption past few minutes, is a reference to the anticorruption campaign. it goes onjust as fervent the anticorruption campaign. it goes on just as fervent as it was in the beginning of his term of power towards the end of 2012. interestingly, in a reference to some of the problems going forward, i think you heard on one of those clips quite extensively about ongoing economic growth in this country which is of course key to his ongoing success and china's ongoing success. but the imbalance

within that. and that is the imbalance in terms of where the growth is, the eastern spine of this country is where much of that economic growth is, but also wealth and equality. that is a huge problem for him because xijinping needs and equality. that is a huge problem for him because xi jinping needs to make sure that as china continues to row, make sure that as china continues to i’ow, even make sure that as china continues to row, even though the rate of growth is slow, that it is shared equally among the more than billion people in china. everyone benefits. that is key to his ongoing leadership and the legitimacy of his party. in other news, us—backed kurdish and arab forces in syria say they've taken control of the city of raqqa, which so—called islamic state once claimed as the "capital" of its "caliphate". it follows months of intense fighting, which killed more than 3,000 people — a third of them civilians. advances against islamic state have now been made in both syria and iraq. 0ur middle east correspondent quentin sommerville has the latest. at the heart of raqqa, they're giddy with victory. the syrian democratic forces control the city

that the so—called islamic state hailed as its capital. three years ago, is did victory laps here. paradise circle, it's called, and here, they beheaded people. their hatred crossed continents. but now, their caliphate is in ruins. a new flag flies in raqqa today. it was arab and kurdish fighters, men and women, who did a jig, celebrating the islamic state group's retreat. this commander told the bbc is are no longer in control anywhere in the city, but we will continue to patrol and keep a look out. the sdf fought in sandals with the most basic of weapons, but they had a killer advantage — coalition air power. that helped drive is out, but it also emptied the city of 250,000 people. hundreds of civilians may have died in the western bombardment. the battle to free

the city spared no—one... gunfire ..as we witnessed. in its final months, the fighting here reached a new intensity. younus 0mar and his family, though, survived. they've onlyjust managed to escape. is used them and thousands of others as human shields. translation: my brother was shot four times but allah is stronger than them. translation: it was horror. i tried to leave twice, but i couldn't as is militants were shooting at me. they were saying, "you are going to the infidels." but the final victory here was delivered, not in a gun battle, but in a bus ride. here, is fighters are seen leaving one of their last holdouts, the national hospital. they were guaranteed safe passage as part of a peace deal. what's left of raqqa can barely be called a city. and still, dangers remain.

the islamic state's foreign fighters here vanished. some may be hiding in these ruins. their leadership have already fled. the islamic state group may have abandoned their capital, but they haven't abandoned their cause, so the fight against is goes on. quentin sommerville, bbc news, beirut. the president of the philippines has declared the city of marawi to be liberated from pro—islamic state militants. 00v) rodrigo duterte said he accepted that a handful of rebels —— rodrigo duterte said he accepted that a handful of rebels were still in the southern city and admitted that the victory over the separatist rebels had come at a cost. but he insisted that it was safe to return to the city. the son of an investigative journalist killed in a car bomb attack in malta has denounced what he called the country's "mafia state". daphne caruana galizia, 53, died when her car exploded shortly after she left her home on monday.

she was known for her blog accusing top politicians of corruption. 0ur correspondent daniel sandford reports. the twisted burnt—out chassis of daphne caruana galizia's peugeot 108 hire car, in the field where malta's most influential investigative journalist was murdered — her body blown clean out of the vehicle by a huge explosion, ending her career of exposing political corruption and organised crime. "i saw a small explosion coming from the car and i panicked," said frank sant, who saw the whole thing. "a few seconds later, there was another larger explosion. the car skidded down the hill at high speed, full of fire, and into the field." daphne caruana galizia made her name writing stories in newspapers and then on her blog, that were often deeply embarrassing for those in power in malta, particularly the labour party who are currently in government. today, her son matthew said

