>> this is bbc world news. funding for 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. >> china debates over what to

leaders will guide the country through the next decade. they will be unveiled in a few days but delegates of the chinese communist party congress admit they have no clear idea of who they think it will be. >> with the world's attention focused on the very top of the chinese leadership meeting here in beijing, we will be asking what life is like at the bottom. meeting card-carrying members of the communist party. >> welcome to "gmt." also on the program -- syrian were plans bomb a rebel-held town on the turkish border, killing six. floods in venice -- heavy rain and wind it wreak havoc in north and central italy. midday in london, 7:00 in the morning in washington and 8:00 in the evening in beijing where

delegates of china's, this party have been deliberating. this week the focus on the world will be on the handful of men about to take their seats at the very top of china's, this party. but what about the other 82 million members. why did people join? do they still believe in communism? from the chinese capital -- interesting times, john. >> they are very interesting times. of course, the focus has been on the very few men at the very top of the party, for good reason. we have heard a lot less from ordinary chinese citizens this week because they have almost no say in the power transition taking place here in beijing. nonetheless, this is all about the party, of course. this is not the changing of the offices of state but the shuffling of key positions at the top of the communist party. in that sense, in the broadest possible sense, the opinions of

party members do matter. we have been speaking to just three of them. but people are for most, says the slogan at this factory gate. inside, the flame of party loyalties still burn strong. and you don't have to search hard for a reason. a safety supervisor has been a communist party member for six years. a period of booming economic growth during which across the country the organization has added another 7 million members to its ranks. the people's lives are getting better, he says. china is moving in the right direction to becoming cheap -- toward becoming a developed country. we should support the party. this week is all about the transition of power at the very top. but the grass roots afarmers anl account for about one-third of

the party. but that proportion is now matched by a new class of member. ms. golden cow, one ton in weight, is testament to the money being made in one village. to professionals to businessmen hoping -- open -- hoping to get rich, a party card is not compulsory but it certainly helps. the party chief keeps an eye on the stock market and sees no contradiction with the party's founding principles. >> our goal is to realize communism, he says. it could be in 10, 100, or even 500 years but the primary aim is to make everyone rich. >> in one important sense, little has changed since the day -- days of chairman mao. the monopoly on party is unyielding. there is still no political freedom. personal freedom, though, is on the rise and the party does not that people around as it once

did. but the bar for joining is still set high. not smoking, getting good grades, helping schoolmates, this university student tells me, are qualities that have helped him become one of the lucky few of course, the communist party of china faces a real challenges at this moment in transition. but with 82 million members and a growing, no one should underestimate the firm hold it retains over people's lives. >> john, obviously there is still this sense of almost secrecy. no real clarity as to what kind of leadership we are going to see. >> that is right. we know with only -- almost certainly that that the current vice president will emerge as the new party general secretary but there will be speculation as to which personalities join him at the top table. there will be some debate about whether the personalities are

slightly more or less conservative than the norm in the party. i think that is the key. it would be wrong probably to suggest that anybody likely to emerge at the top of the party is a reformist, in a sense we might understand a word and other political systems. they will have risen to the high ranks they have because of their conformity and not because of their willingness to challenge the system. it is shrouded in secrecy. something else worth pointing out, the report you have seen, we approached more than two dozen ordinary party members until we found just three willing to talk to us. it gives you a sense of the secrecy and nervousness there is in chinese society. even about speaking out about the very basic in central political institution to life here which is the communist party. >> john, we will be watching closely and i know you will be watching, too.

syrian fighter jets bombed a turkish border town. it sent huge plumes of black smoke and according to a witness said scores of syrians running into turkey. syrian forces are trying to recapture the area from rebels who took the town last thursday. let's speak to the bbc's middle east correspondent. jim, more violence carrying on. the significance of this attack. >> of course, it was right on the turkish border. apparently a bomb exploded, dropped by a syrian air force jet, right on the border, about 10 meters inside syria. but very close, close enough to smash windows from the explosion in the adjacent turkish town and also causing a number of civilians to flee across the border. last thursday some been --

something like 9000 crossed the border. rebels of taken hold of it and now the government is struggling to dislodge them. and the battle goes on. extremely close to turkey. golan heights, the request of the ceasefire line on sunday -- an indication this war is very close to the border, sometimes spills over. but i think in both cases, the israeli case and the turkish case, neither of the two countries is looking to get embroiled in the struggle inside syria. they are watching it very closely. they have responded to things coming across the border in the immediate area, but they are not interested in blowing this up and starting a more general conflict with the syrian armed forces. >> we have also heard that under great arab and western pressure, the new opposition

group -- putting aside the differences, the various factions. how effective do think the new opposition group is? of course, there are saying to rid syria of president bushehr al-assad. >> it remains to be seen, but it will certainly give strong support from western powers who have withheld the support so far -- the previous umbrella group, at least at the leadership level, into this new coalition, joining other forces. some perhaps more politically engaged with what is going on in the ground inside syria. certainly more credible body. and the first step is that the new leader is on his way to cairo to seek recognition there and it is quite possible that the new coalition would be given seats at the arab league that

