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>> welcome to gmt, i'm david e., also coming up, the time for national mourns as ethiopians pay respects to meles zenawi, also the rover prepares to test-drive on mars. >> it's mid day in london. 7:00 in the morning in washington. and 2:00 in the afternoon in athens, which is, once again, in the throes of crisis talks over greece's huge debts and its ability or otherwise to pin dock public spending, the prime minister, antonis samaras appeals for more time to make the spending cuts already agreed. if they don't greece will probably not receive the next tranche of bailout funding, 32 billion euros, $40 billion, and is positioned within the

eurozone would once again would be unsustainable. let's get the latest. we can cross to athens and bbc, mark, over to you. >> thank you indeed. the sun is blazing in athens but the summer lull is over and greece is again at the top of the european agenda and this prime minister, antonis samaras, will need all powers of persuasion, first for talks with the head of the euro group but then on friday and saturday with the french and german leaders. he will argue while greece will stick to its reforms over paths to austerity t. needs a pace, a wiggle room to slow the pace of austerity. he will say this is an extremely difficult set of demands for any country, let alone one stuck in its worst recession in living memory. >> he took on perhaps the most unenviable job in european politics and now comes the biggest test yet

for the greek prime minister. can antonis samaras secure the bailout lifeline while winning more time to reform? that challenge begins in athens in talks with the head of the eurozone finance minister, jean-claude yonker, mr. samaras will try to oust 11 1/2 billion dollars of cuts, hoping it will secure the next slice of the country's loan but also between another two years to cut greece's deficit to ease the pace of austerity. in an interview with the german daily build, mr. samaras laid out his position. let me be gentlemen ex--- very ex-private, we demand no additional money, all we want is air to breathe to get the economy running. more time does not automatically mean more money. and this is why he's asking. greece's social fabric is fray fraying, record unemployment is closing as one third is pushed below the poverty line.

the prime minister knows this nation can't take much more. later in the week the focus moves to german and france -- to germany and france where the discussions continue. they are tiring of greece's delays but they want to keep the pro bailout government in power and may finally give ground. >> the thoughts from some policymakers comment that a little flexibility is possible from the german side. they will at least give them the time to make up for the lost time during the elections we had earlier this year but not more than a few months. >> failure to win concessions from europe would mean more protests to come here by a nation angry at broken promises. violent social unrest can make an already tested government yet more fraj i'll. europe's patience with greece is wearing thin. antonis samaras needs to win favor abroad but he must also start to heal his broken country. >> that is where mr. samaras

will push talks today and later in the week and talk about how the country is suffering from austerity, one third pushed below the poverty line, unemployment, 23 percent and for young people, a staggering 54 percent. a source tells me he will not press for the two-year extension, he does not want to cause bad blood with them at this stage but he will broach the topic. will they respond positively? they are tiring of greek delays but they don't want to see greece leaving the euro for the moment for fear it could spread contagion to other indebted countries. >> mark, in athens, thank you very much. we're going to have a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. japan is sending its ambassador back to south korea to deal with a dispute over island territory which both countries claim. the ambassador was withdrawn in protest after the south korean president visited the

island earlier in the month. japan wants national arbitration over the islands which are occupied by south korea. >> nepal has banned women under the age of 30 from going to work in the middle east due to concerns about exploitation. perhaps 1000 women leave the middle east every day to take jobs as domestic workers. human rights groups say there is a rise in the number of those being abused. >> the gap between rich and rich and poor in latin american widens, a report says that on average the richest 20 percent of the population earn 20 times more than the poorest. guatemala is a country with the widest disparity. barack obama's latest warnings to syria over its chemical weapons is being criticized as dangerously irresponsible by china's official news agency, responding to remarks by obama that if syria attempted to use chemical weapons in

