solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america." beginsian government sending details of its chemical weapons to an international court in the hague, boiler be enough. awaiting a verdict in china, a leader ismmunist scheduled to hear his fate. and meet the german singing sensation who is trying to take america by storm. tonight, we sit down with the artist who counts bono as a act singer.r -- as a backup

welcome to our viewers on public television and around the globe. our viewers on public television and around the globe. syrian government began sending details of its chemical weapons to an international watchdog in the hague. the agency known as the organization of prohibition of chemical weapons will supervise the removal and destruction of all of the weapons by the middle of next year. a move aimed at averting u.s. airstrikes. under any circumstances, there is bound to be a key point. asked week's meeting of world leaders at the united nations. richard galpin reports. >> you an inspector is connected -- collected samples from the site in damascus last month and concluded that the nerve agent sarin had been used. their analysis of the trajectory

of the rockets fired in the attack also implied the government was responsible. although they still deny it, the syrian authorities have now started handing details of their chemical weapons arsenal to the international community. so it can be removed and destroyed. willif this happens, syria still be awash with conventional weapons. fighting two years of has left much of the country in ruins. it is estimated more than 120,000 people are dead. many others have been seriously injured. have been there suggestions that moderate rebel groups handling government forces may get more, not less help, from the west in the form of weapon supplies aimed at tilting the balance in their favor. richard galpin, bbc news. thehat is complicating

picture in syria is it is no longer a battle between the government and the rebels. this week, two opposition groups have been fighting near the turkish border. a cease- agreed to fire, but there still appears to be anger on both sides. paul wood is there with this report. stuck, with no hope of getting home. these refugees in turkey fled the syrian regime. now they must also worry about emerging conflict between al qaeda and other rebel groups. their menfolk are fighters. they don't think the cease-fire agreed to today will make any difference in the end. art creation of a hadis are ahe jia creation of the regime, he says, and after we toppled the regime, we will do with them, too.

propaganda from the main outside of group in syria. the islamic state in a rack in syria, as they are known, has a not-so-subtle message. we are on the march. car with explosives, he says, embraced death, teach the infidels a lesson. it seems to be a camp for suicide bombers. the young men are becoming a last swing before martyrdom, he explains. jihadis black flag flew briefly over the town, but the struggle was as much over spoils as ideology. the foreground is the commander for northern syria. his brigade broker the cease- fire with al qaeda, yet he is also an islamist. he is not waging a global jihad like al qaeda, he told me, but

he is fighting for sharia law in syria. yes, we are fighting for sharia, he says, but a moderate sharia that respects religious minorities. he goes on to tell me that anyone against the regime is an is againstl qaeda the regime. his man in action in aleppo today, fighting government troops. they welcome al qaeda's help. fighters say al qaeda is an enemy, too. syria has become dauntingly complex, one more reason western governments hesitate to intervene. turkey's border, near the recent fsa-al qaeda clashes, remained closed today despite the cease- fire. food and aid supplies were stuck. it is too early to tell if the cease-fire will hold.

there have been many skirmishes in the northern parts of serial between the jihadis and the free syrian army. what does this mean for the armed uprising? long-term, it may help the fsa get more assistance from the western governments and they put distance between themselves and al qaeda. short-term, if the rebels are fighting each other, they are not fighting the regime. paul wood, bbc news, on the border with syria. >> for more on the diplomatic escutcheons that will take lace at the united nations next week, i am joined by the chief washington correspondent of the new york times. is beginning to account for chemical weapons stockpiles. did the threat of the u.s. airstrike work? >> i think the threat worked, but in the end of the president had done the strike, he probably would not be in as good a place as he is in today because there

was not much of a plan or one that somebody could explain to me for what they were going to do the day after the strike. so this at least puts the syrian's on a schedule that they will either adhere to or not. with the syrian's did today which was begins a turnover lists of what the weapons are is a lot easier than what they are asked to do going forward. >> diplomacy has gone into overdrive, has in it, the past three weeks, on syria and it ran. how much has the atmosphere changed in washington in response to these intertwined crises? >> suddenly, diplomacy is back. it is somewhat remarkable. it is not just back with the obama administration, we have essentially been at war now here in the u.s. for 12 years, nearly since 9/11. the discussion was all about drone strikes, about cyber strikes when it came to iran.

