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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello, and welcome. >> hugo chavez addresses supporters and venezuela. fresh allegations against dominique strauss-kahn, a french writer accuses him of attempted rape. >> removed from the court. he is temporarily barred from his war crimes trial after disrupting proceedings. we meet some of the people who fled the japanese nuclear disaster zone. >> this is "newsday."

hugo chavez of venezuela has addressed cheering supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace. following his return from cuba. he has spent more than three weeks recuperating, up where he underwent emergency surgery. his initial secrecy about his health problems has created uncertainty in venezuela. he addressed the crowd and tried to reassure them. >> i salute from a year. on my personal thanks from so much support to, from so many manifestation of love. love is the best medicine for any illness. thank you from all over the world. >> our correspondent said his

return was a complete surprise. >> i do not think anybody where it -- was expecting him back this morning. we had pictures released yesterday showing him recuperating in cuba. no hint that he would be back in the small hours. he arrived in the airport in the pitch darkness. a big surprise to everyone. his supporters were ecstatic to see him back. >> do any now in the studio is our former venezuela correspondent. we will see the pictures of from the balcony. >> he was definitely more gaunt and he is clearly someone who is

going to have to take some time to recover from what he has been through. let's not forget that he leads a very punishing schedule. he has been present for 12 years. those speeches are no exaggeration at all. he has admitted that he has not been taking sufficient care of himself. that is becoming clear that he now needs to change the way he works. he needs to think about its if he wants to continue to lead this revolution, how much more power he needs to delegate to his ministers. and let go of that. >> talk about the future of venezuela in a minute. let's do that now. what will happen if his health deteriorated? >> no matter what is going to happen, he will have to be forced to slow down. this is coming up to an election year, an election that he is already standing as a candidate and intends to win.

logistically, it will be very difficult to campaign normally. it is going to be difficult. he is very hands-on, as you can imagine. he prides himself as the man of the people. it is a very intriguing question. >> we can see in those pictures what appears to be thousands of supporters. could this possibly be an opportunity for the opposition to come to the floor on this? >> he is going to be enjoying their affection. they are glad to have him back, that is very clear. there will be chances for not just within the opposition, but for these fractious elements to unfold. it is going to be hard for him to keep on top of all of that if he is not at full strength.

there are interesting characters would then -- within the chavez revolution. none of them have this degree of charisma. >> thank you very much. dominique strauss-kahn is facing fresh allegations of sexual assault. this time, in france. she says that she will file a complaint formally. last week, he was freed from house arrest. >> it appeared that one set of charges may collapse, and another is to be levelled at dominique strauss-kahn. a day after he was granted release from his stringent bail conditions in new york, he could be facing another trial. a prominent french author

tristane banon has ordered the lawyers to file against him for attempted rape. >> i can confirm the instructions given by my client. they were extremely clear. it was attempted rape against dominique strauss-kahn. >> no sooner then he learned of the charges, he instructed his lawyers to file a counter action for false accusations. she alleges that he attacked her when she went to interview him eight years ago. at the time, her mother advised her of bringing the case against such a key figure in the french socialist party. that has not changed. speculation in the u.s. continues to back the case might be thrown out over the concerns about the reliability of the accuser.

she has decided to follow ups on a long-held accusations. the charges complicates his chances for returning to front- line politics in france before next year's presidential election. >> we have more details of the scene at that unfolded at the yugoslavian war crimes court today. >> there was a lot of emotion, high drama. the war crimes tribunal, as the former military commander made a mockery of proceedings and was promptly thrown out of the courtroom. heat is charged with masterminding the worst atrocities of the bosnian war. he was defiant. >> ratko mladic was in the fighting mode. he tipped his cap mockingly.

the judge was not having any of it. >> could he be assisted to take off his cap? >> ratko mladic's court- appointed lawyer sat looking fed up with the proceedings. instead, he said he wants this man brought in, the military lawyer who represented him during the extradition process. along with another lawyer from russia. the court is still examining their eligibility. >> under count one, you are charged with genocide, punishable -- >> no, no. i am not going to listen to this. without my lawyer, i am not

going to listen any more. you are talking in vain and i will not listen to anything. >> the court orders that you be removed from the the courtroom. could security police escorts him out of the courtroom? >> who are you? you are not allowing me. >> we adjourned for a moment, the curtains down, please. >> with that, the cameras were turned off. a stalling tactic? it would not be the first time. the former yugoslav president did much the same throughout his trial. he eventually died in custody before it could be concluded. the tribunal will not want this case to descend.

the 11 charges he faces are among the most serious it has dealt with, including the massacre of bosnian muslim men and boys. >> the chamber it enters a plea of not guilty. >> if he hoped to delay the proceedings, he did not manage it. the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. >> there has been a day in the syrian city, residents -- a blocked roads with burning tires. three people were killed and at least 20 injured. the city is reported to be calm. he is traveling outside for the first time since her release

from house arrest last year the pro-democracy leader is making a trip to the ancient temple city. she is free to travel, but the government has warned. the charity save the children has launched a 40 million pounds appeal to pay for emergency food and medical aid for the horn of africa. at least 9 million people there are at risk of malnutrition. the worst drought for 60 years has affected ethiopia, somalia, and kenya. we are in kenya on the largest refugee camp of its kind in the world. >> it is a place where life hangs in the balance. every single day. this is -- this baby is six

months of age. she is malnourished and feverish. he is older and weaker, as well as managers in, he has diarrhea and a chest infection and. if he dies, it will be the drought that kills them. july 2011 and once again, this corner of africa is cursed. here on the -- teetering on the brink of disaster. they are fighting a constant battle to save lives here. he does not always win. >> you see life going through your fingers. you have to look at the next one. you have done your best, so you go ahead to the next time. >> the drought is killing people's livestock, too. the animals are dropping dead.

