>> this is bbc world news. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vt., and honolulu. newman's own 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? >> and now bbc world news. >> the duke of edinburg, prince philip, has gone through a successful procedure to open a blocked artery. thousands of protesters angry over russian political corruption twin bomb blasts killed more than 40 in damascus. the syrian government rejects that it is behind it and blames al qaeda. a financially challenged christmas -- we have a special report on the impact of greece's austerity project. and a plan to say thank you to the austrian doctors who saved his life.

the duke of edinburgh, prince philip, has got your heart surgery. the treatment is to widen the bless the vessel in his heart and is said to have been -- to what in the blood vessel in his heart and is said to have been successful. he had been suffering from chest pains. our correspondent is at the hospital. >> all of the information is coming from buckingham palace. we know that the duke was suffering from chest pains earlier today. he was brought straight here. this is the uk's premier heart center. tests were carried out. it showed that he had a blocked coronary artery. that supplies blood to the

heart. a tube goes in and expands and opens up the artery. >> he is 90 years old and he has had surgery on his heart, a procedure to open up a blocked artery carried out under local anesthetic. he will remain in hospital for a short time while doctors monitor his condition. just two months ago, he was in australia and doing what he has done for nearly 60 years, supporting the monarch. on that occasion, delighting children through the crowd and his dominant personality content to take second place as he always has. his health has generally been good for a man of his age. there was a scare three years ago when he was laughed admitted to hospital with a chest

infection. he emerged after -- when he was last admitted to hospital with a chest infection. he emerged after three days. but it might be time to slow down. >> i reckon i have done my bit. with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, try to figure out something to say -- memory is going. i cannot remember names. i am just sort of winding down. >> despite what he said in that interview, he has shown little and the nation -- he has shown little inclination to alter his ways. >> the hospital treats more than 20,000 people every year.

it is the uk's main center for the carrying out harheart surge. this is considered a routine procedure. " thousands are fitted here every year. nonetheless, -- there are thousands of our fitted here every year. nevertheless, there are concerns. once the concern is the possibility of tissue rejection. that is always the possibility. >> a consultant cardio drastic surgeon says that they've blocked coronary artery is serious and -- that a blocked coronary artery is serious and

it needs to be treated right away. how problem is it to insert one. >> i think it is fairly, now, for the last 20 years. it is getting better and better. -- it is fairly common now, for the last 20 years. it is getting better and better. you put in a plastic tube with a balloon attached to it. if you just leave it there, it can collapse again. to prevent the collapse, like any tunnel, you put in a scaffolding. that is called a stunt. it stays open and keeps the tube open and blood flows through it and the blood goes to the heart muscle. >> how worried would you be if you were carrying out such a procedure on a 90-year-old. -- a 90-year-old? >> not all 90-year-olds are like

the duke, healthy and strong. but arteries are quite thick and and you may not pass a needle or a plastic tube through it and that becomes quite difficult. even if you pass through, it has to go all the way to the opening of these arteries, which is very close to the heart. a balloon and i even work to open the artery if it is calcify. ithat is one of the best treatments. >> as he recovers, do you think he will have to change his lifestyle? would he possibly be advised to travel less and take your public engagements? >> no, with this operation, he

is now out of danger. he could carry on doing this a long, long time. a blast -- a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into a group of troops. tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of moscow on federal -- on saturday. at the last big rally two weeks ago, an estimated 50,000 took part. organizers are hoping that this demonstration will be even bigger. medvedev has promised reform. but there is widespread skepticism. >> they have been preparing for today's demonstration for a

fortnight. this group volunteered to produce 45,000 white ribbons, the symbols of their new cause. everyone knows that, to keep the movement going and to keep the pressure on the government, they need to generate another big protested. two weeks ago, an estimated 50,000 people to to the streets to protest against cheating at the parliamentary -- took to the streets to protest against cheating at the parliamentary elections. nobody knows how many people will turn out today. it will be very cold, which could deter some appeared if there is a poor turnout, it could kill off the movement. but if tens of thousands of people fill this avenue, it could give it a real momentum and give putin a real headache heading into the presidential

