. >> reporter: zhou yongkang was of the standing committee the st says the party's cen to investigate him for grave violat zhou oversaw chi industries and served as chief of security. while in office, he was reported to have and wealth. xi jinping began to put on tackling the issue of corruption soon after he took office in november 2012. the communist party controlled the newspa. it says everyone is equal and the party rules and there are no exceptions. the article quoted xi as saying that the more disciplinary regulations are enforced, the more party solidarity and unity is maintained. >> translator: this case shows the government's strong will to tackle corruption. people have wanted this kind of action for a long time. >> reporter: one expert on chinese politics says it's a tactical move. >> translator: it's an unprecedented step to convict someone at the top of the leadership. xi jinping is trying to show the communist party, as well as the public, that he is serious about eliminating corrupt officials, even if it's an elder of the party. >> reporter: zhou was believed to have a

zhou yongkang is being investigated, but no further details. he was one of the nine leaders in the ruling. his members have been considered off-limits for provocation up until now. the french government says it is ready to offer asylum to iraqi christians forced to flee in the northern city of mozilla. many fled after they were told to convert to islam or face death. the country is home to an ancient christian community. we have a report. >> the aerobatic letter meaning christian outside buildings in mosul. christians an ultimatum -- convert, pay a tax, or be killed. >> all the people have left. nobody stayed there. >> 35,000 strong before isis fighters arrived. many have fled to kurdistan. they have struggled to cope with the struggle of displaced people. >> almost 300 families who stayed in the houses of relatives and friends. >> on monday, france came to the fence of a rocky christians, offering to welcome them -- france came to the defense of iraqi christians. >> humanitarian aid should be as significant as possible. asylum should be offere

they are investigating zhou yongkang, a man who used to sit alongside them. >> reporter: zhou was the ninth highe ranking member o standing committee unt november 2012. the state-run xinhua new says the party's central disciplinary commission decided to investigate him for grave violations of discipline. >> translator: this case shows the government's strong will to tackle corruption. while in office he was reported to have built up enormous power and wealth. >> president xi jinping vowed to tackle corruption soon after took office two year government officials jailed a number of party officials, including the former chi the mega city of chongqing. bo xilai enjoyed a close working relationship with zhou. >> translator: this case shows the government's strong will t tackle corruption. people have wanted thi action for a long ti. we can finally see being dragged down. >> reporter: it's a tactical move. >>translator: it's an unprecedented step to convict someone at the top of the leadership. xi jinping is trying to show the communist party and the public that he is serious about eliminat

the top hashtag on the chinese version of twitter, zhou yongkang under investigation. they used international tiger day yesterday to talk about how president xi jinping has vowed to track down both tigers and the greatest and the smallest in the fight against corruption. to pick today to whack a tiger is very meaningful indeed. >> this prosecution will leave the chinese president with unconditional powers, isn't it? >> that's right. a lot of people are saying that zhou's fall, which follows that of bo xilai, will leave president xi jinping as the most powerful leader since -- a chinese american says the president sees it as a risky move in deposing what he calls tiger zhou. well anticorruption moves might prove popular amid the chinese anticorruption moves might prove popular amid the chinese people, it might also -- a climate of fear could prevail within the communist already -- the communist party. be a challenge to seizing power in the end. we may not have heard the end of zhou. "properlyys, disposing of a captured tiger is no easy task." >> thank you very much for

zhou yongkang-- who retired in 2012-- was a powerful leader in the party's inner circle. its members have long been considered off-limits for prosecution to maintain party unity. it's the latest move in president xi jinping's widespread crackdown on corruption within the communist party. >> woodruff: mississippi's only abortion clinic will not be closing, a federal appeals court ruled today. a state law passed in 2012 required doctors at the clinic to have the privilege to admit patients to local hospitals, but the hospitals wouldn't give them those privileges. the court ruled that forcing women to go out of state placed an undue burden on a woman's right to seek an abortion. >> ifill: the acting u.s. surgeon general had a warning for sun worshippers today: stop sunbathing and stop using indoor tanning beds. a report released today cites a 200% jump in deadly melanoma cases since 1973. more than five million people in the u.s. are treated for skin cancer each year, and $8 billion is spent treating the mostly preventable disease. >> woodruff: a series of public hearings go