to escape this drought, hungry, thirsty, desperate to are pouring in to the refugee camp. already the biggest in the world, and getting bigger all the time. a thousand new arrivals every day. the united nations say this is not a fan and yet, but it could be. they are classifying it as a humanitarian emergency, a situation that is rapidly deteriorating. these people are facing their worst drought for decades. aid workers say they do have an early warning system to alert the world to impending famine. the world has not been listening. >> you are watching "newsday."

a special report from japan as people try to rebuild their lives following the earthquake and tsunami. >> we are at the front line in libya. the duke and duchess of cambridge are visiting prince edward island. the royal couple arrived to the delight of thousands. >> on an island named after queen victoria's father, this is a place that is key among all things roiled. unfortunately, for prince edward island, not many roils get here. -- royals. today, the island hit the jackpot.

they got out of the carriage for a walk about. by now, the island was feeling the effects of being on the atlantic coast. a good moment to demonstrate his flying skills. the canadians have a special technique for search and rescue. they land the helicopter on the water. the approach was steady, and in splashdown. sighs of relief all around. one wonders what the duke of cambridge might be trying next. the boat race, perhaps. a dragon boat race. william puddling in one boat, kate in another.

it was declared a photo finish. for a newcomer, is proving to be quite a trip. what is apparent is how both of them appear to be enjoying it. >> hugo chavez of venezuela has cheering supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace following his return from cuba. >> a french writer alleges that she was attacked nine years ago by the former imf chief. she is preparing legal action against him. >> rebel commanders are waiting for an uprising in tripoli before making a final attack on

the city. nato has again defended its operation after a meeting with russian officials, which failed to resolve disagreements about the military intervention. we have this report from the rebel front line. >> the magnificent mountain range overlooking the plane that leads to gaddafi's stronghold of tripoli. from this point, tripoli is only 52 miles away, close enough for this rebel commander to get a mobile phone signal to talk to his family. at present, they have mostly been abandoned. the rebels cleared his troops out of here fast. this is the heartland of libya's people. for decades, gaddafi regime has stamped down a card on their language and culture.

now there's strange alphabet's is making a comeback in the streets. the rebel gains field permanent. gaddafi's forces seems too weak to recapture this territory. the number 2 in the rebel army thinks the war will end very soon. >> a month and a half. >> his bosses do not want him to stage an all-out attack on tripoli yet. they are worried about civilian casualties and want to make for an uprising to take place first. another colonel is a new arrival. he defected from tripoli a fortnight ago and says there are others you want to escape, too. >> they are afraid that gaddafi

will kill their families if they go. >> yes, they are afraid. >> tripoli is now only a couple of hours' drive from here down this road. at this village, it is the point where the two sides confront each other. this is it, the front lines. just over there of that rich, the pro-gaddafi forces. they fire over in this direction from time to time. the pro-gaddafi soldiers are not particularly enthusiastic about fighting. >> today passed with no firing from either side. it is frustrating for the rebel soldiers, but they're confident that by next month, they will be in tripoli. >> to japan the aftermath of the

earthquake is still affecting thousands of people. >> the reconstruction efforts could all be affected because it is being reported that the japanese minister, who is in charge of reconstruction, will resign shortly after only a week and the job. he made comments, offensive during meetings after visiting areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. a small of the sheep -- a small fishing village that was nearly washed away. how are the residents coping? >> there are scores of mechanical diggers that have been deployed here. the wreckage, the waste,

gathered up into huge events buried concrete over there, what over there. a lot of it will be recycled. 506 people are still missing. more than 1200 confirmed dead. this tsunami reached as far as the vichy map. even in areas that are unaffected, people are facing another danger. radiation. the homes are abandoned, the area is sealed off. this is the edge of the exclusion zone around a power station. the only vehicles allowed in our carrying emergency workers. on their way to another shift at the plant. after explosions and small towns, the reactors are still not under control. the plan is to stabilize them by january, at the latest.

for now, the plant continues to leak radiation. even towns to step outside the zone have been affected by the disaster. radiation levels are higher than normal and many people have chosen to leave. this family has been living in a hotel room since the middle of march. it is a six-hour drive inland and all they brought with them was what they could carry on the bus. the children are fitting in at the local school, but their mother cannot forgive the power company for destroying their old life. >> i was born and i grew up in the town. when i think about what is best for my children, i cannot go back.

>> just down the road is another family to flood the nuclear crisis. i 70 years old, he has been forced to start again after losing everything. he has already opened a new restaurant to replace the one they left behind. >> what happened has happened. as far as i am concerned, how i am going to rebuild my life is more important than anything else. ♪ they also used to run a karaoke bar and for famous for their performances.

the song is about a yearning for home. the cleaning up around will take years, but they have already decided they are never going back. in the plant, workers have set up a system to decontaminate what you're. that is a key part of trying to get the crisis under control. they have 100,000 tons or more of radioactive water to deal with. >> we reported earlier about the reconstruction minister planning to resign. he took on the job -- could this have an impact on the reconstruction efforts? >> it is bad news for japan's government. he wants to facilitate the

reconstruction through the parliament. to his remarks were extraordinarily high handed. he objected to a governor in one of these sectors coming into a room after him. he told him that the central government would not do anything unless the local government came up with decent plans for reconstruction. when asked why he had behaved in that manner, he said it was because he had type b blood. that is why he is at the door. >> thank you. you have been watching "newsday." >> hugo chavez has appeared on the balcony of the presidential palace following his return from cuba. thank you for watching. stay with us.

>> 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. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies.

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