the conflict that would cross a so-called red line for the u.s. well the news agency claimed the americans and other western powers were looking for an excuse to intervene militarily in syria. i'm joined from beijing by our correspondent daman gramaticas. i should pont out this is coming from a news agency, not directly from a government official but one must assume i propose this is the voice of the government we're hearing. >> absolutely. this is shinwa, the official news agency, the mouth piece for the government here. so it's not officially coming from a government spokesman, as such, but it's reflecting, if you like, thinking at the top level of the government here and that is adamantly opposed to any intervention in syria and very, very concerned that events could move that way if things get out of hand on the ground. what we have is the strongly worded statement from shinwa

saying western nations are digging deep, it says, for excuses to intervene million early in another war-torn mideastern country. >> is there any hint, any suggestion, perhaps because of this or in spite of this, damian, that china itself is interested in moving its own position at this stage on syria? >> no, not really. what this statement makes very clear is that china says it does not want to see what it calls foreign crusades, because it points to earlier examples, it says somalia, iraq, libya, where those it says have engendered more violence. what china wants to see clearly laid out in this statement is new attempts to use the u.n. framework of ceasefire and u.n.-led mediation to reach a solution here because china feels any intervention would simply escalate the situation, in fact, china's position in this is simply by drawing such a red line that president obama may escalate the situation on the ground. i think the argument would be

by giving encouragement to those fighting the assad regime. >> damian grammaticas, thank you. >> and trying to use a prisoner as an unwitting suicide bomber on unknown forces, that evidence of video shot by "the new york times". gordon carera has this. a bomb being prepared on the back of a truck. the target, a nearby syrian government checkpoint at the entrance of the city of aopen --o aleppo. this video was shot by reporters for "the new york times" who spent five days with the group that fights under the banner of the free syrian army, they call times the lines of tapwed and say they'll accept nothing else than the end of the regime of assad. this is led by a former accountant and is becoming increasingly organized as the

bloody battle for the city of aleppo continues. they've taken over the abandoned swath of a police captain loyal to the regime who's left his personal possessions behind. as well as the family photos, they're also enjoying the luxuries he once had. the group has a prisoner, they say he's a member of the shabia militia which is loyal to the government and they have confessed to carrying out killings, he bears the bruises of a beating, it's said from those who held him before tonight. the rebels appear to be treating him well, offering him cigarettes and a shower and he's told that he'll be released as part of a prisoner exchange. blindfolded, he's driven toward the city. he's told all he'll have to do is drive the truck towards

a government checkpoint. what he doesn't know is the truck is the one that's been rigged with the 300 keelo bomb, the rebel fighters intend to detonate it remotely when he approaches the checkpoint. he's being tricked into being an unwitting suicide bomber. >> but the fighters return disappointed, when they press the designator, the bomb failed to explode. "the new york times" journalist who filmed all of this say that at the time, they were not aware of the rebels' intention. using prisoners as suicide bombers would certainly be considered a war crime. and while the president has said they respect the rights of prisoners this video shows what some rebel fighters are willing to do. gordon carera, bbc news. >> the paralympic flame is being lit on the highest peaks in northern scotland, ireland and wales today, and

in fact i've got pictures from scarfeld pike, the highest peak in england, as they get on with the job there. you see they've had scouts trekking up to the very peak to light that flame before takeing it back down. that will go to england's capitol which of course is london, but all four countries are going to have the flame in the capitol for a while and then it will, of course, all those flames will eventually head to the olympic park itself for the games. and we can take you now to a wonderful view, the bbc's griffith, always a wonderful view, but snowing in wales, who said it was summer. >> we are to the top of snowden, and we'll have a bit

of kind ling to light the flame. there is the peak behind me, if you can see behind me, and the welsh flame was lit here and he'll be joined with the english, modern irish flames later on. but not perfect conditions, let's say. and although i can tell you -- >> there's something to be said in terms of the grit and determination you need to make this come to life. it's what the paralympics are all about. >> they want some of that determination and endeavor to reflect on what the paralympics is all about. some of the people -- elaine hopes it will make people

