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>> welcome to bmc, coming up, syria on a diplomatic mission to china as the fighting on the ground reaches a new level of intensity. fail to go ignite, germany, the three-point growth for the rest of the quarter as the rest of europe flat lines >> it's mid day here in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington and 3:00 in the afternoon in moscow, where three members of the russian feminist band will find out this week whether they'll be jailed for form ago protest song against vladimir putin in moscow's main cathedral in march, madonna, red hot chili peppers and sting are supporting the defendants and demonstrations are planned in 30 cities when they appear in court. the woman faces up to three years in prison if convicted but members told the bbc they

would do it again. >> in the middle *s last night n. a secret location, danielle, what have they been saying? >> we met them well off midnight last night. we were told to come to an address, and when we came here we found seven members of the group protesting against the return of vladimir putin to the presidency since he said he was going to run last october and they were in a defiant mood, despite that three of the members have been in prison waiting for the verdict on friday to determine whether they will be sentenced to more prisoner time for hatred which is the way the prosecution put it. they said they didn't have any regrets, they thought it was the right thing to do and would do it again if they had to. >> if somebody had told me

that in our future, i would have done the same thing as i've done. and that's the most important part, because nobody can mute us and nobody can for bade us to do what we wouldn't to do and we want the rules to be a better -- the world to be a better place, russia to be a better place. >> they have received support from madonna, sting. how does the average russian feel about all this, has this divided the state? >> it's very difficult to talk about what the average russian thinks because it literally has cut the russian society down the middle and it's quite difficult to tell when you meet somebody which side they're going to fall. in similar listic terms, those people who go to church, more -- they believe the women should be punished

but those who do regularly go to church don't think they should be punished and those on the more liberal side say they shouldn't be punished at all and there are people who feel what they did was quite offensive and deserve some punishment but the probably the majority feel if the woman are to -- women are to be punished it should be some kind of fine and certainly shouldn't involve five months in prison, as people on the fervor end of society believe is the correct punishment. >> daniel, they will know their fate later this week. how serious a sentence might they be face something. >> potentially up to seven years for the houl lannism for religious hatred. they ask asked -- have asked for three years. there's a big guessing game as to what they'll get. vladimir putins said while there wasn't anything right

in what the women did, he hoped the court would be lenient. no clear message that he was trying to send out when he said that. i think people are perhaps thinking the women will get a few more months and possibly right up to three years that the prosecution asked for. there's not many people who think they will be acquitted, and that's because many people feel they are guilty and those people who feel they are not guilty believe that the russian system is such that once people are put on trial it's almost impossible for the courts to acquit them. >> daniel sanford in moscow, many thanks daniel. let's take a look at other stories making headlines around the world today. the united nations is hoping to increase the flow of in this aid to syria and have sent their emergency relief coordinating to damascus, but valerie amos will not be meeting with bashar al assad who continues to turn to china for support. the syrian envoy has arrived in china to bowlter diplomatic support. we have the bbc's kevin

connelly. >> damascus is becoming an almost impossible place for diplomats to do business but led by lady amos, the strategy of the u.n. is to keep trying, the mission this time, to establish whether anything can be done to make daily life better as the situation on the ground gets worse. for many, syrian civilian life is grave and getting grimmer. there isn't enough food. the situation will get worse. it's too dangerous in many years to collect the harvest. medicines, too, are getting scarce, the factories that take them go out of production. a million civilians have left their homes to seek refuge elsewhere in syria and about 150,000 have crossed its borders into neighboring countries. looking after those refugees who cost around $200 million this year alone. the former prime minister, riad hijab has been speaking

for the first time since his escape to neighboring jordan, his message is simple, president assad's days are numbered. >> the revolution is an example to the world. i can assure thaw in my experience, the regime is collapsing morally, financially and militarily. it only holds 30 percent of syrian land. >> but in damascus, aleppo and beyond the fighting goes on, the people of syria can't get the help they need until the guns fall silent. even if the political will is there, it will be hard to get aid into the country, while the violence continues. kevin connelly, bbc news, beirut. >> there are fresh concerns about growth in the eurozone economy, triggers in germany show the economy slowed to almost zero growth as the region's other struggling economies stopped importing goods. the french economy, still not growing at all. joining me from paris is the bbc's christian frazier.

