Transcripts For BBCNEWS Beyond 100 Days 20171017

The oecd, whose economists believe reversing the referendum vote would boost the economy. The french are known for theirfine wine. But when it comes to tasting their best have fallen short. The winner of this contest will surprise you. Get in touch with us using the hashtag. Beyond one hundred days hello and welcome im katty kay in washington and Christian Fraser is in london. President trump is in the rose garden of the white house speaking to reporters for the 3rd time in just two days. He also did a string of radio interviews this morning. On a host of issues mr trump clearly feels he is his own best advocate. The trouble is that when he talks he often provokes a political storm. Whether its erroneously criticising his predecessor or taking on his own party mr trumps appearances can get him into fights. But maybe thats the whole point this is a president who is happiest at the centre of controversy. Well its no secret that the policy and style of President Trump havent always sat well with Senatorjohn Mccain. Last night he was speaking in philadelphia and had this critique of the current political climate. To abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of International Leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of earth, for the sake of some half baked spurious nationalism, cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems. Applause. Is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma in the past that americans consigned to the ash heap of history. The bbcs north america editorjon sopels been watching that press conference by President Trump. Hes with me now. Thank god you are here and not in the rose garden. What has he been saying . We have had some walne words, guff , to say how glad they are to be in each others presents warm words. He had called trump evil, and his policies. Trump was asked a question about 0bamacare. He has been keen to trash it and said it has been failing. We havent got into any of the meaty stuff weve had over the past couple of days. He is having battles with congress and a new found love of Mitch Mcconnell. If anything happens well bring it to you. Why is the president talking to you. Why is the president talking to the press so much . Does he feel that his aides cant do it, does he feel he must reach over the heads of the media, is he worried about his declining approval numbers in the wa ke declining approval numbers in the wake of the hurricane in puerto rico . All of the above, all of those things will apply and he has taken some incoming fire from prominent senators. John mccain didnt mention donald trump when he talked about half baked nationalism but you have the slightest sense that he may have had him in his sights. Senator bob corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations committee, standing down, talking about the whitehouse being a Child Daycare Centre and maybe some of the staff had taken the day off. I dont think that donald trump likes that very much. Hes wanting to fire back in characteristic style and take charge of the issues that he thinks will show that hes on the right track, whether it is the stock market, 0bamaca re right track, whether it is the stock market, 0bamacare and other matters, trump always believes that he is his own best advocates, even though there will be invariably some Collateral Damage on the way. He likes controversy. On that incoming, im interested, we gotjohn mccain talking about american ideals, bob corker. There will be plenty of other republican senators who think the way that bob cork and john mccain think. Are we starting to see a trickle that could become a flood . I still think its going to be a trickle for the time being. That scene in annie hall, what they were really saying came up in speech bubbles underneath what they were actually saying. I would have loved to have had that underneath Mitch Mcconnell yesterday. It looked like a rather odd occasion of a causal couple trying to renew their vows in difficult circumstances quarrelsome. Mitch mcconnell say they have a Good Relationship but donald trump had been saying how awful congress was at getting anything done. While betide him if he doesnt get his tax reforms through. Thank you forjoining us. Aides to barak 0bama have reacted angrily today after President Trump lied about their former boss. Mr trump told reporters yesterday that mr 0bama was not in the habit of calling the families of Fallen Soldiers as mr trump says he often does. What the president didnt give us was any account or explanation for the death of these four green berets who were killed in niger a fortnight ago. The attack in africa was the single deadliest combat incident since mr trump took office. He was asked if he had contacted the families of these Fallen Soldiers. This was his response. At some point during the period of time, called the parents and theirfamilies, because i have done that traditionally. The traditional way, if you look at president 0bama and other president s, most of them didnt make, lot of them didnt make calls. I like to call when its appropriate, when i think im able to do it. Go ahead, peter. I dont know if he did, no. I was told that he didnt often and a lot of president s dont, they write letters. Excuse me, peter. I do a combination of both, sometimes its a very difficult thing to do, but i do a combination of both. President 0bama, i think probably did sometimes and maybe sometimes he didnt. Ben rhodes was president 0bamas Foreign Policy advisor and responded to mr trumps remarks saying. Pete souza, the former chief 0fficial white house photographer posted this photo on his instagram of the 0bamas posthumously awarding the medal of honor to the parents of a soldier who died in afghanistan. Former officials of the 0bama administration say he did call the families as well as call Service Members on holidays and receive the caskets of Fallen Soldiers brought back to the us. This is interesting because i reached out to an official from the Bush Administration today who also said that president bush routinely contacted family members. This is pa rt contacted family members. This is part of the duty of the president. It isnt clear why, to me, President Trump effectively, as you said, lied about what his predecessors did, u nless about what his predecessors did, unless he thinks that by fighting against anybody, whether is the press, president 0bama, former president s, that seems to help him with his base. He may have got it wrong on this occasion because the status of fallen american soldiers abroad is very sensitive in america, there is an enormous amount of patriotic feeling towards the soldiers and their families and in the past, after four example soldiers and their families and in the past, afterfour example the Democratic Convention when the candidate trump took on a gold star family, it didnt work for him. The point is, were talking about the lying, and were not talking about this operation, 12 days ago, four american soldiers killed in southern nice chair. 