now all of a sudden there is at least the hope of a real discussion with the iranians and the syrian's. we've been through moments before were people had a lot of hopes for diplomacy and did not work out. ask anybody in the bush administration about their talks with the north koreans, where they thought they were dismantling something that has been rebuilt. ask anybody in the clinton administration that thought they were going to get israeli- palestinian peace at camp david. but there is certainly much more of a sense there is opportunity than i have seen in some time. the arabian outreach and the prospect of a deal of easing ofapons for sanctions, doesn't have the blessing of the supreme leader in iran? >> he sends out negotiators, tell them do their best, and the unspoken part of it is usually, when you come back with it and i will decide if the deal is good or not. in 2009, the arabian negotiators went down the road, had an idea

to swap out their current stocks supplies for fuel for a rack there, took it back to toronto, and the supreme leader killed it. we are in a more difficult situation now because there is a huge version of their centrifuges, which enrich uranium, they are up to about 18,000, probably a little more than half producing uranium. but that would mean the united states and the western allies would have to convince the ir anians to take away from what they have built. i am not sure they are ready to do that even return for sanctions relief. >> what you will be watching for in the united nations next week? >> the first piece of symbolism is due both governments figure out a way for president obama and the iranian president to run into each other, and a hallway,

starbucks, who knows, but just that photograph would set the tone. then the question is do you set up a real negotiating process, not just the g-five plus one, but a direct like going out at the same time. and then how long is the window to actually reach the deal? >> that is the crucial question. it is not that long, is it? >> it is not that long because there will be elections here, there will be elections in iran. iranians are looking for some form of relief of sanctions and the u.s. is looking for iran to make it clear uranium program will be frozen and shrunk. of course, nobody will want to look like they went first. >> indeed, david, thanks. in other news, two separate attacks on military bases in yemen have killed more than 50 people.

arabian of the peninsula is being blamed for this. at least 30 soldiers died in a car bombing. 10 were killed when gunmen opened fire from a military headquarters. one of the stronger storms of the year is bearing down on southern taiwan and the northern philippines. it measures 1000 kilometers across and is expected to dump up to a meter of rain over the next three days in some places. hundreds of people have been evacuated from coastal mountain areas. this weekend, china and the world will be awaiting the verdict in the trial of a former xilei.st leader busho his wife has artie been found guilty of poisoning the british person with whom she has had a business is beautiful stop how with this political drama and? -- how will this political drama

end? we have this report. >> murky and polluted, full of dangerous undercurrents, the river flows through the city, once riddled with mafia gangs, now becoming an economic engine. it is where there was a murder. xilei faces years in jail for covering up the killing. one of the communist party's rising stars, he was so powerful he was almost untouchable. why would the communist party want to get rid of one of its own successful figures? it says this case shows it is serious about tackling corruption. no favor is shown to anyone, not even its own elite. many here believe this is really as a eliminating bo xilai political force. bases building a power among the 30 million people. famous porters like

the way he was tackling crime and corruption. he appealed to those disillusioned by the country's huge inequalities. chinese who feel most communist officials don't care for the poor. he must have done something wrong to be arrested, but he was a talented politician. he was cleaning up crime. >> he was good at his job. we need more officials like him. he made the city safer. i hope he comes back. o's rivals fear the way he could whip up support. other leaders are so genuinely popular or have such charisma. bo ander was corrupting his family. while foreign politicians flocked to toast his achievements, his son was flaunting wealth, partying at

oxford university, his wife entangled in murky money deals, poisoning a business harder in britain, a crime that was bo's undoing. his enemies closed in. rivals in china's top leadership for whom his growing popularity was dangerous. >> most of the chinese leaders are very glad. i am pretty sure there are others who felt he was a potential threat to their careers, so his fall is welcomed, at least to some members. but at the same time, it is also a deep loss or people who supported him. >> were it not for the murder of the businessman, bo xilai might be one of the half-dozen minute the pinnacle of power. instead, he has been exposed as the darkness behind the growing wealth of the country. the elite who are divorced from ordinary people. distain that runs through the very veins of modern china. >> the fall of bo xilai.

