>> this is "bbc world news america." 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? >> and now, "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america." just 14 days to go. the presidential debates are over. now it is a campaign blitz to bring in the votes on election day. amidst growing evidence of sexual abuse in its studios by one of britain's most celebrated stars, the bbc is under pressure on many fronts. >> this is a grave and serious matter, and one cannot look back on it with anything other than horror, frankly. >> and tonight, we remember the oldest survivor from that turning point in world war ii.

welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. with just two weeks to go until election day, both u.s. presidential candidates are canvassing the country's swing states, hoping to seal the deal. after monday's 90-minute debate on foreign policy, now it is the final stretch. from florida, the bbc's north america editors starts our coverage. >> behind the smiles and tears is a new nervousness -- behind the smiles and cheers. make no mistake, this is a president under pressure. about time, some might say. derided for having no vision of the future, he suddenly produced a color brochure pact with old

ideas. he mocked mitt romney for a new found moderation. he has coined a new word for anything about awkwardly conservative plans. >> if you say that you love american cars during a debate, but you wrote an article titled "let detroit go bankrupt," you might have romneysia. >> mitt romney did seem to forget his foreign policy, clinging close to the president's positions, stressing piece was his priority even when talking about one of president obama's greatest achievements. >> i congratulate him on taking out osama bin laden and going after the leadership in al qaeda, but we cannot kill our way out of this mess. >> there was a further shift in tone -- he said sanctions against iran were working and he suggested -- he no longer suggested trips might be staying in afghanistan. >> we will make sure we bring

our troops out by the end of 2014. >> president obama repeatedly ripped him, determined to expose the distance between them. >> nothing governor romney has said is true. governor romney has taken a different approach throughout his campaign. the disagreement i have with governor romney is -- >> he painted mitt romney as now you, mocking his claim that the u.s. navy had fewer ships than a century ago -- he painted mitt romney as maive. -- naive. >> we have ships or planes can land on them called aircraft carriers. we have ships that go under water. >> mitt romney came to prove he would be moderate mitt, not a warmonger in the white house. clearing up the mess for the obama campaign is far trickier. the first debate defeat for him really mattered and changed the nature of the race. they are now into the

homestretch. america votes in two weeks' time. >> for more on the topics addressed in last night's debate, i spoke a brief time ago with the foreign affairs columnist for the "washington post." did you see any major differences between the candidates on foreign policy? >> there were very few. what was striking was how sharply mitt romney tacked toward the center, even compared with his foreign-policy address of two weeks ago. i thought the major point of difference was on military spending. romney made a point of saying that he would spend more, restore cuts that obama is proposing. obama was insisting that the cuts were appropriate and that there is a need to make room for new weapons systems. i thought there was a little bit of difference in the way they talked about russia. obama tried to catch mitt romney in his statement that russia is our biggest adversary.

i think that mitt romney backed off of that. >> but no substantial difference otherwise. you noted afterwards that the debate revealed more about country than it did about candidates. can you elaborate? >> what was striking was that these candidates -- well- coached, obviously having all of the public opinion polling information -- understood that they were speaking to a country that is really tired of war. each of them -- most strikingly romney, who has had a more bellicose tone sometimes -- were saying, "no more afghanistan. no more iraq." they talked about not committing u.s. troops. irani has talked about being more aggressive in dealing with the iran nuclear program -- mitt romney has talked about being more aggressive in dealing with the iran nuclear program. >> did you sense any distance between the candidates on syria? >> not last night. romney as recently as two weeks

ago laid out a quite aggressive plan for providing weapons to the syrian opposition -- at least he said that, but quite tepidly last night. frankly, obama foreign policy has been on hold for the last several months. they have ideas for what to do in syria, but they are waiting until after the election, so we did not hear much that would be useful in understanding where this is going. >> do you think this debate will have changed any minds in those swing states? >> i thought that i heard mitt romney was in these non- bellicose statements trying to appeal to women voters, who are a key constituency if he will carry those swing states. he has got to pick up the percentage of women voters. i thought i heard that. >> is there a sense that those women are fed up with war? >> pollsters tell you that women do not like the strident tone.

i think the country as a whole is fed up with war, but certainly women voters, and the other thing you know is in this instance we have to spend more on the military, that is a direct appeal to voters in virginia where military spending is a big part of local economy. >> and a big swing state. david, thanks very much for joining us. rising tensions in the middle east will be an issue for whoever wins the keys to the white house. following a car bombing in lebanon last week, the army has been deployed on the streets of beirut and tripoli to stop the deadly violence which followed the blast appeared from lebanon, the bbc's middle east editor reports -- which followed the blast. from lebanon, the bbc's middle east editor reports. >> it was a violent flash point before the assassination, and after it, the guns came out again.