0ne american soldiers killed in southern nice chair. One of those men, a sergeant with two children was left on the battlefield for 48 hours southern niger. How do they walk into a southern niger. How do they walk intoa Group Southern niger. How do they walk into a group of Islamic State soldiers with rocket propelled grenades without the proper cover . Those questions are crucial to the story and yet we are focusing on the controversy that hes created. 12 days on, as someone controversy that hes created. 12 days on, as someone mentioned to me on twitter, he still hasnt written to these families and he has in playing family time with lindsey graham. There are phone calls to those families on the books but you are right, this story hasnt had much attention even in the us press. The black flag of the Islamic State no longer flies over raqqa. It was pulled down by victorious us backed militia forces after a four month battle. Raqqa was the capital and Operations Centre of the caliphate of so called Islamic State, and one of the groups last strongholds. The city now belongs to a mix of fighters, some of them from the Syrian Democratic alliance, theres the kurds and then the arabic militias all of them backed by us airstrikes. 0ur middle east correspondent Quentin Sommerville reports. At the heart of raqqa, theyre giddy with victory. The Syrian Democratic forces controlled the city the Syrian Democratic forces control the city that the so called Islamic State hailed as its capital. Paradise circle, its called, and here they beheaded people. Their hatred crossed continents. Three years ago, is did victory laps here. But their caliphate is now in ruins and theyre on the run. It was arab and kurdish fighters, men and women, who did a jig, celebrating the Islamic States retreat. The sdf fought in sandals and the most basic of weapons but they had a killer advantage. Coalition air power. That helped drive is out, but it also emptied the city of a quarter of a million people. Hundreds of civilians may have died in the western bombardment. Younus 0mar and his family, though, survived. Theyve onlyjust managed to escape. Is used them and thousands of others as human shields. His wife says, they shot at my family but allah is stronger than them. Younus says, it was a horror, i tried to leave twice but i couldnt. They were shooting at me. They said, youre escaping towards the infidels. But the final victory here was delivered not in a gun battle but in a bus ride. Here, is fighters are seen leaving one of the last holdouts, the national hospital. They were guaranteed safe passage as part of a peace deal. Whats left of raqqa can barely be called a city. But still, dangers remain. The Islamic States foreign fighters here vanished. Some may be hiding in these ruins. Their leadership have already fled. The Islamic State group may have abandoned their capital but they havent abandoned their cause, so the fight against is goes on. Quentin sommerville, bbc news, beirut. Quentin spent six days in raqqa, it is worth seeing his report online about the destruction of that city. For reaction to Islamic State being driven out of raqqa we spoke a brief time ago with democratic senator chris coons who sits on the Foreign Relations committee. Senator coons, Islamic State Islamic State has clearly lost an important symbol in the fall of raqqa. What happens to the organisation now, do you think . Well, isis still controls some of the Euphrates River valley so there is more fighting to be done before theyve lost control of all territory in syria. And we now face a criticaljuncture because we have to have a path forward where syria has a political process that can lead to the departure of assad and some reunification and resolution of its grinding civil war. 0k, all of this depends to some extent on American Leadership because those militia were american backed in the fall of raqqa. Let me turn to another issue, comments made by Senatorjohn Mccain last night when he was receiving the Liberty Medal at a dinner you attended in philadelphia. Senator mccain, as we heard earlier, said half baked spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solving problems. Tough language, he was referring to president club, i imagine. Senatorjohn mccain got a standing ovation for his moving speech last night, i recommend it to all your viewers, during which he spoke about the global institutions that the United States and allies, the United Kingdom and others, built after the second world war. War he talked about how it has lead to security, prosperity and stability for the United States and its people and for our allies and has promoted our values around the world. He was sharp in denouncing those who suggest America First is going to make us stronger and safer and i think his comments, particularly given the challenges we face around the world, were powerful and timely. He didnt mention President Trump by name. Do you assume thats who he was referring to . I think it was pretty clear that he was referring both to the president and others in National Politics in the United States who suggest we serve our interests best by focusing on the United States narrowly and by approaching world issues as a zero sum game, which is the opposite of how we have tried to be as a humble but Global Leader in partnership with vital allies around the world over the last 70 years. So i think