elections in march. but russia's best known crime novelist is among those who will address the crowd. >> people want liberty. people want respect. they want to have a say in what is going on with the state. the problem is that our authorities have not understood. the authority has now changed. >> the tainted elections have been generated the biggest street protest in russia since the early 1990's. but they are rising against the government's corruption, cheating, and lying. >> interpol says it is seeking the arrest of the founder of a french company at the center of a global breast implants scandal. he is wanted by coaster rica for offenses concerning life and health. on friday, french officials advised 32,000 women with pip

implants to have them removed. there were made with poor quality silicon gel. the cuban authorities say they will release 3000 prisoners in the next few days. the move is a goodwill gesture following manner requests by relatives -- following many requests by relatives and religious institutions. the political uprising in syria that has seen nine months of carnage across the country has taken a deadly turn with two car bombs exploding in the city of damascus. more than 40 people were killed. state media suggested that the attacks were carried out by al qaeda. >> this was a devastating escalation of serious violence.

according to the government, the two suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives into state intelligence buildings. hear, a vehicle was mangled by the blast appeared and -- by the blast. and all of this happen in an area that should be one of the most secure in the country. the dead and wounded were said to include security personnel and civilians. television broadcast images of the survivors as they recovered in hospital. >> i saw a black car and then an explosion appeared after that, i was taken to hospital. >> the attacks struck at the heart of president bush are ellis said -- president bashar al assad. he tried to implicate the opposition. but optimism -- but opposition

activists say that stories have been fabricated by the government as a distraction. >> the least i can say that this is purely immoral to accuse syria of this. we would never sacrifice the lives of our citizens. >> but with independent media banner severely restricted by the regime, it certainly is not possible to investigate the claims and counterclaims. >> the arab league observers were taken to witnessed the aftermath. we are worn by america and not to allow what has happened to impede their investigations of human rights abuses in syria. this woman is trying to god and is from a village in the north. the opposition accuses the army of massacring more than 100 civilians.

the bloody crackdown on the opposition continues unabated. at the citadel of resistance, men brave government snipers to retrieve the body. elsewhere in the city, they shoot down a garment fly. is a potent signal -- it is a potent symbol of a country spiraling into chaos. >> many gathered in the capital of -- the capital cairo in egypt. there have been clashes between troops and civilians. women who have been stripped and beaten have provoked particular anger. trying to maintain the christmas spirit -- a special report from

sparta. >> a series of powerful earthquakes hit christ church, new zealand. this time, there were no fatalities. drummer has at trigger minute -- the latest tremor has left people nervous. >> it sent pre-christmas shoppers into a scramble for the exits. these people lived through the last earthquake 10 months ago and knew what it was capable of. >> and there were people running to get out. it was pretty chaotic. >> pretty violent. i was in a building that had

stuff falling off the shelves at you pierre >> at a local television station, many cower under their desks fearful of collapsing ceilings. the ferocity of the event was captured in the smallest of objects. buildings shook for several seconds, forcing people to race to the relative safety of open streets. both major shocks registered well over magnitude 5.0. >> our hearts go out to the people of christ church. in the aftermath, the city and surrounding areas were subject to landslides and then flooding. >> [unintelligible] i have had enough. >> this later set of earthquakes will prove deeply disturbing for the people of the city come to believe their worst

fortunes lay behind them. >> this is bbc news. these are the headlines. the purpose -- the duke of edinburgh has undergone a successful heart surgery. tens of thousands of protesters are angry with political corruption in russia. world leaders and the people of the czech republic are bidding for well of the former president. they had a state funeral in prague. church bells rang out across the city. >> they laid his coffin with the flag of the country that he led out of dictatorship.

the immense moral stature brought leaders of the democratic world to the council today. two british prime ministers, the french head of state, to u.s. secretary of state, and a former president. [siren sounding] >> at noon, they sounded the sirens and the church bells across the land. the nation stood still in quiet reflection of. >> -- in quiet reflection. >> madeleine albright, a check- born, said he was a unique man. he has been one of the much respected men on this planet. his words spoke to all.

