>> this is "bbc world news." 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.

>> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome to the bbc. i'm in singapore. >> i'm in london. the headlines. hugo chavez admitted in a televised speech he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. celebrations are taking place to mark the 90th anniversary of the chinese communist party. >> a french hostage released by the taliban told the bbc he believes the deal was done to secure his freedom. canada welcomes william and kate on their first official trip abroad. it is 11:00 a.m. here in

singapore. >> we're broadcasting to viewers on pbs america and around the world. >> venezuelan president hugo job as within the last few hours held -- hugo chavez with in the last few hours held a press conference. he is recovering from surgery. the president acknowledged he had a tumor and had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous cells. he says he is determined to fight and is on the road to recovery. sara joins me now. after watching the footage over the last few days, this comes as a bit of a surprise. >> it does. it is quite a big admission because the government has tried to manage this illness. the president has let

information out here and there, but no great disclosure. this speech by the president somewhat unexpected and very serious. it was very obvious from watching it that he has had some serious health problems. he lost a lot of weight. his voice is much weaker than we are used to hearing. very clear that he struggles. now he has made it public, hoping the public will back him. >> what do we know what about the medical condition he is suffering from? >> well, we were told several weeks ago that he had to undergo emergency surgery while on a visit to cuba for a pelvic abscess. there was medical silence since then, nothing else about his condition or what he was suffering, just the government saying he was in the recuperation. this evening, he came out himself and said while he was in recuperation, doctors did find cancerous cells. that meant they had to give him

under the knife again. he did say that the removal of the tumor was completely successful and he did stress that he was on the road to recovery. >> have you managed to speak to anybody where you are on reaction to this? >> well, obviously, lots of people here support his political ideologies. they hold him close to their heart. he is a charismatic person and when he speaks in public, which he usually does very frequently, he loves to make a connection with people. many people have been praying for him even before they found out that this was an issue with cancer. many people with him in their thoughts, and i am sure even more so now that he made this admission. >> ok. thank you very much for that. the united nations tribunal investigating the murder of the former lebanese prime minister rafik hariri in 2005 has

delivered an died in to authorities. the suspects have not been named, but officials say several of them are members of the shia organization hezbollah, including a senior command the -- commander. >> investigators are working behind these walls and believed they knew it -- they know who killed rafik hariri. the tribunal handed over four names to the lebanese authorities. the names are secret, but the process is not. lebanon is now meant to arrest and detain the suspects. the new lebanese prime minister has said he will deal with the trend -- tribunal accusations in a responsible way. >> today, we are confronting a new reality. i call upon all of us to consciously unite for the greater good of the nation, our safety, national unity, and determination to deal with the

situation realistically and responsibly, keeping in mind that indictments are not conclusive and any accusations need solid evidence. every individual accused is innocent until proven guilty. >> the prime minister faces conflicting pressures. the big western powers want him to respect the tribunal. hezbollah is a powerful force within his government. it believes its members now face are rest, and it wants the prime minister to reject the full legal process out of hand. this is the hezbollah leader speaking last. >> it is a mistake to think we will allow the arrest or detention of many factors. nebraska hand that touches any of them will be cut off. -- any hand that touches any of them will be cut off. >> it lead to mass protests that

forced the departure of syrian troops from the country. as the years have passed, the desire for justice has given way to fears that the search for the killers could lead to violence coming and instability in the country. many lebanese do support the tribunal. they want to know who killed rafik hariri. others are suspicious. they say the tribunal as a tool being used by the west and israel to hit political enemies. bbc news. >> a land mine has exploded in afghanistan, killing 20 people. the explosion happened on the main road near kandahar. police said women and children were among the dictums. german lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved plans to shut the nuclear plants by 2020 to. it is on the road to an

ambitious build up to renewable energy. this came after japan 's nuclear disaster. celebrations are under way in china to mark an important anniversary. >> that is right. china is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of its ruling communist party, which took power in 1949. there are sober tory television programs and the release -- there are television programs and the release of advertisements starring big stars. after nine decades of the communist party, it goes from strength to strength. it is arguably one of the most powerful political organizations on the planet. we are joined from beijing by one of our correspondents.