in business news, blackberry has workers worldwide, cutting its workforce by 40%. the company says it expects to report losses of more than $950 million when it publishes figures for the quarter that finished in august. close tocome, too call, the german election comes down to the wire. the latest on the campaign trail. stolen on an industrial scale. that is how a new report describes the theft of crude oil in nigeria, a massive criminal enterprise that has effects around the world. we have the details of this practice. >> whoo! >> armed and ready for action.

the soldiers are often patrol the creeks of the niger delta. top security is needed because this is where much of the country's oil is stolen. it is estimated nigeria lost about 100,000 barrels of oil every day of this year's first quarter. it is a lucrative business for oil thieves. they break into pipelines, siphoning oil, which is sold internationally. close to home, some of the stolen crude is processed in makeshift refineries to be sold locally. many in the niger delta are extremely poor despite the wealth that comes from their land. this is contributed to the ongoing plunder of the resources. the nigerian national petroleum corporation is often seen as ineffective and corrupt. reporters raised these concerns and more, calling for foreign governments to act and ensure the stolen oil does not find its way to their countries.

it has also asked the nigerian government to be more per active tracking the oil and the money that it generates. based economy,oil- so stemming the flow of stolen crude is crucial. this highlights the well-known fact of the billions of dollars lost due to theft. it points to the need for the nigerian government to enforce regulations that would insure the country maximizes its oil wealth. nigerian authorities, including the military, have an accused of agreeingplacent or with the thieves. they have their work cut out to put the and to the rampant offering of the nation's most treasured resource. -- to put an end to the rampant offering of the nations most treasured resource. >> this sunday, germans had to the polls and election that many commentators are suggesting is too close to call. angela merkel's christian democrats party is on course to

become the largest party in parliament, but there is no indication yet as to who her coalition partners will be. gavin hewitt has been following the campaign and has this report from munich. ♪ >> a main square in munich tonight, one of the last campaign stops for chancellor angela merkel as she made her final pitch to the german voters. the most powerful politician in europe is expected to win a third term sunday, when germany votes. but the polls have narrowed. has built her campaign around having shielded germany from europe's financial crisis. but she told the crowd the election was a fight down to the wire. in justs and gentlemen, a few more hours we are pleading with you to choose. i want to be your chancellor for more years. she commandseets, respect, there is also an appetite for change.

not be that charismatic, but she did a great job. >> she is our chancellor and she is doing her work really well, but i'm thinking it is time for a change. it's time for new party to come to power. >> her main opponent is steinberg from the social democrat party. in recent days, he has attacked angela merkel for dithering, for caution. has she done anything about the infrastructure, he asks. no, shouts the crowd. education? has she improved local finances? yet one of the possible outcomes of a close result sunday is that angela merkel could be forced into a grand coalition with the social democrats. it would be an uneasy alliance. at angela merkel's rally tonight, there were concerns the

outcome might be complicated. angela merkel's party will get the most votes, that is not in doubt, but whether she will end up with an absolute majority is less certain. her fate is in the hands of some of the smaller parties, including her current coalition partner and how well they poll. the crowd in munich clearly expected the woman they call mommy to be returned to power, but our uncertainties. will she be in coalition with? will decisions over europe be harder? could germany faced weeks of haggling over its future government? gavin hewitt, bbc news, munich. >> despite rebutted watching the auction, right now germany's best-selling musical artist is a long way from home. having sold more than 30 million albums in his homeland, he is turning his attention to the biggest musical market of all, right here in the united states. he has embarked on a 12 concert

tour. we have gone to meet him. ♪ >> meet herbert. germany's answer to bruce springsteen. he has decided to trade the sort of sellout crowds for venues a fraction of the size, and a place where most people could not even spell his name. ♪ on thetent with taking toughest market of them all, the united states, he intends to do it in a different language. my dreams have all come true ♪ >> it relies on the melody. you can stretch it and be more bass. the germans like lyrics to be engineered perfectly. they have to be correct, right, like a porsche.