had been taken away from the real name. as promised as part of the deal from america -- the unification of the opposition forces. how effective it will be will be a larger measure in the hands of the western powers and their regional allies. how much aid they give it. >> jim, thanks very much for joining me. got some news coming through regarding -- the radical cleric. a ruling on whether he can be deported to jordan where he has been accused of plotting bomb attacks has been given and this has been -- his appeal against deportation to jordan has been allowed. the european court of human rights previously blocked the

deportation saying there was a real risk that evidence obtained by torture would have been used against him. the british government said it did receive assurances from jordan that he would get a fair trial. but of course, that was disputed by abu qatada's lawyers. as we get more, we will bring it to you. a look at some of the other stories. the woman who was the target of the arresting e-mails from the level of former cia director david petreaus is being named as jill kelley. the fbi launched an inquiry after she said she received this e-mail from biographer paula broadwell. it revealed the affair and led to mr. petreaus's resignation. influential japanese politician has been cleared of charges and a scandal. the high court upheld an earlier acquittal on charges he conspired not to report a $5 million loan for his political organization. a strong earthquake has hit or gemologist days after at least

52 people were killed by the country's most powerful earthquake in decades. the earthquake was a magnitude 6.2, an epicenter of the of guatemala's pacific coast. it is also -- was also felt in el salvador and mexico. days of relentless rain have left more than two-thirds of the libyan -- italian city of venice submerged. thousands have been forced to flee. 70% of venice has been flooded, and more than 200 people evacuated from their homes in tuscany because of severe weather. a combination of the heavy rains and strong winds did caused the flooding and many have been evacuated from the area. let's talk to alan johnston and has been covering this from rome. what are you hearing there? >> this is a kind of year when dennis knows it must brace for flooding. this is a time of year for these weeks in autumn, where large, high tide surges through the city on occasion quite commonly.

but what we have seen over the last 24 hours has been something extraordinary. the six highest tides since records began back about 130 years ago. at one point, as he said, 70% of venice was under water yesterday. strong, southerly winds coming up the adriatic, driving mass of water into venice's lagoon. and torrential rain across a large swath of northern italy, into the rivers that feed into the lagoon as well. i have to say, though, fortunately in the course -- the very high tide that has been predicted has proved to be a lot less serious than people feared, , and this morning the latest reports art that only about 5% of venice has been flooded in the course of the morning. >> we have often seen the square

foot, people walking through with wellington boots. how prepared of the people of venice for something like this? >> just something last night to a young venetian who said, of course, flooded like this really is part of the background to life. an extraordinary city that stands at the lagoon. the matter how many times to go through this is, and she said, scary to see the c pouring in across down to the alleyways, taking over 70% of the city yesterday. of course, a huge amount of disruption and dislocation, a great deal of floodwater, a huge clearing up that has to happen. most nations do not actually live in their ground floor areas of their homes. they leave that for storage. restaurants, offices, shops do have to function on their ground floors and there, often -- where

it is hit hardest and most that the dislocated by drubbing this time of year. >> thank you very much for bringing us up to date. thank you. more to come on -- what does it mean for the international broadcaster's reputation? west african leaders said they intend to send more than 3000 troops to northern mali in an attempt to recapture the area from the slums metals -- rebels. the north has been in the hands of the rebels since an army q caused a vacuum -- coup caused a vacuum >> more than seven months after radicals to the veterans of the chaos following a military coup and seize control of the north. militants imposed shrek to g.

district sharia law and even destroy the tombs in the ancient city of timbuktu. thousands of people have fled the area to neighboring countries, including niger, a jury to the north and mauritania to the west. it is not just the people of mali the spill threaten but other african countries and the wider global community are concerned mali might become a safe haven for al-qaeda to launch attacks elsewhere. at at a meeting on sunday from leaders of a west african -- plans were announced for 3000 soldiers drawn from countries like senegal, ghana, nigeria, and burkina faso. the nigerian president good look jonathan told the meeting that mali's neighbors must unite to impose stability. >> one of the lessons years of conflict has meant an hour subregion have taught us -- that trade conflict in one

country as a regional challenge requiring a common regional response. >> plant -- plants could take some while to implement. the first half to secure the agreements with the african union and the u.n. security council. >> for more on this and other stories, you can take a look at the bbc website, bbc.com/news. you all watching "gmt" from bbc world news. >> which of leaders will guide the country through the next decade. syrian aircraft bombed rebel- held town killing at least six people and sending refugees across the border. it is time to get an update on the world of business with aaron.