and this was a playwright who emerged in the 1980's that was part of a group of young dissidents. day after day, he led hundreds of thousands in protests until the communist regime collapsed. he made the journey from prison cells to the presidency in a matter of weeks. his guiding belief was that the truth would always triumph over a lie. he was also determined to live a life of truth, even if it meant going to prison. today, the people of this whole country has got to remember and paid tribute and reflect on how that principled stand has had an effect on their lives. what is his legacy? 22 years ago, this was a country that put poets and playwrights and priests in prison. the presiding archbishop of prague was himself in jail along side him. he embodied the values of the

democratic european mainstream. at the moment, those values needed their clearest articulation appeared today, a free and democratic people pay their homage. >> turkey accuses france of spawning hatred for political gain. they also said that france had committed genocide during its colonial rule in geneva. france signed a bill that would make it a crime to deny the armenian genocide. president obama says that the american economy is improving, but much more needs to be done. he spoke after signing the 60- day extension of the tax cuts. >> this is good news, distant time for the holidays. i want to be clear. -- just in time for the

holidays. >> i want to be clear. we still have a lot to do. we will have to roll up our sleeves together, democrats and republicans, to make sure that the economy is growing and to make sure that more jobs are created. we have an economy that is showing some positive signs. we have seen many consecutive months of consecutive private- sector job growth. but we have to redouble our effortsñ. it also means that we are rebuilding an economy where, if you work hard, that work will be rewarded. >> prius says that the future in the eurozone looks more and more difficult. demonstrations took place almost daily in the capital athens. during the summer, poll henley winter sport of in the

peloponnesus. he returned just before christmas to find that things were deteriorating quickly. ♪ >> spared the may look like any provincial greek town making the best -- sparta may look like any provincial greek town making the best of christmas. but you do not have to scratch that far below the surface to see that not all is bright. >this bakery was already struggling when i met the owner in july. with a 50% drop in sales, he is making christmas cakes that nobody seems to want to buy. >> we can afford them and we're not feeling festive. >> patisseries are the most sparse during which should have been the busiest setting of the year. the impact on business owners can be heartbreaking.

the telltale signs are here. the fact that people are nursing their copies for hours, but the hopeless smells of wood smoke because they're not turning on their views, you sit down and have a conversation. >> we're just living day to day, not looking at the future. townswas one of the - entrepreneurs. in july, he is catering for hundreds of local dignitaries. this christmas, he and his family are sitting in there in the restaurant because they cannot afford to heat their homes. will you be able to continue the business like this? >> the only reason it has lasted this long is because it is a family business. i do not pay anyone. >> this is a 30-year-old business graduate who was forced

to move back with his parents here. >> what i am struggling with most is the loss of independence. >> i asked him if there's anything positive to say about his situation. >> i think repeople -- i think greek people have lost the idea that christmas is about family. >> is one way of thought during the festive spirit. >> and george michael says that he is incredibly fortunate to be alive after spending a month in a vienna hospital because of the mona -- because of pneumonia. he promised to resume a canceled concert tour once he is recovered. this report has some flash photography. ♪ >> george michael onstage in

prague and august. the tour was to taken across europe, accompanied by a symphony orchestra. it is a new departure for the singer. but last month, the tour was caught short. he was diagnosed with pneumonia. it was clear how ill the singer was. >> i have a couple of minutes. i am not supposed to speak for very long at a time. merry christmas, everyone. >> looking frail and short of breath, he told reporters she was lucky to be alive. >> it was basically by far the worst month of my life. but i am incredibly fortunate to be here. >> he said he was recovering from a tracheotomy and he paid tribute to medical staff in vienna who treated him. crux i spent -- >> i spend the last 10 days since i woke up literally thanking people for saving my life. that is something i have never had to do before. i never want to do it again.

i really, really, really, from the bottom of my heart, thank everybody for their messages and everybody in that i see unit -- that ic unit. >> he made a commitment to perform an extra show for the doctors who saved his life. >> a spacecraft carrying a russian, an american, an investment has stopped at the international space station. the station can now resume full- time operations, including medical research and experiments and astronomical observations. the duke of edinburgh, prince philip, has undergone heart surgery. the treatment to widen the blood vessel in his heart is said to

have been successful. you were watching bbc news. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vt., and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank offers unique insight and expertise in the range of industries. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet loss angeles.