senator mccain as the chair of the Armed Services committee, as a respected bipartisan leader in the senate, was trying to make a real point about the dangers of a narrow nationalism without making it needlessly pointed about our current president. Senator, related to that issue of american leading, the issue of iran and the nuclear deal. It seems that the senate is in a strange position, between a rock and a hard place. Either you vote for sanctions and the iranians walk away, and if you dont the president seems to be intimating that he will pull away from the deal. We have to member that President Trumps negotiating style is often to bluster and threaten extreme action and then back off negotiating something that is half. My hope is that the senate will step forward and so it is capable of bipartisan leadership, that we will negotiate with our european allies and that we will find a path forward that reigns in irans behaviour while not destroying this agreement that so far has served its purpose. Can i talk to you about his rather spurious claims that his predecessors didnt call the families of Fallen Soldiers. Doesnt really deserve any more commentary, it is blatantly untrue, but you must worry that this is damaging to the power and authority of the office that he controls . Correct. I think it undermines our credibility globally and i think it undermines the respect for the office of the presidency, when falsehoods are spread regularly. I represent the state, Dover Air Force base, where all fallen Americans First return to our soil and i was there with president 0bama during a number of truly difficult and tragic dignified transfer ceremonies after a loss of life of American Armed forces overseas. Im confident that our previous president fully upheld their part of what is the sacred duty of every president , to comfort and contact the immediate family members of those who have fallen in service to the nation and i dont think it is advancing our National Security or our standing as a nation when the current president disrespect that leadership role of his predecessors. It is another busy day in the trump administration. Thank you forjoining us. Just watching the line coming in from this press conference, donald trump saying he has the votes to be peeled 0bamaca re. Trump saying he has the votes to be peeled 0bamacare. Does he . To repeal. No, he doesnt. He has said that before and when he has put it toa that before and when he has put it to a vote he has realised he hasnt. He got it through the house but not the senate, i dont see any chance of it getting through particularly, as weve said, he has alienated republican senators who he will need to get a majority in the senate. Lets look at some other news. The son of an investigative journalist, killed in a car bomb attack yesterday in malta, has called the country a mafia state. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of the maltese government, accusing top politicians of corruption. She also worked on the Panama Papers investigation into fraud and money laundering. Her son matthew accused the maltesese government of letting a culture of impunity flourish, an allegation it has rejected. Portugal has begun a period of three days of National Mourning after at least 36 people were killed in wildfires which devastated parts of the country. 0vernight rain and weakened winds have helped firefighters bring some of the blazes under control, although there are areas still alight in central and northern parts of the country. In spain, at least three people died in wildfires in the galicia region. Suicide bombers and gunmen have killed at least 41 people after a Police Training centre was attacked in the eastern afghan city of gardez. Around 110 civilians and 48 police were injured in the attack. The taliban said it carried it out. Its also being blamed for a second assault in neighbouring ghazni province, in which 30 people were killed. A political decision to reverse brexit would have a significant positive impact on the uk economy, according the global think tank, the 0ecd. A report they published today warned that a no deal brexit could wipe £40 billion off uk Economic Growth by 2019. The 0ecd is urging the uk to stay as close to the European Union as possible after it leaves, though buried at the bottom of their report was a line conceding the outcome could prove more favourable than assumed. Today in an interview with the bbc the thinktanks secretary general angel gurria defended his organisations bold and some would say controversial suggestion that the uk would be better off if brexit was dropped. That particular statement was made in the context of the little box saying what were, you know, the extreme scenarios. This is not our central scenario, 0k . Just it very clear. Number two, think about the consistency of the statement. We have been saying we believe theres going to be a cost. Therefore not having it would involve that perhaps you do not incur the cost. Lets get the view of anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe. I encourage people to contact us about what we are talking about. A message from matthew who says, funded by the eu, the 0ecd, to the tune of £23 million a year, the 0ecd are biased, of course they want the status quo and thats the point, isnt it, it isnt going to unite remainers and brexiteers. Im surprised they use that language. This claim is in a tiny little box and another part of it says that things would look bad if scotland voted to leave the uk, so these were the worst case scenarios. It is strange that they chose to put this, and slightly politically naive, not to realise it would cause a backlash. Politically its important that it adds some pressure to theresa may and also to the case they are trying to build for no deal, if only to give themselves an average in the brexit negotiation. Its important, i dont think theres anything shocking about this. Their projections are based on an outcome that no one wants, whereby believe in march, 2019 and revert to World Trade Organisation terms. No deal, no transition. Thats not what the Prime Minister and eu wants. So when they say that of course things might be better, i suspect they will be better. Of course