the government had been negligent in failing to protect his mother. "this was no ordinary murder and it was not tragic," he wrote. "tragic is someone being run over by a bus. we're a people at war against the state and organised crime, which have become indistinguishable. this is where we are, a mafia state." the maltese prime minister, joseph muscat, had to call an election this year because of allegations about his wife's offshore money, which daphne caruana galizia extracted from the panama papers leak. but he has promised an unbiased investigation. translation: my duty is to make sure justice is done, and i won't have a moment's rest until that happens. the fbi has been asked to help investigate the car bomb, but trust here is shaken after one maltese police officer appeared to celebrate the killing. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: we'll have the latest from the set of the new star wars series movie, including the much—anticipated name of the film. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life. but in the marina area, where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath

for the men they call the 33. and then... bells toll bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue and chile let out an almighty roar. this is bbc news. the latest headlines... china's communist party congress gets under way in beijing — with president xijinping setting out its priorities for the next five years. staying with that story... china's president xijinping is still speaking at the chinese communist party congress. for more we can go to washington and isaac stone fish — an international affairs journalist and a senior fellow at the asia society. thank you forjoining us. from what

we have heard so far, an upbeat assessment of the last five years. we have heard so far, an upbeat assessment of the last five yearslj think xijinping is assessment of the last five yearslj think xi jinping is taking credit for the advances china has made over the last five years. a reduction in poverty and a much bigger international footprint. one poverty and a much bigger internationalfootprint. one phrase that struck me was democracy had been advanced. do you think everyone will agree with that assessment?” think very few people will agree with that assessment. i think the chinese communist party likes to pay lip service to the idea of democracy because it gives them a cover for their more authoritarian behaviour and because in some ways it confuses people into thinking that he, maybe they were wrong. maybe because xi jinping said that, we are actually a democracy. but when they stopped to

think about it they realise that what he said is not that true. normally the congress like this you haven't indication of who the party sees as its top leaders, who may eventually replace president xi jinping. do you think that will happen this time? it is difficult to say now because we still have several more days of this pageantry. from what we can see so far it seems less likely that xi jinping will appoint somebody to the top ruling body that could potentially be the person he tasks to replace him in five years time. at this stage, a caveat that it is difficult to know, it seems likely that they will not necessarily be someone who is seen asa necessarily be someone who is seen as a successor to him. what are you looking out for? what are the indicators in terms of people being appointed to the key committees in the politburo? one thing we are

looking out for is what happens to you the second most powerful man in china, the one past with running the anticorruption campaign. if he stays in the standing committee that will bea in the standing committee that will be a big sign that xi jinping has more power and more ability to exert it. the other thing we are looking at is whether the premier stays on. he is seen as slightly more liberal and perhaps open—minded than xi jinping so if he stays on that could prove more of a balance to the conservative ideas of xi jinping. what problems do you think you should be tackling in the week ahead and do you think he will do so, openly? i think very little happens ata openly? i think very little happens at a party congress openly. the important meetings happen behind closed doors and have probably already happened. i think what he will do openly and what he will be

seen to be traded tackling is the issue of poverty. that is a big and safe problem. there are still many people in china who are like poor and he would to change that. i think we will have talks about improving the environment and, perhaps, subtle things about improving china's international security environment. i don't think we will get any sort of frank talk about some of the real problem that china faces. he may pay lip service to fighting corruption in the party but i don't think there will be any consideration or conversation about the future of 1—party rule in china. conversation about the future of 1-party rule in china. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. while we hear very much forjoining us here on bbc news. while we hear dashmac very much forjoining us here on bbc news. while we while we hear a lot about north korea's leader, kimjong—un, and his ongoing rows with the global community, it's seldom that details

of daily life emerge. the only information comes from defectors, who've risked everything to escape. we've been able to speak to a group of four of them, to get first—hand testimony — and here are their stories. life stories from north korea there. thousands of pro—independence campaigners have taken to the streets of barcelona, to protest against the detention of two leading catalan politicians by the spanish authorities. the men are being held on suspicion of sedition — or planning to overthrow the state — after allegedly trying to stop a police raid in the run—up to the disputed referendum on catalan independence. 0ur correspondent james reynolds reports from barcelona. these protesters have come out here in barcelona to call for the immediate release of two pro—independence campaigners. those campaigners have been remanded into custody, accused of sedition. but to these pro—independence

