♪ >> this is "bbc world news." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard

to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> and another jail sentence in china's biggest political scandal in years. the provincial police chief is jailed for 15 years for his part in a cover-up that has rocked the communist party. ♪ >> hello, welcome to "gmt." with a world of news and

opinion. also in the program, the inside story of the audacious attack on the camp bastion by the taliban. we hear from those involved in the gun butt -- gun battle. and the british actor, damian lewis, picks up an emmy for his role in the "homeland." it is midday in london, 7:00 a.m. in the morning in washington, and 7:00 in the evening in china where they have been sentenced to 15 years in jail for their part to cover up the murder of a british businessman. the affair has seen the provincial governor suspended and his wife convicted of the murder. it might all be described in the

but of local difficulty if it were not for the communist party trying to manage the transition to a new leadership. >> it is a hard fall from grace to one of china's most senior and high profile police chiefs. as he began his sentence, he was contrite. >> i would like to express my regret for the crimes i committed. i will spend the rest of my life repaying the party. >> a line has not yet been drawn under the scandal. there is still an undecided fate for this man. his former boss is one of china's most foul were full politicians. earlier this year his police chief sought refuge at the u.s. consulate and officials an extraordinary story, alleging that his wife had murdered his

british business partner. before the unauthorized visit, he had been accused -- for the unauthorized visit, he is accused of trying to defect. he could, in theory, have been given the death penalty. but he has been shown some leniency. had he not blown the whistle, it is likely the crime would never have come to life. as a result, his wife was eventually convicted of poisoned. her husband waits to hear if you will face a criminal court and has been suspended from his seat. he was once tipped for an even higher position when the communist party appoints new leadership later this year. it has altered the chinese political landscape, raise questions about corruption at the highest level, unsettling what was meant to be a smooth

transition. >> british and u.s. soldiers balance against insurgents use -- wearing u.s. army uniforms. this was inside one of the largest nato bases in afghanistan. the bbc has had exclusive access to camp bastion to talk to soldiers involved in the attack. quentin somerville reports. >> this is a replacement for aircraft destroyed by the taliban just over one week ago. this was the scene of a fierce battle between the insurgents and american and british troops. taliban fighters breached the perimeter just a short distance away and attack from two positions. they quickly moved here, to where they were firing rocket- propelled grenades. in a short space of time they

destroyed six harrier jets and seriously damaged two. it is the single biggest loss of american air power since vietnam. the taliban claimed that this video shows the insurgents in training. the attack bears the hallmark of the talks on the network -- hakkani network. the attack from inside the base came as a complete surprise. >> they actually exploited that base. >> two of the heavily armed vehicles were left disabled. attack helicopters were called in as well.

the prince was taken to a secure location. it was helicopters that killed the remaining behind the concrete blast walls. the marines have started to replace the lost at -- lost aircraft. one commander was killed. so was sgt bradley. 14 taliban died in battle. >> what kind of lessons do you think were learned? >> we have been lulled into a false sense of security here. >> this attack was unthinkable, but the tactics used were enormous to the reputation. >> quentin reporting, we can join him now. your report, in a way, raises a

question. ok, the taliban was seen, but if they can do this now, what might they achieve after forces have left and nato has withdrawn? >> i think it is a reminder that the international mission here in afghanistan is facing a sophisticated enemy, able to manage this kind of attack against the most secure locations in afghanistan. we believe that the network here responsible for the attack is the same responsible for most of the attacks in kabul. the have launched similar, sophisticated attacks. this was a reminder of just how strong the taliban are, resilience. not just resilience, but the

ability to rejuvenate despite the fact that this war has been going on for 11 years. >> for the benefit of our viewers, tells who the hakkani network are and the tactics needed to deal with them. >> they are one of the most vicious parts of the insurgency. the have launch some of the most spectacular attacks across the country. they are based in pakistan, like most of the insurgent groups working here in afghanistan. many of the members do not really distinguish themselves from other members of the taliban. they are also a criminal group, with huge criminal operations in the east of the country. a very fierce insurgent group that the united states has listed as a terror group and have said they will not sit down and have these discussions with

them. >> thank you very much. theet's take a look at other stories making headlines. the presidents of sudan and south sudan have resumed talks about -- over the disputes that brought them close to war this year. they're trying to find a comprehensive agreement on issues like the border, security, and oil. the u.n. has threatened sanctions if a deal is not signed. the day after an avalanche in northern the paul with france, germany, and spain, at least one person died. they were engulfed by snow. one catholic in germany has

opted out of paying a religious tax and has been denied religious burial. endorsed by the fact that it comes into effect today, this sharp increase for the number of germans who have decided not to pay. those are civilian casualties mounting in the conflict in syria. the syrian army is also seeing an increasing number of soldiers. many of them are in the western coastal region. a stronghold of the minority sect. the chief correspondent of the bbc is amongst one of the first western teams they're reporting from the village. >> she is burying her husband today.

she wails that the light from her eyes is gone. the 26-year-old flight lieutenant died when his helicopter crashed. the entire village turned out. many fired guns. it is the 17th time that the village has lost one of its own. here, far from the front lines, there is space enough to mourn the troops.

many syrians do not get that chance. his final journey was up the steps of his family home. his mother waits. but for him, grief is not just personal. he tells me that his mother is syria. as the grief wells up, so this anchor. she shouts that those who slaughter violate every religion. for many years this war has threatened the very identity. that is why members of this minority sect are ready to defend it and their president with their lives. another young man buried, another soldier dead.