things might be better, i suspect they will be battenm of course things might be better, i suspect they will be better. It may have been strange for the 0ecd to weigh in, especially politically, but many economists do agree with their findings that after brexit, britain would be worse off economically . Its fair to say that most professional economists are of the opinion that if we leave the Single Market and Customs Union it would have a negative effect on the economy and in that sense the oecd report confirms what those economists have that. Forecasts are forecasts, im wary of people who put numbers on things but the basic numbers outside this in the market and Customs Union, trade with the eu will likely fall and that will have all sorts of impacts, that is likely true. Tomorrow we go into this big council meeting, on thursday. All the leaders coming together and they seem to be stuck at the moment. The British Government offered to cover the current budget round, thats what she offered in florence but in terms of the longer term payments the uk government seem to be saying, tell us what were going to get and well tell you what were going to pgy well tell you what were going to pay. Yes, there is something of a stand off. Eu negotiations always go to the wire, we always get to the stage where we think nothing will happen. Sometimes miraculously it does. Even if we dont get the green light in october it isnt the end of the world because now that everyone is talking about transition, we know that everything doesnt have to be wrapped up by march, 2019, so the pressure is slightly off. Thank you for joining pressure is slightly off. Thank you forjoining us. After brexit, are we going to have peace and harmony, is eve ryo ne going to have peace and harmony, is everyone going to agree . Do you reckon i dont think so, not if you read twitter today. One other thing that people dont agree about. Youd think that if there was one thing the french could guarantee its that their knowledge of wine is unsurpassed. Well, not any more. Theyve just been humiliated at this years world wine tasting competition. Its a contest, held, appropriately enough, in burgundy, where the worlds best wine tasters from 24 countries blind taste a selection of reds and whites. Not only did the french team trail in eleventh place, they suffered the severe embarrassment of finishing nine places behind the brits, an outcome lexpress magazine labelled the ultimate ignominy. The contest was won by the team from sweden better known for its beer and vodka. I know that you love this story, christian, you like the idea of the french being surpassed by the brits at wine tasting. I can tell you that you think is is a good story. It is being picked up around the world. I noticed, the hindu star times has a headline about the story. I think it is called schadenfreude. They lose so badly because they are so sniffy about their own wine, they only drink their own and so do the italians but the brits are going to drink anything and a lot of it, putting us in a competitive position. I think were going to be short odds for the title next year. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Public Service announcement asking you to drink more wine so we can do better in competitions yes, post brexit there are things we are very good at. Can ijust say that . brexit there are things we are very good at. Can ijust say that . I know you want to be on the team. This is beyond 100 days from the bbc. Coming up for viewers on the bbc news channel and bbc world news as Iraqi Government forces seize kirkukfrom kurdish control, we speak to a former iraqi ambassador to washington about the consequences. And the Chinese Communist Party Congress is about to get under way. Every five years we get one. Our china editor gives us a preview of what to expect thats still to come. After a turbulent fast moving start to the week, weather wise, weve slowed the pace down a little bit. Certainly for a couple of days. Thats how it looks in dumbarton through the day. Some sunshine emerging but slowly but surely, clouds invaded a good part of the south west of england. You can see the way this lump of cloud worked its way into southern areas and as its way into southern areas and as it continued spreading slowly north through the night, you will see increasingly murky conditions across the far south, some rain moving north as well, maybe some heavy bursts in the midlands and east anglia. A lot of cloud over central and southern scotland. Some clear whether, Northern Ireland and england, the odd fog patch and the far north of scotland. Under clear skies a cold start on wednesday. More cloud for the likes of edinburgh and glasgow, a milder starred as a result. Some fog patches in Northern Ireland but things will brighten up and a bright start across Northern England but again come on the cold side, eight or9 again come on the cold side, eight or 9 degrees. A lot of cloud in east anglia into the midlands, the south of wales and england, quite misty and murky for the hills and coasts and murky for the hills and coasts and some outbreaks of rain. These various zones of whether will only very slowly moved north as we go through the day. Northern scotland probably holding the sunshine all day long. Wind not very strong and temperatures around 11 17 but an increasingly humid feel across the south. Thursday starting with a lot of cloud, some outbreaks of showers in eastern areas, some wet weather pushing in from the west. The wind starting to strengthen, you may see gales in some exposed spots later, temperatures 13 18. Friday, that area of rain will be pushed through and the wind as well and things are going to brighten up for a time but in the south west, potentially our next troublesome area of weather. Were going to step things up a gear as we go into the weekend, this potentially deep area of low pressure sliding into the southern areas. Uncertainty about the details but there is a risk of severe gales. This is beyond one hundred days, with me katty kay in washington Christian Frasers in london. Our top stories. President trump says he has great relationships with leaders in virtually every country that he has dealt with. A us backed