think of the paralympics and eventually after the games make people think differently about those with different abilities, who have physical or mental health problems. i think when the pictures are seen over scotland, people get excited about the games and realize this is every difficult bit of sporting event complications of any job. >> these are elite athletes. i think it's worth pointing out the organizers have sold roughly 2 million tickets for a competition which traditionally doesn't sell tickets. it's all given away, so there's an attitude change, it seems. give us a quick resume of what happens now for the flame enroute to strat forwardford. >> -- stratford. >> the flame will make its way down, and over the weekend, there will be a big celebration on monday, a

holiday in the u.k., so people can go end enjoy some of the events in edinboro and belfast. and -- >> [inaudible] >> the paralympics were born in great britain. from there, it will be a 24 hor trek, through the night, the flames will go to the olympic park and that is where the games begin. so a lot of events from now until the start of the games next week. the lighting of the flames certainly signifies the paralympics are coming. >> and in all respects i'm sure this is a day you will never forget, thank you very much indeed. >> let's move on now to the situation in ethiopia where thousands of people have descended on the capitol to mourn president melse -- meles zenawi, he was 57 years

old. a period of national mourning has been announced. joining us is the bbc's peter biles and we're getting a sense of there is a mood descending over the country as a whole but particularly there. >> that's right. ethiopians are observing a week of national mourning, the body of meles zenawi was flown home last night. we don't know exactly where he died but we understand the body was flown from brussels, it arrived here late in the evening, met by a guard of honor at adas airport and thousands turned out to see the coffin as it left the airport and made its way into the city. now, we understand that meles' body is lying in state and the funeral will be held in probably a week's time but flags are flying at half mast but on the streets, it's pretty much business as usual, people are going about business, shops and businesses are open, taxis and buses are running, but

many people have been stunned by the sudden death of meles zenawi because they had been led to believe by the government he was recovering well from his recent illness and out of the blue came this announcement tuesday morning he died abroad. >> it doesn't take long for talk to turn to what next, and we understand across the turn, the deputy prime minister takes on the reigns, but right up to 2015? >> well, i think that's an open question. the deputy prime minister has taken over the reigns of power for now. that still has to be confirmed by parliament, who will swear him in and we understand that parliament may be recalled very shortly to do that. it's really up to the party. the eprds, of which zenawi was the head. and the -- becoming prime minister means you're head of the party. it will be for the party to decide who heads the party and who becomes prime

minister. there's a party congress early next year which may upset things slightly, but for the now at least, the deputy prime minister is going to take over and follow in the foot steps of meles zenawi. >> thank you, peter. you're watching gmt. still to come in the program, unlocking secrets of the red planet. if it can get into gear, nasa's rover will have its first test day. >> lightning has sparked a massive wildfire in northern california. the fire is now very close to three small towns, about 200-kilometers north of sacramento, forcing thousands of people out of their homes. >> 100 feet high and burning everything in sight, this fire in northern california has been raging since saturday, and it's still a long way from being contained strong winds are fanning

flames and it's at an alarming rate. >> within literally minute that is fire went from three to five to 20 to 100 acres and then to thousands of acres. >> hundreds of firefighters are braving treacherous conditions, doing all they can to get the upper hand. because the terrain is steep and covered in dense forest it's extremely difficult for the firefighters to get to its core but this is a two-pronged attack, hydroplanes are helping men on the ground, helping firefighters get to areas they can't reach. there are several fires in the west of the united states , this one was sparked by lightning. it's now on the outskirts of three small towns, putting more 3000 homes and hundreds of businesses at risk and people are scared. >> it's just been overwhelming. overwhelming. it's strong. and i pray every night that it's not going to take my home. >> those who have been forced out of their homes are being held in emergency shelters

until it's safe to return. nearly 2000 firefighters have been drafted in to fight this fire, but the land is parched and the winds are strong, putting it out could take a while. bbc news. >> the pictures are quite frightening, aren't they? it's not just in california. across southern europe, more wildfires. if you go to bbc.com/news, you can get more on the situation across the board. 24 this is gmt from bbc world news, i'm david eades. the headlines, prime minister samaras calling for more time to carry out spending cuts and economic reform. in an interview with the german newspaper mr. samaras says greece may need breathing space. >> thousands of mourners descended on ethiopia's capitol as zenawi's body

