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>> and now "bbc world news." >> barack obama tries to reassure the muslim world with a stopover in indonesia. he praises indonesia for braising diversity and insists he wants to hear and read. -- any rift. >> i made it clear that america is not at war with islam. we must all the feed of qaeda and its affiliates -- we must all the feet of qaeda and its affiliates. >> hello, welcome to "gmt." bringing you a world of news and opinions. also in this program, david cameron tries to sell political freedom and open media to

investment firms. seoul cloves the g-20 summit will be a chance to shine. and midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in london. president obama has reiterated that the united states is not and has never been at war with islam. he praised the stand of indonesia against violent extremists and and held it up as an example of out a developing nation can improve the lives of its citizens by embracing diversity. >> not quite so popular in the u.s. right now, but indonesia raised a rousing boat -- a rousing welcome in the place that barack obama used to call home.

>> i used tremember the call. [unintelligible] [laughter] those things that i loved about indonesia, the spirit of tolerance -- >> he covered religion and democracy, addressing the islamic world for the third time since cairo last year. >> i will repeat it now. no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust. but i believed then and now believe the day that we have a choice. we can choose to be defined by our differences and give in to the future of suspicion and mistrust. or we can choose to do the hard work.

>> before the speech, he and his wife were shown around. continuing the second theme. islam in bridging the divide with it the west, this trip was also about increasing america's influence in asia. in his speech there was a strong reference to china and its growing strength in the region. >> some would say that it is easier to take a shortcut through development by trading away the rights of human beings for the power of the state. but that is doubtless saw on my trip to india and that is not what i see here in indonesia. >> he did not have much time to mental lungs his fans for old friends. -- to mingle amongst his fans for his old friends.

this was more about future french ships. winning america a place of honor in america -- in asia. >> let's get some analysis on that speech. aaron is from the center for strategic international studies. obama says that relations with the islamic world are frayed. how is that going to play in indonesia? >> he hit the mark perfectly when he addressed how islam can be very compatible with democracy and development. he highlighted perfectly how both the u.s. and indonesia share those traits of tolerance and pluralism. it made the speech a very well received in indonesia. >> given that strength of

indonesias influence in of world being limited, working together, he says -- what does it mean in practice? >> that indonesia will not be giving out speeches but they will be an example of how a day to day activity, democracy and islam can live together side by side. not just through speeches or various pacs, but in actuality giving the example to the world. this is what the president man -- this is what the president meant. >> indonesia is an example. can it deliver anything useful in the, what george bush used to call the war on terror? >> it is misleading to assume that indonesia can have only one

value by an anti-terrorism. on the economic front, the gao does political front, on the economic front, it is of enormous value. a highly prized position within the region. because of that and because of the bond and friendship that the u.s. has built with indonesia, this will be the key to stability in asia in years to come. >> obama spent part of his childhood in indonesia. that personal connection, do they think that he felt quite at home? >> from a policy perspective, the way that he some sprinkles of indonesian here and there really cheered up the audience.

though american president in american history has been so -- no american president through history has been so close to indonesia. even obama can see the better part of ourselves more than our own people. i have to say, the speech was too good for the own good of indonesia. it reminded us of the things that even our own president has not yet been able to provide us in terms of protection of religious minorities and so forth. >> thank you very much for that analysis. to take a look at other stories making headlines around the world today -- david cameron has used the main speech of his trip to china to stress the virtues of open, democratic government. he told his audience that

political freedom and open media, as well as the rule will look, provided the best -- the best path to prosperity and stability. >> chinese leaders like to be flattered. david cameron has brought the biggest ever ministerial delegation to china and has gone down well. the chinese president welcomed mr. cameron, praising his efforts to improve relations with china. the chinese leader described mr. cameron's ministers as very young but filled with drive and energy. the british prime minister responded by putting the highest value on britain's ties with china. mr. cameron wants to focus on trade with china. deals that can earn hard money