Coalition Says it has driven Islamic State from raqqa. A leading senator tells us there is still work to do. We now face a criticaljuncture. Because we have to have a path forward where syria has a political process that can lead to the departure of assad and some reunification and resolution of its grinding civil war. Coming up in the next half hour. Bejing prepares for its Party Congress as the world waits to hear about chinas plans for the future. The day the sky went red in britain. The remnants of hurricane ophelia created quite a sight. The Iraqi Governments lightning take over of the Northern City of kirkuk has pitched iraqi kurds into turmoil. They are at each others throats over whose to blame for the loss of the critical city. As iraqi forces advanced this week Kurdish Peshmerga fighters withdrew without putting up any meaningful fight. The iraqi troops also now have control of two large oilfields. Now some kurds are accusing the local kurdish government of failing to defend the city. Meanwhile the kurdish leader Massud Barzani said today the recent independence referendum wont be in vain, despite the loss of kirkuk. All this puts america in a tricky position as it has supported both sides in this fight. A reality President Trump acknowledged yesterday. We have had Good Relationships with the kurds from any years and we have also been on the side of iraq even though we should never have been there in the first place. Were not taking sides in that battle. Lukman faily is iraqs former ambassador to the us hes with me now. Have you had conversations with american counterparts since the fall of kirkuk . I think it is clear that the Prime Minister is sticking with the Prime Minister is sticking with the constitution. He has given every opportunity to all parties and has informed all sides, he has not taken any drastic actions. It has been peaceful as much as possible. And to that effect i think people have understood the reasons hes doing it and within the constitution. Understood the reasons hes doing it and within the constitutionlj understood the reasons hes doing it and within the constitution. I want to ask about the fall of raqqa, the big news today and the impact that could have on iraq. In the past was seen as the Islamic State has been defeated in iraq it has shifted back into syria. Are you concerned about that, moving back into iraq . Certainly, theres always an interdependency. So to that effect we are concerned but i think iraq is in control of the military and they need to make sure that security in politics support that. So it is a concern but not an alarming concern. It is good news and an important chapter that we must go through, a painful process, but i think we are in control. Are you facing some awkward conversations in washington at the moment about the influence of iran in iraq . We hear today the Popular Mobilisation units, the shia militia groups backed by iran are in and around kirkuk. Also worked that they could be supporting the p uk, one part of iraqi kurdistan. they could be supporting the p uk, one part of iraqi kurdistan. Ijust came from an event where the Main State Department person in charge of iraq was as clearly about that and said he had no concern because he does not see this as an iranian war but more iraqi domestics incorporation with the Prime Minister of iraq. But for social media yes there is an animosity in washington about iran and they a lwa ys washington about iran and they always try to view iraq from the prison. We have been telling them that this is more domestic but the kurdish issue is a question for iran, turkey, syria and elsewhere. It has a regional ramifications. We need to take that into account. As Islamic State start to disappear from the battlefield, youre back to the same conundrum in iraq, what kind of country youre going to be. How are you going to unite these different groups, if you look at kirkuk it is a perfect example with arabs, turkmen and kurds all in one city. Certainly kirkuk is a good acid test to what we can do together. Unfortunately so far the short term, that has prevailed and we have cleansed our country from Islamic State and need to make sure the politics support that. We need to make sure the International Community are also aware of priorities and the restoration and redevelopment and reconstruction of areas. So yes we have a lot of work to do. And i might add that the Current Situation with the referendum has not helped. We thought that was a premature act. Thank you for coming in to join us. The most powerful communist party in the world is getting ready to hold its congress in beijing this s where the next five years of plans for china will be drawn up. On wednesday, more than 2,000 important delegates will come together for the Party Congress amid some of the tightest security in the world. And as they gather, chinas state news agency has published scathing criticism of western democracy. Heres our china editor, carrie gracie. Communist pilgrims swear to protect the party secrets. And to sacrifice everything for the party. They call this red tourism and an attempt to restore discipline after decades of party bosses getting rich on the public purse. Eunan is the cradle of the chairman mao revolution and some visitors even getting to 1930s dress. Economists call this a holy place which inspires them to live by a higher code. Translation being a Good Party Member means discipline, behaving better than ordinary people. Five years ago the public felt officials were getting rich but since the corruption crackdown they have more faith. The party claims that only it can make china a great power. Communist leader xi jinping make china a great power. Communist leader xijinping has put his country on an ideological war footing. He has purged generals who we re footing. He has purged generals who were selling promotions. His message, to party and troops, do not join up to make yourself rich, but to make china rich and strong. The message to the public is just as firm. To mark the communist Party Congress, beijing is awash with ideological slogans. But china now has more intranet users than the us and europe combined. Most of them on and europe combined. Most of them on a mobile phone. And