it is an all-lebanese class in tripoli between gunmen who blame syria's regime for the assassination and president assad supporters. the fighting is also a barometer of the political and religious rivalry that is shaping a new era of politics -- that is shaping new arab politics. >> i think it is one of the most dangerous moments since the independence in 1940. the most important type of security in lebanon was assassinated in the middle of beirut. what more danger do you want? >> the army was deployed on the street here in tripoli and across the country.

entrusted by the people, they are calming things, but roadblocks on the type of resolution. >> 11 on's leaders have always found a way to restore a certain kind of quiet -- 11 on -- lebanon's leaders. what makes it different this time is that syria is a short drive from here and full of uncertainty. people often do not know what will happen next month, let alone next year. in the offices of one of the most powerful sunni politicians in tripoli, the message is stark -- the assad regime is the enemy. >> tripoli is targeted because it is supporting syrian rebels, and the syrian regime wants to create tension haircut -- here. >> in beirut, this retail district should get -- should be

full of late-night shoppers, getting ready for the holiday, but troops are out in step -- out instead, partly because the lebanese are split for and against the syrian regime. the message here is, "do not bute matters worse," with syria's trouble much closer, it is not clear how that can be done. >> in other news from around the world, the emir of qatar has made a historic public visit to gaza to openly support hamas after it broke ties with the syrian government. he is the main backer for the free syrian army, providing large amounts of money and military hardware. it is the first for the palestinian territory -- the first visit for the palestinian territory by a head of state. the head of the top disaster body has resigned in italy, charged with underestimating the risk of a 2009 earthquake.

the ruling has shocked the international scientific community. many claim they need to be able to share their findings without the fear of being held criminally responsible should their predictions not hold up. police in taiwan say a patient has confessed to starting a fire that killed 12 people and injured more than 60 at a hospital. rescue workers battled to save the most elderly residents. most victims died from inhaling smoke. they were unable to walk and could not escape. the director-general of the bbc face a grilling from british politicians today over the sex abuse scandal involving jimmy savile, a once popular presenter of a children's television program aired on the bbc. for more than two hours of questioning, george and whistle admitted that the corporations' reputation had been called into question -- george entwistle admitted that the corporation's

reputation had been called into question. van in front of a special session of the culture committee of the house of commons, george entwistle admitted the scandal posed serious questions about trust. >> this is a gravely serious matter and one cannot look at it with anything other than horror, frankly, that thesend activities went on as long as they did. >> mp's wanted to know about the savile years, the decades in which one of the bbc pau's star presenters was able to abuse young girls without challenge -- bbc's start presenters was able to abuse young girls without challenge. then has the bbc taken any steps to identify who else was involved -- >> has the bbc taken any steps to identify who else was involved? >> it is something we are

putting our disposals in. a pedophile ring would be a matter for a police investigation. >> the scandal exposed what entwistle called the disgusting activities of jimmy savile and serious problems involving other bbc stars. on allegations involve current stars or contributors and in some cases have been passed to police. >> the main allegation we're looking at in a moment -- and this is historical -- i would have thought between eight and 10. >> these are individual cases? >> individuals. >> the bbc's director general says he looked back at horror as evidence has emerged of the cultural practices which allowed a predatory pedophile to sexually abuse children on bbc premises as well as the criminal activities of individuals like jimmy savile. george entwistle also talked

about the cultural of sexual harassment and says while things have improved, he is bringing in a new adviser to ensure that women at the bbc are treated appropriately. there are questions today about why tributes to jimmy savile even after "bbc newsnight" had launched an investigation into the star. george entwistle was warned but did not ask whether the investigation was about -- what the investigation was about. >> you were told the bbc was looking into one of its most iconic figures, who you were about to pay tribute to, and you did not want to know? >> i did not want to know. what was in my mind was determination not to show an undue interest. >> you did not even want to know what it was about? >> i have no recollection of asking what it was about.

>> the investigation was never broadcast, leading to accusations of a cover-up. members of the production team were interviewed about what happened. >> do you accept that the decision to drop the investigation was a catastrophic mistake? >> i came away from the panorama firmly of the view that that investigation should have been allowed to continue. inspiredtwistle's and further questions about whether the editor had been leaned on -- mr. entwistle's response inspired further questions. >> i genuinely do not know what he meant. >> in a new development tonight, e-mails from the journalists who investigated jimmy savile suggested were the reasons our editor pulled the report was because the girls were

teenagers, not too young, and there were not the worst kind of sexual offenses. he insists he dropped the investigation for editorial reasons. for almost two hours, the head of the bbc faced intense and almost -- sometimes almost hostile grilling. george entwistle left parliament knowing the scandal is still producing shocking and damaging revelations with each day that passes. >> you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come on tonight's program, the tabloid wars heat up. apple rolls out the ipad mini hoping for a bigger slice of the market. the james --remier for the new james bond adventure has taken place in london. the bbc caught up with 007. >> daniel craig, how much of an

honor is it for this movie in particular to be given a royal welcome? >> it is always such a great thing, but i have never been to anything like this, and i have been to a few. the crowds are amazing. they have been out here for hours and hours, and it is very fitting for this movie, i think. >> is this a fitting movie to commemorate james bond's 50th anniversary? >> i hope so. it is not for me to judge. >> what is it like to be involved in something that has such history? does it put more pressure on you? >> of course it does, but it is a real honor to have the chance to make a movie in its 50th year. >> of course, this is a more personal movie for bond, isn't it? >> it is. will -- we have a good story. i do not want to give it away, but yes. it was a lot of fun.