>> i am interrupted by the soldier's teacher. >> this is complex and severe. we do not like it and do not want it. >> syrians are dying every day. many more on the other side. everyone says that they want peace, but with each new one it seems further away. the next funeral in this village starts in one hour. bbc news reporting. >> still to come on "gmt," are big businesses helping to pry johannesburg from the group of gangsters? ♪ >> the daughter of the south korea former military strongman

has apologized for the human rights violations committed and is currently running for president in the south korean december elections. just a warning, there is some fast photography in this report. >> just weeks into her presidential nomination, the first credible female candidate is apologizing. not for herself, but for her father. >> i think that incidents in the past damaged constitutional values and delayed the political development of correa. i apologize once again to the victims and their families and said the government. >> he was perhaps south korea's best known president.

his legacy has left a long shadow. for weeks she has tried to tread a fine line between those perspectives of her father's rule. controversy in the past has continued to dog her campaign amongst younger, liberal voters, whose support she needs to win. >> people are well aware for difficulty in terms of judging the parents and the errors. however, as long as i am standing as the country's presidential candidate, i should answer the people. >> she has been battling her legacy since the beginning of her campaign. the question now is whether or not this public apology will lay that to rest. ♪

>> this is "gmt" from "bbc world news." our top story, the biggest political scandal for china in decades, the police chief there is jailed for 15 years. let's catch up now with the business news hour. let's start with this company, fox con. there are loads of factories in china. >> good to see you back, by the way. fox, is back, but not for the right reasons. just so that everyone knows we're talking about, they are a technology giant in china. they're one of the biggest employers there. they have got some big, western name customers. the work for apple. there are other mobile phones

out there, of course. they do produce the iphone. they have supplied parts to microsoft, hewlett-packard. today they shut down one of their factories. there was a fight and it is being investigated, it is believed that it was more of a personal dispute. it has been a hectic couple of years for this company. a spate of worker suicides, big complaints over working conditions. more bad press means bad news. could this makes some of their big, western clients look elsewhere? >> apple, for example, does not want headlines of suppliers in brawls that the factories. they are a massive supplier and employer in china. 1.2 million employees.

if that kind of supply chain makes it difficult for these countries to go elsewhere at a moment's notice, particularly if you like apple, it seems to be bringing out a new product every month. certainly that expertise will be valued by these companies. >> we talked about china as the kind of engine of growth and so on. everyone is looking out for sales figures going up or down. >> are they still spending? >> they like it better western luxury. good news for italy, they came out today not long ago. in the past six months they had failed. their net profits jumped 16%. >> there was meant to be a slowdown. >> it is a luxury goods maker that has ridden through the financial crisis, they are

writing quite high. the have turned their attention away from europe, who has been tightening their belts. in asia in particular, a young chinese readers love it. burberry came out and issued a profit warning saying that china is slowing down and that is hitting profits. given the numbers today, that could be more of a berber the problem. -- burberry problem. in terms of a tree sales, they're over here, prada is up here. prada, you could argue, could be a bit more of a stare. people will say that if you want true western luxury, there are only a few brands that really matter. >> we will keep our eyes on this sector.

>> thank you. >> four years, central johannesburg has an notoriously dangerous place. hijacking entire buildings and turning them into cheap hostels for the growing underclass. but that is changing. >> the notoriously mean streets of johannesburg. chased away by criminals, it has become a maze of squalor and danger. these are office blocks hijacked by gangsters. >> we have gained access to one stolen building. in the basement there was a dark storm with dozens of others. >> do you feel safe here?

>> sometimes i do not feel safe. >> but you have no choice? >> i have no choice. >> four years, big chunks of johannesburg have been controlled by gangsters. but things are changing fast now. not so much because of better policing, but the big business is starting to see the potential in places like this. so, all over the city the builders are returning, gutting, rampaging, transforming chaos into decent, low-rent accommodations for this booming middle-class. >> armed gangs with a k-47's. very vibrant, this is the sign. a sign of a return to normality. >> the new normal include high- tech security for this handymen.

he is married, with three children. another family join the crowds, clawing their way out of poverty. >> my life is going like this. i can see that i am progressing. >> this is still a rough city. there are not enough schools here. as prices rise, many have been forced out. still, the dangers and the squalor are receding. and your party, bbc news -- andrew harvey, bbc news. >> the gluteus night of the year

for u.s. television, the emmys. "homeland," said to be the president's favorite show, scooped up four prizes. they stopped "madmen" in its tracks, denying the show a record-setting five trophies. >> the emmys are the oscars of television. the best of american prime-time comedy and drama. >> tonight we honor the one thing we love more than anything else in hollywood. ourselves. >> there was one runaway winner in the drama category. >> "homeland." >> the scoop up four top prizes. the series, best writing, best actress, best actor. >> hello, everyone.

i am damian lewis, one of those pesky brits. apologies. they do not really believe in judging art, but i thought i would show up just in case. turned out all right. >> she is still not coming. >> there was a lot of hype over the british. drama, "downton abbey, but the only big winner of the night was maggie smith. best supporting actress. and it was a disastrous year for the '60s at agency drama, "madmen." they would have made history had a one for five years running. jon stewart's competition tried to stop him from collecting his

tent award in a row for "the daily show." best show, best directing, best supporting actor and actress. predictable winners on the night of surprises. bbc news, los angeles. >> we will have more on the winners and losers later on. we will be asking if damian lewis was right when he talked about this being a golden age of television drama. all right, a reminder of our top story. a senior chinese police chief became the last person to be caught up in the scandal surrounding the murder of a british businessman late last year.

he has been jailed for 15 years for trying to cover up the murder. that is all for the moment, but stay with us here on "bbc world news." we have plenty more to come.