for this generation the pitch is more slick. It portrays Party Comrades as dedicated public servants. And for every positive message about chinese communism there is a 1 about western democracy. Their slogans are allowed, denies a beautiful says this film on social media, it says many countries are now the victims of western lies about freedom. A red flag limousine. Symbol of National Pride since the days of chairman mao. Long neglected forforeign models but red brands are on the move again. Under communist rule china has become an economic superpower. But its growth is now slowing and its citizens are only middle income in world ranking. Every other country that has made it to the rich club has gone democratic first. Believing that a sophisticated modern economy needs a freedom of expression. But here the 1 Party Freedom of expression. But here the 1 party state freedom of expression. But here the 1 party state intends to make history in some way and that means keeping tight political control. Critics said china cannot have it both ways. The information control to protect 1 party rule and an advanced economy. But in the Southern City ofjim cheung innovators are connecting know how and money. These two are from farming families, building a d riverless farming families, building a driverless crop sprayer. Not quite there yet. The dream of aztec empire demands sacrifices. Translation im spending my own savings, money that i saved up to get married. Young entrepreneurs are betting that the strength in china, is giant market and Manufacturing Base will outweigh its weaknesses. What about the government control of information, how much to those controls act as a brake, and hamper innovation. As people come to china or they are innovating in china that is because of the market and supply here. It is less about information freedom. The wea knesses less about information freedom. The weaknesses of this 1 party state are hidden behind a facade of unity and discipline. A determined strongman now commands a daunting mix of hard and soft power. The Party Message to the public, leave politics to us. And we will deliver you a superpower. Of course the challenge upon which all other decisions rest for president xi is the economy. Im joined now by the chief economist of endo economics diana choyleva. Welcome. How much is this about president xijinping himself welcome. How much is this about president xi jinping himself and cementing his power. He has been incredible at consolidating power and it looks like in the Upcoming Congress he will be anointed as the most powerful leader that china has had since chairman mao. It grows at an extraordinary rate, the chinese economy, way beyond what our economy is doing in the west. Doesnt need to keep growing to maintain this 1 party state . To keep growing to maintain this 1party state . It has to grow but sustainably so. And actually what we have seen since the Global Financial crisis is that growth has slowed down dramatically. And the export led model is dead. Sojust down dramatically. And the export led model is dead. So just throwing money at unproductive investment has resulted in the huge build up of debt, speculation bubbles. Xi jinping his main challenge Going Forward now that he is likely to have consolidated power it has to be cleaning these past excesses and placing the economy on a consumer led growth model. China does not need to grow by 10 , it actually has not grown a 10 for a long time now. The important part is that this unwritten contract between its population and the communist party, you give us growth and we will keep you give us growth and we will keep you in power, continues to exist. And in particular that Consumer Spending growth accelerates. Theres been a huge amount of investment from china around the world, billions of dollars underwritten by the chinese in infrastructure projects. Can the chinese afford that or does that put a strain on his ability to boost consumer growth at home . At the moment they can afford it but not from wrong because they have to clean up this huge mess at home. And the size of the bad debt problem is huge. Now Going Forward the most important change that china has to make to generate genuine consumers at home is to allow chinese individuals and companies to invest freely. Not as it is with what you are just referring to, where the state direct investment abroad. Thank you very much for coming in. Back to the press co nfe re nce much for coming in. Back to the press conference that donald trump has just had with the greek Prime Minister. He has this assessment of his own performance with foreign leaders. A number of countries where a little bit nervous at the beginning and a little bit nervous at the beginning and i have Good Relationships with the leaders of virtually every country have dealt with. But the reason they were concerned was because i would not allow our country the United States of america to be taken advantage of by so many other countries all over the world. This is interesting, a big theme of donald trump, the idea that america has been taken advantage of weather in International Trade deals, treaties like the paris accord and somehow he has made america more respected. He said after the hostages were released this week in pakistan. I wonder, hostages were released this week in pakistan. Iwonder, will hostages were released this week in pakistan. I wonder, will be speaking about china, how that resonates in china when but the message chinese are getting, a country that is very hierarchical, is getting conflicting m essa g es hierarchical, is getting conflicting messages about where power lies in this administration. You have Rex Tillerson trying to speak to the chinese and the same time his president is tweeting messages against him back in washington. That must confuse the chinese. But how much is about what donald trump digests because people standing next to him in the rose garden always had nice things to stay. But he does not travel anywhere near as much as barack 0bama. And does not get so involved in things that other leaders are saying about the iran deal, otherforeign leaders are saying about the iran deal, other Foreign Policy leaders are saying about the iran deal, otherForeign Policy issues, in the same way as previous leaders. I think that is true. I think it is also the case that this is a president who says something, believes that, and the fact to not necessarily always measure up to the state m e nts necessarily always measure up to the statements he pronounces. This is beyond one hundred days. Still to come the head of m15 speaks to the bbc warning that britain faces the highest rate of terrorist attacks in the last three decades. In the uk, prices are rising at a faster rate than at any time in the past 5 years according to the latest data from the office for national statistics. