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>> thousands live in the street as gabrielle gifford is moved. the prime minister promises to leave politics after the election. tony blair faces his toughest questions yet about the decision to go to war in iraq. welcome to bbc news. coming up later for you, pope benedict makes a moral appeal. and shot in the netherlands over pictures of a teenager in a psychiatric hospital.

>> congresswoman deferreds was shot in the head and is being transferred to a rehabilitation center in texas. people lined the streets as she was driven to the airport. they described her condition as spectacular with great potential for recovery. >> very few thought that she would leave this hospital so soon. they departed through of cheering crowds. many turned out.

she was cheerful and smiled when she heard them. from the ambulance, she was carried to a waiting plane. members of her family and her medical team were also on board for the two-hour journey. on the way to the next phase of her recovery. this will be her home for the coming weeks or months. renowned for its work with brain injuries. they are encouraged by their initial assessment. >> from a neurological point of view, she came in and was hoyle alert, away, calm, comfortable. we were already seeing some interaction, which is important. >> she was the target of an attack that killed six. the alleged gunman faces charges

including murder. the attack horrified a divided nation at the idea that angry political rhetoric spurred the attacker. the vice-president echoed calls for conciliation. >> there is a generic recognition that we have to change the way that we talk to one another. [applause] >> at the texas rehabilitation center, she was confident she would recover. he knows it will take time to assess what the long-term effects are. >> as the protest continues, the

prime minister has promised to leave politics. when a television interview, his transition government has promised to hold in six months. but a date has not been set. >> the other day in the capital brings thousands of demonstrators outside of the prime minister's office. bringing the government down, they charge. they say it contains too many members of the old regime the. the prime minister was a key allied. spurred by anger over policies and repression.

78 people have been killed since protests began last december. the transition government has promised to release the route -- of around 1800 political prisoners. some have been set free. this protester is waiting to be reunited with his son. >> the government says that if released, -- so far, they have not been released. the hunter for change appears to be gathering momentum. workers staged their own protests demanding the removal f being corrupt. >> we are the company's employees. we are the first people to cooperate with the release -- the police and everyone else. >> there have also been other

demonstrations elsewhere. one man says that the people have been liberated. >> they consider themself out. we are free. wheat can do anything we want. >> the prime minister says that he will resign. >> tony blair has spoken for a second time about the iraq war in 2003. he former british prime minister says he regretted the loss of life during and after the invasion. this contains flash photography. >> there was no coming through the side door. he walked in through the main

entrance before the hearing started with barely a dozen protesters there. he took his place at the witness table and explained the inquiry. the private letters he sent to president george bush leading up to war. what had he committed britain to? >> i said you can count on us, we will be with you. but here are the difficulties. i was having to persuade him to take the view radically different from any of the people in his administration. i said i will be with you in handling it this way. i will not push you down this path and backed out when it gets hot. i did this because i believe in this. i thought was the right thing to

do. >> he was making promises, the legality was being questioned by his own attorney general. could he be brought to change his mind? >> i was in a situation where he had given his provisional advice. >> he said that he was uncomfortable with the language that mr. blair used in a statement in the house of commons. >> i was making a political point. i accept entirely the inconsistency between what he was saying and what i was saying. >> there was one section of his testimony from a year ago that he wanted to correct. >> at the conclusion of the last hearing, you asked if i had any regrets. it took that as a question about the decision to go to work.

that was taken as my meeting that i have no regrets about the loss of life, and that was never my meeting or my intention. i want to make that intention clear. of course, i regret deeply and profoundly the loss of life. whether it is the soldiers, the civilians, or the iraqis themselves. thank you. if i -- quiet please. be quiet, please. >> the mother of a pilot shouted "too late." he did not look around. the moments later, the hearing concluded.

his officers -- answers were robust and confident. >> he put his case hot and us, but answers that the inquiry will go over. >> the italian prime minister is under more pressure over allegations that he paid for sex with underage prostitutes. he says that public officials must rediscover their moral self. >> wild parties, underage sex, prostitution. the devastating allegations that left him reeling. the most damaging accusation is

that he paid for sex with 17- year-old. she denies the sex, but admits -- [inaudible] twice in three days, the prime minister has gone on television in the face of universal condemnation. >> there have not been any prostitution. there has been nothing that should be ashamed of. the accusations are laughable. >> it is the style of life. nothing really strange. >> it has been going on for a long time. >> i feel ashamed. >> the pope appeared to pass his own judgment to an audience at

the vatican. >> without naming him, he spoke of people in public life meeting to be committed to a more robust morality. other figures and the catholic church of god even further, with a bishop calling the scandal a devastating tornado. others say that he must now resign. >> he refused to be questioned by magistrates. evidence about the girl and his money had been leaked to the press. one girl describes him as a cash machine for which you need to tell -- need no pin. you need a white coat with nothing underneat. the third describes his residence as a whorehouse.