every word has to be correct. it is a very rare and relaxing singing in english. >> the most accurate and are a episode in his life -- the most extraordinary episode in his life he has summed up in a song. a double tragedy at the height of his fame initially threatened to put an end to his career, but took it to new heights. >> my brother and my wife died in the same week, in five days. is itly thing i can say makes you so numb that in a way, it shuts up all the feelings and you just go one the remote control. ♪ as an artist, i was really worried that i might stop working as a musician or the

ability to write music is gone. the funny thing is my daughter, when i told her what happened, she said -- she was nine years old and the first thing she said was you don't stop singing and there is no other woman coming into the house. >> he recovered from that devastating double tragedy and went on to make the most successful album of his career, entitled "human." the english version of that song featured an appearance by special guest star. amongst his many other achievements, herbert will be known as the man who recruited singer.his backup >> ♪ ok >> he was always looking for a job like that. that was his dream to be a backup singer. i think he wanted to stop heging with u2, and then said give me three of your song

and let me try something out. he came back with this and said, do whatever you want with it. if you don't like it, throw it away. i was so touched with it. he was so nice. herbert hopes that america warms to his music, but he won't be devastated if it does not. >> the dream comes true in a way to come to america, to tour, and it is kind of a family trip. it is great. ♪ i'm all i want to be i walk, i walk i walk the way i talk ♪ >> he is germany's bruce springsteen. that is all we have on today show. continue to watch "bbc world news" for updates around the world. just check in on your local listings for the channel number. and to reach me and most of the team, just go to twitter. from all of us here at "bbc thank you america,"

for watching and do please tune in next week. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key strategic decisions.

we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news america" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

- hi, neighbor! i'm learning to play ball. want to come to the park with me and play? and then we're going to build blocks with o the owl. there's so many things to play. we should start... right now! be right back! is made possible in part by... the richard king mellon foundation. dedicated for over sixty years to south western pennsylvania's quality of life, and competitive future. and by these pittsburg foundations. working together to enhance and enrich the lives of children for more than seventy-five years. and by the arthur vining davis foundations. dedicated to strengthening america's future through education. adcasting, dedicated to strengthening america's future and contributions to your pbs station, from viewers like you.

and contributions in the neighborhood ♪ ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbor ♪ ♪ would you be mine? could you be mine? ♪ ♪ won't you be my neighbor? - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ a land of make-believe ♪ won't you ride along with me? ♪ - ♪ ride along - ♪ it's daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ ♪ so much to do, so much to see ♪ ♪ won't you ride along with me? ♪ - ♪ ride along - ♪ i've got lots of friends for you to meet ♪ ♪ in this land of make-believe ♪ a friendly face on every street ♪ ♪ just waiting to greet you ♪ it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ♪ ♪ a beautiful day for a neighbor ♪ ♪ in daniel tiger's neighborhood ♪ (laughing) - your turn! - ok! - whoops! hup! oops! oops! hi, neighbor! i'm at the park with my friends. - hiya, toots! - a rrroyal hello!

- i've been working on my hopping. want to see? ok, here goes. whoops! one! two! three! three whole hops! that's so many! whoops! let's go show my friends. come on! (elaina laughing) - guess what? - what? - i did three whole... h-h-h...hops! - ho-ho-ho! - that's great, toots! - that's rrroyally great, little d! - thanks, prince tuesday! and i think i can do it again too. want to see? - ok - sure. - sure, ok. - ok, count my hops! ready? one... two.. three... four... five! five hops! that's even more hops than before! - five hippity-hoppity hops! - love it, toots! - ha! ha! ha! that's awesome, little d!