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices index, rose to 3 per cent last month driven up by increases in transport and food prices. It means state pensions are set to rise by a minimum of 3 per cent next year. But for the working population and people on benefits it will put more pressure on already stretched household incomes. Our economics correspondent andy verity reports. Whats this got to do with the cost of living . The price of fish was one of the fastest rising goods in the year to september, up by 13. 6 . And if youre thinking of cooking it in this, oils and fats are up by 14. 9 . While other prices like air fares were down, the 3 average price rise was higher than it has been since april 2012. Septembers inflation number is used to set basic state pensions so they should rise by 3 next april. That compares with wages. Right now they are going up by 2. 1 and if you are receiving working age benefits they will not go at all next april, so you are getting a real terms cut. The policy of freezing benefits for people of working age is one of the biggest austerity measures. It saves the government money but removes it from benefit recipients, many working for a wage that buys less each month. It is set to save the government £1. 9 billion per year but that means losses for many families. If we take a working family with two children they are set to lose £1005 per year. Shops and other firms face one more rising cost. Business rates, which are set to go up by the Old Fashioned Retail Prices index for september, 3. 9 . In the city it is also now seen as highly likely that next month, for the first time in more than a decade, Interest Rates will have rise. Britain faces the highest rate of terrorist attacks in the last 30 years. Thats according to the head of m15 Andrew Parker who in a Rare Television interview also said that some plots are hatched within days and 3,000 extremists currently being investigated. Among the chief concerns is that 800 british jihadists have gone to fight for so called Islamic State in syria and iraq. Mr parker was speaking to our security correspondent frank gardner. A proportion of them are back in the uk from several years ago having given up on the fight and come back for different reasons. Theyre part of the 3000 number i spoke of where they are sifted and assessed on an individual basis for risk and we apply intelligence coverage and Police Coverage accordingly. Frank gardner is with me. We have seen a clip of Andrew Parker. How significant is it that hes speaking to the bbc . Very significant, he spoke to all the london based British Security correspondence. But i was able to get a one on one with him afterwards. He is the equivalent of the head of the fbi, Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism centre all rolled into one. So not someone we normally hear from. Into one. So not someone we normally hearfrom. He operates in the shadows effectively. And the buck stops with him when it comes to heading off terrorist plots. In the uk with had five successful terrorist attacks, i use the word successful with a degree of distaste. He points out though that 20 have been stopped in the past four years. Compared to some of the pla nts four years. Compared to some of the plants in the United States, some of these are small. He said the 34 yea rs we these are small. He said the 34 years we hes been working for mi5, he years we hes been working for m15, he has never before seen such a high tempo of terrorist attacks and threats. The multiplicity of them, is truly enormous and theyre working at full capacity to head off the next one. It is always a question in western countries where the threat is real, of narrowing the odds. Do they have what they need . They are in a growth spurt at the moment, raising their to 5000, theyve had new money invested. If you go into m15 it is like a kind of diversity advertisement, every single age, ethnicity, shape, colour and size there. Very representative of multicultural britain and that is exactly how it should be. The problem is one of prioritisation. Theyre not the east German Security service, they cannot see inside someones head where one person decides you know what, im notjust angry but i will do something about it. And at that stage someone moves to action and they will not necessarily like it up. That said i did give him a hard time today because i said there was an attack injune, because i said there was an attack in june, three known because i said there was an attack injune, three known people, one of them very well known for jihadist sympathies, he had unfurled a flag outside a mosque praising Islamic State, they married people down, why was that not stopped. So he defended his services, the record, by saying we go over these things and look at every possible way, if there is a way to stop someone and to bring a prosecution against them, we will. So he defended the record but has never said they cannot stop every attack. Weve been reporting on the fall of raqqa, did he say what impact that could have on plots are the uk . He did and bleakly come he said as the counterfeit shrinks, and they look for other places to go inevitably some will be tempted to come back to europe. But it is not a welcoming place for them because they risk arrest and prosecution after coming back here. So of the estimated 800 plus britons who have gone to go fight for Islamic State in syria and iraq, he reckons 130 have been killed and the rest probably will stay there. Thank you very much. Across ireland a huge clear up operation is underway following