campaigners, those two men are political prisoners. i just want to show you this sign here, "freedom for political prisoners, sanchez and cuixart". and if you look at another sign, i don't need to translate it, "independence." and people have come here to show on which side of the divide they stand. it is pretty clear this man has got the flag of an independent catalonia. it is worth saying that not every person in catalonia wants independence, this is a divided society. but tonight pro—independence campaigners have come out and they have filled the centre of this, their main city, and they now face an ultimatum from the government in madrid. on thursday morning, the central government says that unless the authorities here revoke

or announce a declaration of independence, make it clear that they haven't declared independence, the central government may suspend self rule in this region, taking these people and everyone else in catalonia into uncharted territory. a little bit of showbusiness news for you now, which will be of particular interest to fans of the star wars movies. the name of the next instalment of the series has been revealed — by director ron howard. here he is. hi. well, as we wrap up production, i just want to take this moment to thank an incredibly talented cast and crew for all their hard work. and to the fans out there, i hope you've enjoyed the pictures that i've been sharing, pictures that i'd taken from the set of... can we even say the name of the movie? i'll see you next year. you can get in touch with me and the

rest of the team on twitter. keep date with bbc .com. we will return inafew date with bbc .com. we will return in a few minutes time. wednesday is expected to be a mixed day across the uk. a bit of rain about at the moment, this weather front has been drifting in. this will bring wet weather for a time across southern and central

areas, particularly around the midlands and the cause of wednesday. in the southern counties through the south midlands into the east midlands there will be rain around but in many northern areas in northern wales will be clear and across the far north of scotland, even a touch of russ frost —— grass frost. so let's have a look at the morning weather, then. this is 8:00am, and it really is looking very cloudy, very dull in many areas, temperatures around 11 or 12 degrees. and then we move a little bit further northwards, into northern wales, the north—west of england, around cumbria there, and into northern ireland. here, i think, some sunshine first thing in the morning. it is going to feel a lot fresher, so a much better start to the day. but, even here, notice that there are a few spots of rain through the lowlands, here in glasgow and edinburgh. but this is really light, and we are back into the sunshine at 8:00am in the morning across most of yorkshire, and then back into that weather front across the midlands,

east anglia, and down into the south—east. now, through the course of the morning, into the afternoon, what is going to happen with this weather front is it'll move a little bit further northwards. but it is also going to introduce some very muggy air, so it is not going to feel particular cold across the south. it is going to be sort of that damp, muggy, grey sort of feeling, with on—and—off light rain or drizzle. you can see those temperatures, despite the cloud and the rain, getting up to 17 in london. but then the other side of this weather front here, further north, it is a lot fresher. it is only 13 degrees. here is a look at thursday. you can see it is relatively quiet, but cloudy, with a few spots of rain in eastern areas, but this weather front of low pressure moving in. and that is going to introduce some wet and windy weather to some of these south—western and western areas during the course of thursday evening. and then, on friday, that weather front and the low pressure is moving northwards across the uk. quite brisk conditions, windy conditions for a time. fresher there in scotland and northern ireland, at 13. still 16 in london.

and then we are watching this next big area of low pressure heading our way. a lot of isobars, the track of the low still a little uncertain. it is probably going to go a little bit further north. but severe gales are on the cards, especially in the south. this is bbc news. the headlines: china's ruling communists are beginning their party congress, at which new leaders and policies for the next five years will be revealed. security has been tightened ahead of the gathering in beijing, which takes place once every five years. china's president has set out his priorities. the flags of an anti—is militia have been flying over raqqa, after it retook the syrian city from the jihadists following months of heavy fighting. the kurdish and arab fighters say they now control raqqa, but their us backers have warned around 100 islamic state militants are still in the city. the son of an investigative journalist killed in a car bomb

attack in malta has denounced what he called the country's mafia state. daphne caruana galizia died when her car exploded shortly after she left her home on monday. she was known for her blog accusing top politicians of corruption. now on bbc news, hardtalk.