for british companies. to an audience of students, david cameron delivered the keynote speech. noting that it is not just a new economic power, but a new economic -- new political power as well. that with that comes responsibility. he talked about free media and the rule will lot as well as political scrutiny. very careful not to sound like he was lecturing his chinese hosts. >> arguing for a strong relationship between our countries, i want this to be open with each other. but constructive dialogue in the give-and-take of mutual respect. the rise of economic freedom in china over recent years has been hugely beneficial to china and the rest of the world. i hope that in time this will lead to greater political

openings. i am convinced that the best guarantor of political prosperity is for economic progress to go step in step together. >> it is all about laying foundations for now -- for new commercial partnerships. some are worried that he has not said more about specific human- rights cases in public. they're worried that he is ducking the hard questions with china. >> the french president has signed into law the bill to reform the country's pension system. the plan increases the retirement age from 60 to 62. it caused chaos across france with weeks of strikes and protests. officials in haiti have confirmed that 70 people are being treated for cholera in port-au-prince. they are concerned that the disease will spread massively

following the earthquake and hurricane. singapore airlines says they are changing the engines on three of their jumbo airplanes after tests showed that they were stained with oil. the spokesman says it was a precautionary measure following a similar explosion on a qantas-jet last week. a series of attacks in christian areas in baghdad have killed three people. a militant group said they have declared all christians in the country targets. 10 days ago more than 60 people died after being taken hostage at a cathedral. >> this is where one of the bombs went off early this morning. house on the side here, the ball

went off and they fled the area. as -- the bomb went off and they fled the area. as they have done in other areas in iraq. the demonstration by the militants that whenever the government wants to do, even have aing given warning, they cn strike a blow at their choosing. the prime minister, who just left some 24 hours earlier, he called on the christians of iraq to stay where they are, not to leave the country. the militants have hold of this big demonstration of their power -- called on this big demonstration of their power, the message being that christians need to leave. >> still to come on "gmt," and g-20 leaders had for south korea.

emergency food supplies are being delivered to a luxury cruise liner stranded off of the coast of mexico with around 4.5000 passengers on board. power was cut when fire broke out in the engine room. it was sailing close to the mexican port of straka, now being towed to san diego. >> one of the world's biggest and most of the jury as ships of its kind, left drifting 130 kilometers off the coast of mexico. setting off from long beach on sunday for that once-in-a- lifetime holiday. just 24 hours in, the moment every crew member dreads. >> the report was of an engine fire in the aft engine room.

the vessel is safe, but it is unable to make way. they have water and food. there is no report of any major distress from the passengers. >> there's no reports of water or telephones, other than to call for help. the company issued a statement promising to refund passengers. "we apologize to our guests for this unfortunate situation and our thanks for their cooperation during this challenging time." the american navy has been scrambled and the ronald reagan aircraft carrier has been dispatched to bring supplies. the carnival splendor is equipped with state rooms, but it is to be returned to port at

the end of the most gloomy crews of a lifetime. >> you are watching "gmt" from "bbc world news." these are our top headlines. president obama has said that indonesia is an example to the world for and did not -- for how religious tolerance can improve the lives of people. david cameron tells china that economic freedom must go in step with political reform. we have the latest on most chinese trade numbers. >> as always, they are really big numbers. the chinese trade surplus has surged once again. topping $27 billion in the month of october. certainly giving potential ammunition for beijing's critics ahead of tomorrow's

summit. they're pushing for china to allow its currency, claiming the current value was giving the country and unfair trade advantage. we asked one beijing economist what he made of today's numbers. >> the concerns of china running out to the g-20 is that it will give ammunition to their quick fix, calling for a more rapid appreciation. i think that for time of the bigger picture is that the outlook for experts -- exports is not great. that there will be a flood of hot money coming across the pacific. >> let me just talk about imports, if we can. imports were up, but not as much as expected. does that suggest that domestic consumption is not as strong as

some are trying to lead us to believe? >> well, imports have had a good year this year, but the concern of chinese trade partners is that most of those imports have been the result of stimulus. investment driven, they have been purchasing a lot of iron ore and crude materials. the concerns of the united states, europe and others, is that they are not benefiting from those purchases and that when stimulus fades, import demand will fade with it. >> talking about the worries of these billions flowing into china, in fact china has also just announced that its base must increase, right? cash reserves to soak up that money streaming into the economy? which poses a huge, growing inflation worry or a threat to the economy, does it not?