it could be one of the strongest political parties in the world, but hu jintao said in his speech before his members of the communist party that there are challenges ahead. >> that is right. president hu jintao in many ways is giving an all-star speech peppered with applause for the thousands of party members in the great hall of the people. in part of the speech, he has been talking about the challenges of the future. he talks about the party facing growing pains and members needing to be more disciplined than ever before. he repeatedly stressed that more must be done about corruption. he said, "corruption will cost the party the support of the people." he went on to say, "we must not turn our power into making personal gain for a few individuals." latching on to that issue of corruption, which creates a lot of anger here against the

communist party. they know they need to reflect the will of the people. corruption is one key issue and president hu jintao went on to say that it is absolutely essential that the party reflect the will of the people going into the future. >> martin come into is not all about economic growth in the country, but a lot of critics are also saying that china also has to fix its human rights issues. >> that is right, absolutely. no mention as of yet of democratic political reform in that speech. we are not expecting to hear that. we sought 20 years ago that the communist party remains the sole authority in china following the crackdown against tien an men square protesters in the months leading up to this anniversary. it has been one of the biggest crackdowns against dissidents in recent years. there are debates within the

party about political forms. not clear whether or not that will amount to anything. the party does know that it must adapt going into the future if it is to remain successful. >> thank you so much for that update. one of two french hostages released on wednesday by the taliban in afghanistan told the bbc he believes a deal was done to secure their freedom. he suggested at least two prisoners were freed. the taliban said several members have been released from jail. >> back on french soil of last, the two journalists are arrived at a military airport on thursday morning after their 547-day ordeal as prisoners of the taliban in afghanistan. the men said the conditions there were subjected to were grim and insisted they were never abused. >> we have not been mistreated, beaten, or attacked. we were locked up for 23 hours

and 45 minutes. we could go to the toilet twice a day. >> the three employees and the interpreter were taken hostage on december 30, 2009. at that time, they were filming in northeast afghanistan. in november, 2010, a video message of the man was released. it said nothing. the journalists and their interpreter were set free on wednesday. they had no idea they were about to be sent home. >> we were in our house. then they moved us to another one and told us the negotiations were over. two days ago, we had a long walk to the main valley. we started to have a good feeling. when we knew we were being released, they brought us clothes and put us in a car. >> three colleagues gave them a a heroes welcome.

questions are being asked about the circumstances surrounding the release. there are rumors that money changed hands, but there is no proof of that. the french more in -- foreign minister is adamant that france does not pay ransom. bbc news. >> we are live from singapore and london. tie one goes along discuss serving leader is indicted on corruption charges. >> welcomed with open arms, william and kate go to canada in their first trip abroad. the greek government has got a second austerity bill in parliament, freeing up crucial funds from the european union and the imf, saving the country from defaulting on its massive debt. many greeks are already angry at the austerity measures. we report from athens. >> the final votes were cast and

it passed by a comfortable majority. there was a resounding silence in the streets. the demonstrators who caused such mayhem on wednesday knew this was little more than a rubber stamping and stayed away from constitution square. this procedural vote now means greece has done as it was told. in the return, they will receive $17 billion in mid-july and will be able to pay its bills. what the new law authorizes as this. they will sell off $72 million of state assets over four years. they will cut government spending by $40 billion over the next five years. 150,000 public-sector jobs will be cut by 2015. more people will be forced to pay income tax. that could bring in $3.3 billion alone. saving grace from defaulting might have cheered politicians

in eurozone capitals, but it has depressed many athenians. >> it will not bring any results. it will only make the situation worse. greater recession, greater poverty. >> things will only get uglier and worse than they already are. there is no future. there is nothing. >> with two yes votes in his pocket, the finance minister can look forward to meeting his partners this weekend to show what he called real proof of greece's credibility. bbc news, athens. >> i am in singapore. >> i am in london. the headlines for you, venezuelan president hugo chavez has admitted in a televised speech that he underwent surgery last week to remove cancerous cells. >> china is holding a day of

celebration and the communist party marked its 90th anniversary. tie one's longest-serving leader has been indicted on charges of corruption. he is accused of embezzling more than $7.5 million while in office. he left office in 2000, but he remains an influential political figure. joining me is our correspondent. investigations have been under way for the past decade. wire prosecutors only fighting charges now? >> it is from the special investigation division and they do not really explain why. they have somehow or roust suspicion -- are aroused suspicion. they were going to reelect president and members of parliament.

people have been told to vote against the current president ma ying-jeou. it is said that measures must be taken to safeguard taiwan against china. at least among supporters, there are allegations about the ruling party. on the other hand, it is being said that this is just as that is long overdue. >> has the former president made any statements since his indictment? >> lee teng-hui was described as shocked when he first heard this. he says he will clear his name in court. his lawyer has been accusing the prosecutors inditing without sufficient evidence.