the damage caused by storm ophelia which left three people dead. The winds of around a hundred Miles Per Hour brought down power lines and trees leaving thousands still without electricity as Chris Buckler reports. The storm clouds have gone, but ophelia made her presence felt all along irelands coastline, and today in county after county theyve been clearing the mess left behind by the extreme weather. Ophelia has done her damage, but the repairs now have to be carried out and there are huge numbers of people still without electricity. The suggestion is that there will be households that wont have powerfor days to come. In many ruralareas, teams are still removing trees felled by the strong winds and trying to reconnect power cables. Thats true across this island. In Northern Ireland, the gusts ripped roofs off and at this house, in county antrim, forced a tree through the ceiling. Its as close as i ever want to get. Storm ophelia has a lot to answer for. It certainlyjust missed me. This was a dangerous storm, but watch how some ignored the warnings. You were very happy to be indoors and yet there was an awful lot of lunatics that were going up and down, you know, they were actually going into the sea. Ireland faced the worst of ophelia, but across scotland, wales and england this former hurricane showed her power to cause damage as well as stormy seas. Chris buckler, bbc news. The image is amazing, were not used to seeing them in the north atlantic. I was chatting to family in scotland and they said they lived on the coast and all the boats have been washed away close to where they live. But also dramatic down in london and incredible pictures of the sky. You are resident meteorologist i know you have a masters degree in meteorological studies. Apparently this was ophelia sucking in weather from the constant and apparently some sand as well from the sahara. That is why there was this orange tone. Yesterday as well the Irish Government told people to stay indoors and not to go out. So who was out in dublin yesterday but this chap, you might recognise him. Bill clinton. He was overin recognise him. Bill clinton. He was over in ireland, he is in Northern Ireland today actually talking to parties about the stormont crisis. But he cancelled his fight yesterday and had extra time to go out sightseeing. And of course you can see he did a few selfies with people in dublin who were very pleased to see. Being well of course Hillary Clinton is over here pushing her bookin clinton is over here pushing her book in london. And she has broken her toe. Going down the stairs. So she has been late to all her appointments over the past few days. But bill clinton having a very nice time in ireland. Im tempted to say, as is his wont. He has a good time wherever he goes, the crowd still love him even though he left Office Almost 20 years ago. And im sorry that we ran out of time and i did not get to ask about your forecast for the chinese economy. We have got a few seconds now if you would like to give us that. I really was lost for words over what was coming next in the chinese economy. And i have let diana go. But i do know theres too much debt and borrowing and that never go too much debt and borrowing and that never go never good for an economy as we know all too well in the west. You just had to say soft landing a hard landing, we would have believed you see you tomorrow. After a turbulent fast moving start to the week, weather wise, weve slowed the pace down a little bit. Certainly for a couple of days. Thats how it looked in dumbarton through the day. Some sunshine emerging but slowly but surely, clouds invaded a good part of the south west of england. You can see the way this lump of cloud worked its way into southern areas and as it continued spreading slowly north through the night, you will see increasingly murky conditions across the far south, some rain moving north as well, maybe some heavy bursts in the midlands and east anglia. A lot of cloud over central and southern scotland. Some clear weather, Northern Ireland and england, the odd fog patch and the far north of scotland. Under clear skies a cold start on wednesday. More cloud for the likes of edinburgh and glasgow, a milder start as a result. Some fog patches in Northern Ireland but things will brighten up and a bright start across Northern England but again on the cold side, eight or 9 degrees. A lot of cloud in east anglia into the midlands, the south of wales and england, quite misty and murky for the hills and coasts and some outbreaks of rain. These various zones of weather will only very slowly move north as we go through the day. Northern scotland probably holding the sunshine all day long. Wind not very strong and temperatures around 11 17 but an increasingly humid feel across the south. Thursday starting with a lot of cloud, some outbreaks of showers in eastern areas, some wet weather pushing in from the west. The wind starting to strengthen, you may see gales in some exposed spots later, temperatures 13 18. Friday, that area of rain will be pushed through and the wind as well and things are going to brighten up for a time but in the south west, potentially our next troublesome area of weather. Were going to step things up a gear as we go into the weekend, this potentially deep area of low pressure sliding into the southern areas. And it raised the risk of severe gales. This is bbc news. The headlines at 8pm the head of m15 warns terrorist plots are escalating in a matter of days, after a dramatic jump in the scale and pace of the threat facing britain. Inflation has reached 3 its highest level in more than five years largely due to rising food and transport prices. The International Think tank, the 0ecd, says reversing brexit would have a positive and Significant Impact on the uk economy. Us backed militia in syria say theyve taken control of raqqa after months of fighting with Islamic State militants. And in the next hour, well look at what parts of the uk where houses are worth less now than a decade ago. Bbc Research Shows house prices in more than half of neighbourhoods in england and wales are still lower in real terms than a decade ago. And five novelists vie to win the man booker prize 2017