greece -- look, but jets -- budgets -- and desperate for this money from the e you. it hasn't done enough? the people there are not happy. >> they are not happy and they will not be happy with what was passed last night. the approved and passed the 2013 budget. boy, it comes with another round of the cuts that will hit the likes of public sector wages, it will hit pensions and other benefits. but a very important budget because this whole budget was pinned on whether or not athens was going to get the next chunk of bailout money to the tune of $40 billion. athens is telling us by this friday it runs out of money. the question is -- will it get the money? we know eurozone finance ministers are meeting today but they want to see the report card that was put together by the troika, the international lenders. whether in athens have been

doing a good job. athens have said -- we have passed the budget, we have done what you said. we deserve this money. >> i think it is just a matter of time for that to be accepted. there is a slight disagreement within the troika as to the levels of gdp for the 2020 period. just a technicality. and we would expect the measures, those funds to be allocated to greece over the next few weeks. the issue, however, is not a short-term impact but the more medium to long term concerns. will the people in greece be willing to accept the measures in 2013 or is greased built at risk of leaving the eurozone? companies -- about they have come under attack in the u.k. by the way they do or did not pay taxes. >> google, amazon and starbucks. the question is do they pay their fair share of taxes question of senior executives from companies will be answer the questions in front of a british parliamentary committee

later on today, basically a tax committee. why these three? they have been accused of low and no tax. starbucks, according to reports, paid no income or corporate tax and the u.k. in the past three years. >> this is all legal. >> i have to stress that, all legal. moving paid $9 million last year but it generated $600 million. -- google paid $9 million less. amazon made sales nearly $5 million and the tax paid -- 0. it is legal, but it is complicated as well. let's look a what one tax expert told me. >> i think we have to look and see what actually happens. because many of the sales may not have taken place actually in the u.k. from activities taking place here. they may well have sold into the u.k. from elsewhere. that is perfectly legitimate for companies to do. so, you have to look at see what is going one in a particular country and if something is

happening than tax it, but if nothing is happening there you are simply selling to customers here, you should not expect to pay tax on profits. >> we will talk to you later on. but it will be interesting. -- >> interesting. westerwelle once the national inquiry over widespread allegations of institutional widespread child abuse. the government has considered a will commission. but been kennedy has more. >> it will be one of the most wide-ranging investigation of child abuse by any country, taking in not only the catholic church but other religions, schools, charities, and state care providers. the prime minister said only a national inquiry could reveal all the facts about what she called the evil of child abuse. been any instance of child abuse is a vile and evil thing -- australians know that. and the australians know from

the relations they have read in recent weeks that too many children have suffered child abuse but have also seen other adults let them down. >> dozens of catholic priests have already been implicated in recent years. in the city of melbourne alone, 74 members of the clergy have faced abuse accusations. steven woods was a view from the age of 11 and welcomes their royal commission. >> it is still a major problem because people are still suffering. families are still being destroyed. the a string of hit-wide royal commission will help write out a lot of the criminals and cover- up still going on. >> two inquiries at the state level were already underway. this one in victoria have been told of 620 individual cases of abuse by catholic clergy -- catholic clergy. australia's most prominent catholic the says the report is needed to clear the air but that most of the abuses took place

decades ago. but those arguments have not been accepted, which is why this royal commission will look at claims of abuse wherever and whenever they have taken place. it makes a much broader than almost any other abuse inquiry has gone before, including places like ireland and the united states there is no date yet on when the commission will report. but it has the scope to open deep wounds on events that may have taken place in the past but still inflict pain today. duncan kennedy, bbc news, sydney. >> following the resignation of the bbc director-general after just eight weeks in the job, today two more senior executives have been told to step aside. george entwistle resigned saturday following a bbc investigation that led to a former british mp been wrongly accused of child abuse. let's get more on how this ongoing crisis has affected the bbc and his reputation. our correspondent joins in. naomi, the seven going love for

quite awhile. should we be surprised by the most recent news that we have had a shift in the senior office? been i did not think we should be priced. and has been going on for weeks. bbc have been headlines for although it relates on just one program, news night, because it is a flag shop -- flagship it tainted the whole of bbc journalism. that is why the new acting director general has not wasted any time today in insisting that it is going to get a grip of this problem and restore public faith in the bbc. >> it has been a very difficult episode. and the bbc is all about trust. the bbc needs to be trusted. if we have not got that, we have not got anything. what i have done over the last day -- and it has been a busy day -- if i have not focused on creating a central chain of command and in news, work on how i can get assurances from the

man and charged that the output we have is fully trustworthy. >> i am going to pick up on the were trustworthy. that is what the bbc prides its reputation on, and how it has affected the reputation. >> this boils down to the way the bbc is funded. remember, it is funded by a license fee on television sets up and down the country. >> in the uk. >> so it is vital the public do have faith in the bbc. i suppose the good news for the bbc is that it is a reputation is quite high amongst the british public. for example, the coverage of the olympics this summer or much of its global news coverage. for example, the coverage of syria or bend burma. so, in that respect it will rebound from this. >> also it is a global organization -- bbc world being an example. how is this crisis viewed from around the world? >> i have been looking from some of the reaction.

china's central television questioned whether it cast doubts of the bbc's credibility, with one commentators say it reveals the hypocrisy of the bbc's so-called and partiality -- impartiality. but broadcasters and the united states will have been actually admiring the way the bbc has been scrutinizing itself, and arguably -- the old director general, cross-questioning from one of the bbc's premier presenters. so in that sense it has also drawn some admiration. >> certainly not an issue that will go away soon. that is all for the moment. please, stay with us here on bbc world news. there is plenty more to come. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news.

>> funding for 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 use their expertise in global finance to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our extended global network to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.

♪ >> on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns lining the bloody trenches that scarred europe ceased. it was a war to end all wars.