also, accusing that they never give lee a chance to argue his case before the indictment. >> thank you so much for that update. developments in a case. >> the former head of the international monetary fund is due to appear in a manhattan court it is in connection with the charges he faces. our correspondent joins me on the line from new york. what do we know? >> we know that strauss-kahn will appear in court tomorrow morning and the lawyers will argue for the stringent bail conditions he is living under to be relaxed. he is under house arrest, wearing an electronic angle bracelet with an armed guard outside his manhattan residents. the court appearance comes as there is speculation in u.s. media that the actual case against him might be about to

collapse. a hotel maid accused him of attempting to rape her when she came to clean his times square hotel suite. "the new york times" has a story in which law enforcement officials have said that they have doubts about the credibility of the story. >> this case received lots of press attention, particularly in new york. has that media attention gone away? >> i think it will be quite a circus both outside his apartment near wall street and also outside the manhattan court as well. if it does turn out to be the case that this very high-profile cases going to collapse, then strauss-kahn resigned because of

the seriousness of the allegations against him, attempted rape and violent sexual assault. we will have to see how it turns out. at the moment, we do know there will be a hearing in which he will argue his bail conditions to be relaxed. "the new york times" is reporting the lawyers are discussing how many of the charges can be pressed at all, given what is giving doubts about the credibility of the maid and her story. >> thank you very much. 100,000 people have marched in the center of santiago, chile. protesters had clashes with police. water cannons were used to subdue protesters. the government -- students were protesting the government's investments in education.

an australian newspaper editor -- the court sentenced him to one month in jail, but set him free and due to time already served. he said the verdict was outrageous and that he would appeal. president obama has awarded the retiring secretary of defense robert gates by presenting him with the presidential medal of freedom, the highest civilian honor. at a farewell ceremony, he marked the last day in office. he was appointed by president bush, and he was retained by president obama in an unusual move. crowds gathered in ottawa to greet william and kate, their first official overseas trip as a married couple. our correspondent is following them and sends this report. >> increasingly, the load will

be theirs. this is the first chance they have had together to discover what that means on a complex foreign turf. william and kate have come to canada, not simply as a visiting prince and his british wife, but as a couple who one day will be king and queen of this country. their first duty, watched by tens of thousands of canadians, was to pay their respects at the national war memorial in ottawa. william laid a wreath at the grave of the unknown soldier. then, what the waiting crowd had been waiting for, a chance to greet them. william took one side of the crowd and kate the other. taking time to stop and talk, accepting flowers, and ignoring the timetable. the event was already over run.

it is impossible to say to what extent all of this curiosity and excitement about the visit translates into solid support for the notion that one day, they should be canada's king and queen. among the crowds who turned out to see them, there was widespread support for the monarchies. >> it doesn't matter if they have never come to canada before. they are here now. i would like to see them as our king and queen. >> it is a great thing for tourism. >> others were ignoring the visit, which has left some canadians underwhelmed. >> at the moment, they are the prettiest super couple. we get to post them on their first trip abroad, but that does not mean to say it is the same thing as supporting the market. >> at the home of the queen's canadian representative, william spoke about their pleasure of being in canada. the speech was in english and french.

>> p [-- >> [speaking french] it will improve as we go on. [laughter] >> they have eight more days in canada, a test for them both, particularly for her, and another sharp introduction to what their future life will involved. bbc news, ottawa. >> it is being billed as the other royal wedding of the year. the marriage of prince albert ii to a former olympic swimmer. friday's ceremony will be in the south of france. it has captured public media attention around the world. >> the prince prepares. monaco, the tip of southern france, famous for its great

wealth, finally gets its royal wedding. it is the civil marriage of prince albert on friday, followed by a strategic by a religious ceremony. 3500 guests will attend the ceremony. she was a swimmer on the olympic team. the guest list includes heads of state and royalty. the wedding dinner needs to be fit for a king. >> it is essentially a vegetarian and seafood menu. i will try to keep the individual flavor of each ingredient. luckily, prince albert and the family opened a private garden to us to let us plant food. on the wedding morning, we will harvest it. nothing will have to be put in the fridge. we will be cooking fresh. >> the palace has denied reports

in the french press that the bride to be was getting cold feet. the royal wedding of prince william and kate middleton will be a tough act to follow. many are just happy to see him finally settling down. bbc news. >> you have been watching the bbc. >> a reminder of the nine main news. hugo chavez held a press conference to update the nation on his help. he is recovering from surgery. he had a tumor and underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells. he says he's determined to fight and is on the road to recovery. china is marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of its ruling communist party. this is the seen in beijing. hu jintao addressing an audience. there were hundreds, including

top leaders. he warned that rampant corruption in the ruling party marking the birthday could lead to a loss and a public confidence. -- a loss in public confidence. thanks for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.