christian, just give us the numbers specifically. is there anything to speak of >> not really, no. this is the third consecutive quarter of zero growth, but slightly better than was anticipated, you have to say. the bank of france was predicting that come autumn france would be slipping back into recession so i suppose in one sense they've avoided that and there will be a selective sigh of relief but when you look across the economic spectrum, all is in the inned, consumer is down, growth is down, unyou would expect is rising, 14 consecutive months of rising unemployment and really the new socialist government under francois is under pressure. >> what does this do to the thought that austerity is not the way to promote growth. do these figures help them in a way. i don't think they do. reading the last newspaper

this past week, they've been sort of expressing their frustration at the fact that no one will mention the a word, austerity. there's this talk at the moment in france, because the government is not keen to upset the voters who come out in big numbers for them in may, the truth is, there is collective belt tightening and business leaders in france are saying it's about time that serious discussions begin to reform the french economy in terms of the social cost that employees are expected to pick up. it's weighing heavily on that new investment they're talking about. employees don't feel they're able to take risk they want that social cuff taking off, french business to make it more competitive. when it comes to next year's economy, the 2013 budget, they've got to find 233 billion euros. if you're not growing, the only way to do that is to cut spending or raise taxes and i think the view is most employers here would be that you have to cut spending and ease the pressure on the people who will employ at the end of the day.

>> christian frazier in paris, thank you very much. >> well, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of good news to share when it comes to talking about the eurozone economy. we will break down the numbers. how you doing, big guy? >> i'm fine, big guy! >> what do you make of the figures? i haven't seen anything that anyone really should be optimistic about. >> absolutely. i think commonly you could say yes, some of the numbers today, the french, german and region as a whole, the numbers were a little better than expected but there's -- you can't put a positive spin on the numbers. the bottom line is the weak environment we're in is making it difficult to grow out of this debt crisis and if you look at policymakers, many who will say they've str* struggled for a long time to get a grip on this, many say the policymakers for the last several decades have relied on high enough growth from the united states and other parts of europe to get on top of their own deficit problems. that ain't happening at the moment because there's no growth. it's back to belt teeth

anything. commoner, belt tightening without a plan on its own, at best is neutral, at worst, drives the economy into the ground. you only have to look at greece. the highlight out of the numbers, the point to take home is what's happening in the powerhouse of europe which of course is germany. yes, germany eked out growth, .3%, but at those growth rates it certainly and clearly shows that germany is nowhere near as bouyant as six months ago. that's a problem and could be a sign of things to come because i've been told today, if germany doesn't get a grip and handle on the solution sooner rather than later it's big trouble for germany. germany relies on the success of the eurozone, 40 percent of exports go into europe. saying all of that, though, somebody did tell me today there could be a positive out of this negative. let's have a listen to this, connor. >> at the very least. you may have noticed politicians and policymakers, if they are still talking because many are not today, they are actually talking about october increasing. i think they 3450eu9 mighting

traveling on hope, because if markets are back in september the markets will have an opinion about their own progress. everyone is on holiday. they might be putting pressure on again. we might see interest rates rise again and spain and italy put that pressure on, rather than wait until october when the policymakers are wait to go come with new news. >> this gives the impression that the rest of europe is like a dead wait, and germany's growth, if you look across the continent, it's not seeing an indication that the storm will end soon. >> not at all. if you break the numbers down, greece told us yesterday its economy shrank, fell 2.5%, the fifth year in a row, italy shrank .7%, spain was down almost half a percent, portugal shrank considerably, 1.2%, so the question and, again, when to see remedial question, the --

action, the question and answer seems to be everybody is hoping for september because in september that's when we hear the spain bail kpwrout and -- bailout and get the report card from greece from its e.u., the international commission, monetary fund. but that's not until october. it really is a big problem. one highlight about the german numbers, because now germany is starting to feel the pinch it might actually push the german government to pass through some of the measures sooner rather than later, as i was saying. >> the business report is coming up later. >> it is, thank you. >> from the big guy! >> now, let's move on to a story -- don't run away. flash photography coming up, here's a couple who is going to be dealing -- dealing with the global recession any time soon. now last week here in the u.k.1 lucky pair scooped up, get a hold of this, 148 million pounds, that's