>> what will probably be the most damaging media event for the prime minister. >> facing accusations, not sexual ones. the prime minister is not likely to resign. this is in the midst of an unprecedented scandal. >> you are watching bbc news. focusing on the royal image. we asked americans living in london what they think. the former head of europe's biggest entertainment company has been found guilty of embezzlement by a court in paris. they will appeal his suspended sentence.

>> he was once the darling of global business. he took a water utility in turned into the media giant. he even called himself a master of the world. the purchase of universal film studios cost a fortune. the dot com bubble burst in he was ousted after the value collapsed. for the first time, he is convicted of criminal charges. in the court found that he deliberately misled the market about the company's's true financial position. >> we don't understand the steps taken by the courts.

especially the advocation of public funds when nothing like to his pocket. >> it is an important -- >> the court was not unfair. the crime of insider trading. they used it for their own personal enrichment to the detriment of the company for which we are shareholders. >> manipulating the share price. >> the headlines this hour, the u.s. congresswoman is being taken to a rehabilitation center.

tunisia's prime minister has promised to leave politics. three people have been killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police in the albanian capital. we are monitoring events. >> the capital over, the violence. thousands of supporters of the socialist party gathered outside the office of the prime minister demanding the resignation. protesters set fire to cars and police responded with teargas and water cannons. three people are shot dead and several others injured. police fought running battles

with protesters, urging the prime minister to go. unrest has been growing among the opposition since the election of june 2009. socialists say that the election was stolen and demand that the ballot box be reopened. there have been several demonstrations since then. fresh allegations of corruption have shown an anchor. the prime minister spoke to calm tempers. he accused the opposition leader of what he calls a criminal act. he uses a van that and criminals to change the government by force. with the socialists having boycotted for months, this is a country that has a history of violence. it has its sights on european union membership.

this a growing crisis is damaging albanian's hopes. >> been netherlands have been plunged into a debate about how to deal with psychiatric patients after images of a tethered a teenager. the pictures were taken after a whistle-blower that worked for the institution showed pictures of where the 18-year-old is confined. >> this is brandon, a film that the institution where he has been tethered to the wall every day for the last three years. the length of the leather strap allows henhouse some movement, but not much. this was done with the permission of a judge in 2007 after members of staff through a great. the the health experts say this is not an isolated case.

there might be 40 patients held in similar circumstances. when these pictures appeared on television, there was widespread shock. his mother says he lives like a caged animal. >> it really hurts to see your child like this. even the window is shut. >> politicians were among those expressing concern that this was an emergency debate in parliament. there was withering criticism. the government defended the way that he was being treated. the health minister is seen here and describing the images has heroin. sometimes, you need to protect people from themselves.

she promised an urgent review of this policy to see if any other methods could be used. >> they have postponed deliveries to the united states. letters and parcels are being refused entry into being sent back. >> has never been easy for cubans to send letters to the united states or the other way around. direct mail services between these former cold war enemies has suspended almost half a century ago. under the obama administration, they'll was finally allowed in for other countries such as mexico and canada.

>> the cuban postal service cannot accept any type of mail destined for the united states. it will be handed over to the center as soon as possible. >> cuba has fallen afoul of the recent tightening of anti- terrorism measures. the post co. says that large numbers have been refused entry into the u.s. and sent back here. cuba is on washington's list of state-sponsored terror. it is politically motivated and no wonder justified. relations have started to ease.

several hundred thousand cuban americans visited relatives after the u.s. lifted travel restrictions. they also began discussions on the resumption of mail services. it appears to have stalled. not surprisingly, there is a great deal of excitement, but is it the system or the celebrity that americans want? we have been talking to a group of americans living in london. >> the house has had some recent ups and downs. at the top remains the ceo, stable and revered. below those problems, reputations stinted and deals broken.

a new partnership has emerged. >> this family has been reduced to those lowest places of all creatures. >> it has just opened in london. struggling to communicate. a royal family mindful of connecting with the public. while maintaining a distant authority. >> it is very british. we are somewhat schizophrenic. are we harsh? in a completely unscientific survey, we wondered what people living in london thought.

>> it is one of the most respected ever. we appreciate what the non- political head of state means to the people. >> people find it sort of all must a nice sense of tradition. >> perhaps we should change jobs. >> you can't. >> that is the point. you can't change it. kings and queens are accountable. and for outsiders living here, it can be hard to get your head around. >> it is part of the fabric of society. i did not realize they had an important role to play.

it is still kind of confusing. you see that they play a bigger role. >> there are a few bigger roles than the bride and groom. >> i don't particularly care about the future of the royal family. i do see a sentiment that people are excited about the future of the monarchy. >> there will be changed. the shape of that change in the hands of these seemingly grounded yen people will ultimately determine what happens next. >> officials say that one of the crocodiles might need surgery after it swallowed a mobile phone. a device after it was accidentally dropped into its and closure.

>> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major

corporations. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.