arrives home from brussels. >> time for business news, aaron is with me. shall we start with russia? >> yes. >> it's been a long way. >> we've been waiting haven't we? >> the world -- >> the trade organization, yes, wto, after 20 years, 19 to be precise, russia today officially a member of the world trade organization, it's the 156th member in the organization, and basically, this is the last major economy to join it. what does it mean? i think it's important to remind everybody the wto is not a magic wand but for the russian consumer pretty much an assistant boost, this means russian retailers will be able to import goods into russia from all over the world without having to pay the huge tariffs or duties. that means more goods on the russian market, more choice for the russian consumer. more choice means more competition, more competition means lower prices, so good thing for them. russian exporters will also be able to take advantage of lower tariffs and duties at

the wto office and at the moment, russian exporters pay about $2 billion a year in foreign tariffs, so that's also of benefit. those are some of the advantages at the moment. so what are the cons if you will, are there disadvantages to joining the wto. this is what the experts had to tell me. >> wtoception is a -- w -- wto, the advantages or disadvantages won't happen overnight, but i think in the beginning will actually see the disadvantages that the acception brings, especially for the russian companies that are not necessarily competitive, that they're in need of modernization. so this openness to more trade and competition will put pressure on these companies either to get out of the business or modernize themselves. so this will -- this may bring unemployment to certain sectors, especially in cities that have single industries. >> what is interesting about this, the comparisons with china and russia.

china joined the wto in 2001 and it was an instant boost, foreign investment poured in by the billions, exports, china grew by 26 percent a year, and it took china to the second largest economy. to add something else, another member joined the wto, the beautiful island in the pacific, 157th member and you can only think what it's going to do for the coconut and conch business! >> let's move on to another very important story, obviously, these allegations of money laundering with iran, and it's not just standard chatter in the firing line. >> it's not only in the u.k. but european and japanese banks, i have to tell you that, but albeit confirmed today that the u.s. is investigating it, probeing it over the allegations of money laundering, standard charter, the other british bank last week paid a fine for the same sort of thing, $340 million, but the experts are telling me the difference between

abias and standard charter -- rbs and standard charter, there are differences, but the rbs is more serious. listen to this. >> there are actually sanctions. the fundamental problem is a problem of perception. it's where most european banks assume that an iranian is innocent until proven guilty. it doesn't mean they're terrorists or soon to be terrorists. america wants british banks and foreign banks to assume they're guilty until proven innocent because of the sanctions in place and those two cultural differences are causing the biggest problem. >> and the outcome for rbs, like standard charter, will be to come. >> thank you for all of that. i suppose all the scientists in nasa are going to feel like anxious parents because mars' rover is expected to take its first test-drive. it's over two weeks since it landed on mars, scientists think it's ready to embark on the two-year mission to explore the planet for signs of life.

>> curiosity's first baby step on mars. a little wig -- wiggle of its wheel shows the rover is ready to roll, later today it will go on its first test-drive, forward a few meters, turn of its wheels and then it will try reversing, and this will be its terrain. it is the first all-round view of the landing site. a vast crater we will spend the next two years studies. >> i've been waiting eight years for this thing to be ready and here we are, about to move, driving short bits in the beginning but eventually, maybe able to go 100-meters each day and there will always be new signs, targets and questions coming up every time we stop the rover and look around. >> nasa says that apart from the damaged wind sensor, all systems are working well. soon, the science will begin.

bb. c news. >> a reminder of our top story on gmt, the greek government has urged its eurozone partners to give it more time to make the spending cuts needed to meet the determines of -- terms of its financial bailout, ahead of meetings with the european leaders, the greek prime minister samaras told a german newspaper greece needed breathing space for its economy. that's all for the