$232 million. you think they'll be watching aaron on world business report? what do they care now? it's the world's million jack pot, the bayfords from southern england have just been talking about how they found out they had won. >> i had taken into the terminal to get check, and i thought i'll check them, the first three came up, then the two -- and they came up, too, then i realized a whole lot was there, and i kind of went -- i checked two or three times, i kind of went downstairs, turned the light on -- >> and i was like you're going to wake him up, he's nallen asleep, and he is like quick, and no, i'm trying to get asleep, and no, you really have to look at this, and then i looked at the numbers and you checked the numbers out, yep,. >> now, what would you do if you won that kind of money? many of you have been letting

us know on our facebook page and here are some of your thoughts so far. lisa monduzi said i'd pay for my family to have a lovely holiday, and set up my own charity, i might donate half of it, and help slavery and famine around the world. >> moses would donate 40 percent to the help and treatment of aids and malaria in africa, 20 percent to motherless kids in u grand, and scott from new zealand, if i won so much money i'd bail out greece. well, you can continue to have your say on that story on impact today. if you're a twitter fan, sign up for some of my updates. i'll be talking about what i'll be doing on bbc. >> still to come on gmc, greece was the birth place of the olympics, and london, disappointed, a people desperate for good news.

bangladesh is not commonly known as a holiday destination but the south asian nation has ambitious plans to boost tourism revenue by $5 billion in the next two hours. we explore some of the sandy beaches are key to meeting that goal. >> a cool, breezy afternoon. for decades, this tropical paradise in seen ban la concern has an major holiday destination for domestic tourists but now the government is looking to attract a different crowd. tourists would typically frequent to beach towns like bataya in thailand and sri lanka. >> bangladesh is one of the world's longest natural beach and that's why the government wants to declare a beach being made for about 50-kilometers as an exclusive tourist resort, especially for foreign visitors.

>> the government aims to double the number of foreign tourists arriving to almost a million by 2021, which they say will help to generate at least half a million jobs. but industry players say more needs to be done in terms of infrastructure if the area is complete with neighboring beach destinations. there are other issues as well. not least the question of cultural clash. bangladesh is a muslim majority country and there may be resistance some some types of foreign behavior such as sun bathing in skimpy swimsuits, however the -- however the government isn't worried. for decades tourism was not on the priority list of bangladesh, but following a certain economic outlook, tourism may offer the country the opportunity to diversify its revenue base and change its image to the world. bbc news, southeastern

bangladesh. >> >> this is g this. c from bbc. here are the latest headlines. russian rock band facing prison for antiputin display tells bbc they have no regrets. syria on the diplomatic offensive, head to go china as the fighting on the ground reaches a new level of intensity. >> it's the 65th anniversary of pakistan's independence from britain, born out of the indian subcontinent. the bbc -- that is the only road crossing from pakistan and indiana, an important route for trade, one of the only areas where relations between the two rivals are improving. i'm joined by the bbc tulip monzunda. how is the day being observed? >> this celebration is going

on throughout the country. i'm here, it's a couple of hours before the main celebrations start here. as you can see behind me that, is the pakistani border, just around a few meters ahead of that lies the indian town of asari and military officials from both sides met at zero point and the pakistani's met for a gesture and also to celebrate 65 years of independence. as you can see, people are starting to stream in. i've seen people with enormous pakistani fans, their faces painted and many with banners that say long live pakistan. >> the relations between india and pakistan have been difficult for many years but trade seems to be improving. could that be the key to improving general relations across the board? >> well, that is the hope. as you say, trade is one area where the two sides really are talking. there have been s-frl