>> right. china is very concerned that with a new rank of quantitative easing in the united states, there will be a lot of speculative capital flowing into the economy. moving to increase the reserve requirement ratio of the banks, the fact is that of liquidity coming in to the country and pushing up consumer prices. lots of people are expecting inflation to hit 4% in october. the base will be released tomorrow, raising the question of whether the people's bank of china is going to raise interest rates again before the end of the year. >> let's move on and talk about the road to recovery and independence. general motors is expected to post around $2 million for the last quarter, the third in a row that it is back in the black. to get more i am joined by

alexandra from the dow jones investment banker. good to have you with us. as i just mentioned, the last set of numbers before they get back to the stock market, have they done enough to convince investors that they have eradicated past problems, the problems that have led the company for four years of losses? >> looking at the new general motors as opposed to the old general motors, a clean country -- company with a clean direction. one of the key, interesting things -- numbers like in the u.s. market, it seems on the rebound. not a meaningful rebound, but it had been going very fast and has been projected to produce 17

million vehicles in a couple of years' time. general motors is really working its mission. they said that because of the bankruptcy, they had a clean balance sheet, which is meaningful to investors. >> the u.s. company -- u.s. government, recouping its billions, if you will. but who will be interested in purchasing general motors? >> it will be interesting to see how many work with trade partners like sese and ipo, retail investors might see the opportunity. they will be trading at a significant discount to afford

with carmakers reaching out to their market that is quite impressive. the i will be prized. would be an easy job? probably. how will the auto industry feel it out in the future is the question. >> thank you very much for joining us and that is it for business news for now. >> as world leaders about -- on arrival in south korea for the g-20 summit, its capital, seoul, is in the spotlight. their rise over the last six years has been fast, but not without consequences. my colleague is there to find out what effect the rapid rise has had on the economy there. >> the morning rush-hour and seoul is on the move.

in this mega-city, everyone has somewhere to get to. the g-20 marks the coming of age for south korea, building on the economic potential of an asian giant. many here can still remember the time when prosperity was only a dream. >> this is seoul, destroyed by the shifting tides of war. >> at the end of the korean war, its people were struggling to survive. ruined cities, major thoroughfares reduced to rubble. >> this is the very same street nearly 60 years later. it has been a remarkable transformation. from being an international battlefield, south korea literally rose from the ashes, transforming itself from one of the world's poorest countries to

one of the richest. >> the transformation is still going on. seoul is still the constructing, spending the money from its brands that have gone global. it has experienced opposite ends of the wealth spectrum in the face of a generation. >> in the 1950's, 1960's, we were dependent on aid from other countries. we wanted to give back to the international community. >> are there lessons for the developing world on what you have managed to achieve over the last 20 years in terms of economic development? >> if i might highlight one element to other countries, it has been the best investments to invest in people. >> people like this. students and one of seoul's most prestigious universities. from an early age they had been expected to achieve.

>> tell me what it is like one -- what it is like when you are trying to get into university. >> university is very important. we are preparing and are under pressure. >> for him, the pressure meant taking that notoriously difficult entrance exam three times, until he had the right grades. in a system that places a premium of education, it was worth it for him. this is a wealthy society enjoying everything that modern life has to offer. but it is also a society with the highest suicide rate in the developing world. the evidence being that as this country got richer, the suicide rate went up. here at the main cathedral they are trying to help. the catholic church runs

workshops for young people, trying to combat chilling statistics showing the a suicide takes place in south korea every 34 minutes. their help line takes phone calls from those who feel they have nowhere to turn to. >> we are happy living with our family members, sharing all things with them. but after industrialization, things changed. everyone goes to their own office. no one cares for another. >> it is a high pressure, fast- moving society. try telling that to the people stuck in traffic, facing a grueling commute at the end of a long working day. this is a country that is proud of its achievements, proud of hosting the g-20. but also aware that the face of change brings a price for its people. >> we will of course bring you

coverage of that summit here on "bbc world news." stay with us, for those of you there will be more to come. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

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