i said the other day, just to play a small part in the opening ceremony was an honor. >> what does it mean for bonds to get that kind of world recognition -- what does it mean for bond? >> it is such an amazing event. it is the cherry on the cake. >> what does it mean for you to be involved? crowds have been waiting for you, huge cheers, such uch s suchion for a bond -- expectation for a bond movie. daniel craig, thank you very much. >> and perhaps the worst kept secret in the tech world, today apple unveiled the long awaited ipad mini. as its name suggests, it is a smaller version of the popular

apple tablet with discreet about 2/3 the size of the original, but at a pricey $329, has apple done enough to cement its dominance of the tablet market? thanks very much for being with us. >> absolutely. >> it is small. it is very snazzy, but has apple done enough to fend off competitors in the tablet market? >> it is tough for apple because there are plenty of competitors out there that are offering a great tablet at around $199. that is a pretty big leap up to $329, so apple has its work cut out for them. >> how important is this tablet market? >> there's a lot of focus right there. microsoft is putting a lot of focus on touch screen computers and tablets. the big focus for google -- they just came out with their nexus 7

tablet. there are rumors next week we will hear about another tablets from google. the market is still volatile enough that we cannot declare a winner yet. >> computers let my one here in the studio -- are they all but obsolete? >> i do not think so. part of the announcement today was apple's imac computer, a product that had not been refreshed for some time now. they have come up with an attractive design. i think the case could be made that this is still the centerpiece of most homes, a place to store your photos, your important documents, and it is still relevant. >> apple has kept its prices high with this latest device. is that a gamble? >> i think it is a gamble. apple is not a company that likes to sell things on the idea that they are inexpensive. they are a premium brand, and they sell a lot of products that sell well in spite of higher prices, so i do not think they are ready to go to the mat yet on pricing.

>> after the death of steve jobs, is apple still out to prove its dominance? >> yes. i am sure tim cook has a lot of pressure on him right now to prove that he can unveil a new product like this i had mini -- ipad mini and be able to pull it off. steve jobs was a great salesman. there's a lot of talk about whether or not steve -- whether or not tim cook did a good job. >> as devices get smaller and smaller, is it not harder to make money from advertising because there is less screen space? >> apple still makes a hefty chunk of money off of hardware sales. it goes to the not really competing on price, and they also make a hefty chunk of money on software. they get a percentage of every atp sold, every movie, every song download -- every atp sold -- every app sold. a lot of competitors are selling

hardware at a loss trying to make up the money on the software and the apps you are buying from them. >> thank you for joining us. in one more note from the tech world, facebook released third- quarter results, saying revenue has risen to 1.2 -- $1.26 billion. the social net or's numbers rose, slightly above market expectations. -- the social network's numbers rose. shares in the company had fallen some 50% since trading started on the stock market. it was seen as a major turning point in world war ii -- the battle of britain when british fighter pilots resisted hitler's air force. this week, the oldest surviving pilot from the battle died at the age of 99. he was shot down in 1940 with a bullet in his ankle. he went on to write poetry in memory of his fallen comrades. daniel savage reports.

>> the summer of 1940, pilots take off to engage german fighter planes over the skies of southern england. the battle of britain was a turning point in the war. outnumbered ref pilots won, preventing germany from invading britain. this young pilot, lt. william walker, survived and died this week, at age 99. he was the oldest surviving battle of britain pilot. >> it was a beautiful day to fly. i was never let down. >> they preserved some of the aircraft of the era. the commanding officer here visited william walker on his 99th birthday. >> they came straight after

school. their bravery was just phenomenal. and they knew the odds of them surviving were very, very low, and yet, time after time, day after day, they got back in the aircraft and threw themselves back as the enemy. >> william walker flew one of these, and what he and his fellow pilots achieved was extraordinary. during the battle of britain, they frugally were involved in air to air combat, pulling such tight twists and turns that they nearly blacked out because of the force of gravity pushing against their bodies. >> behind each name, a story lies of bravery in southern skies. >> william walker wrote poetry about the battle of britain to help younger generations remember what happened. many expressed their gratitude to him. he was one of whom churchill described as the few to which so many owed so much.

>> remembering the best of the best. that brings today's program to a close, but remember, you can find constant updates on our website. please join us again tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation was 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 america