developments in the last year or so. trade's delegations is quite high up, officials from both sides have come over to visit either country. they've taken exhibitions, they've shown the other side of the border what the other has to offer. pakistan also recently promised to lift restrictions against many indian goods and the whole idea is that trade will flow freer and that actually some say that literally billions of dollars could be made in the long run by both countries. but i think, yes, the bigger issue here is many are hoping that if the business leaders start speaking to each other, if they build partnerships, if they build trust, that will have a wider effect, and a bigger political achievement will be easier to talk about and have one of these conversations about. the key being the region of kashmir. >> as you mentioned in your last words, relations between india and pakistan still remain truly -- extremely

difficult. >> they do. it is extremely difficult. i mean, talking to people here today, when you mention india and say how do you feel about them, one word just keeps coming up or one sentence, i should say, we just don't trust them. and i think it would be fair to say that many people on the other side, many ordinary indians would probably say the same thing, but what leaders say here is that it has to start somewhere. the prime minister to both countries are meeting next month in india. trade will be high on the agenda. of course, kashmir must be spoken about as well. the idea is let's start talking about trade, let's start truthsing each other on that and see where it goes. >> many thanks, sheila. some other news now, chinese police in chong ching have shot down a killer after a massive man hunt. forty-two-year-old skwrao*ubg hawa was implicated in several robberies, he was

finally cornered and dead at the chong ching shoe factory around dawn, according to the chinese news agency. >> a guru has ended a hunger strike but promises to continue his battle against corruption, the man was detained by police as he led a rally in knew deli, one of the demands, the repatriation of so called black money, cash received in bribes and hidden abroad. >> heavy rain causes mudslides in japan, some areas saw rain of 11-centimeters in just one hour, japan's military is conducting military praises. that according to officials. we have been taking a look at what impression the london games made in other countries around the world. greece was the birth place of the olympics but the country's performance in london fell far short of expectations. given the tough economic times the country is facing,

did greeks really feel the olympic spirit? this report contains some flash photography. >> they were welcomed home warmly but not triumphantly, greece's olympic team brought just two bronze medals back from london, down from the 16 medals, six golds of 2004. but in today's greece, athletes fight through tough times. they're disappointed but not defeated. >> i was really happy to be there and enjoyed the honor. >> it was difficult for us. now we have the time, the money, and i think that we do have the proper preparation. >> there was support, but little celebration, in a weary country, longing for better days ahead. >> greece was where the ancient olympics were born and first modern games were held too and this country

usually goes olympics-mad but there time, there's been a subdued reaction. greeks have had other things on their mind and not even sports can provide a relief from the devastating financial crisis. >> in news rooms the games have hit the headlines but for the wrong reasons, articles focus on the worst performance, the worst over 20 years, radios talk about the glorious past, the proud memories of their olympics haven't faded. >> they're interested about the games, but they were interested in the competition between the 2004 games in athens and the games in london, and 2012. that was a favorite subject of discussions here in the country. >> as we came out there, in our minds, we never lose. >> london still inspired greece's next generation of olympians watching their sport stars, struggling with facilities hit by spending cuts, the youth water polo --

they are hoping they'll stem the tide of greece's sporting decline. >> i was very happy when i was the olympic games because even though they didn't play well, they're still my heroes, because they did their best. you have many economic problems in greece and they did their best. that's why they're my heroes. >> the olympic spirit here is fraying but perhaps in four years the country's current pain will have eased and olympic success will return. that would give greece something to shout about. mark bowen, bbc news, athens. >> members of the russian feminist band will find out this week whether they'll be jailed for a protest against vladimir putin, the rock stars including madonna, red hot chili peppers and sting are supporting the

demonstration and demonstrations are planned in 30 cities when they appear in court. the women face up to three years if convicted but members of the band have told bbc they would do it again. that's all from us for the moment. if you missed anything or are away from the screen, get more on the bbc website, bbc/news and join the conversation on our facebook as well. you've been watching bbc.