>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is 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 global expertise to work for a wide range of companies.

what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> from disaster to triumph in 70 days. mission accomplished. the rescue teams verdict after the last miner was brought to safety. >> they are united, committed with this rescue effort, and that is an example for the whole world. >> medical checks for the miners, but can their lives ever be the same again? welcome to gmt. i am george alagiah. also in the program -- a hero's

welcome for the president of iran in lebanon. now his controversial trip eds for a hezbollah stronghold on the border with israel. texas have to do with an english football club? it is midday in london, and 8:00 in the morning in chile. chile have achieved something more than the audacious and technically flawless rescue of 33 miners. in the words of president pinera, the rescue has united the nation and raised its profile in the world. our correspondent is at the hospital in the town where the rescued miners have been treated after they were released. >> thank you. yes, this is a regional

hospital, 50 kilometers from the mine. after they were individually brought up one by one in the rescue capsule, they were all brought here. finally, they have been reunited again. the last ones arrived here a few hours ago. they were brought by helicopter to a military base in nearby and then by three ambulances. they joined their colleagues behind me. they are recovering. after 70 days underground on rocks, they have enjoyed their proper night's sleep in a comfortable bed. also, they've enjoyed their first meal outside the mine. they have rice and chicken. i've been and never tasted so good. the last miner was brought out at about 10:30 p.m. local time. it was a must faster conclusion to the operation than anyone anticipated. he joined his colleagues here.

let's get more details about the end of that dramatic rescue from my colleague. >> luis urzua, the 33rd and final miner to come out of the ground. he was the shift leader back in august when this extraordinary drama started to unfold. 70 days later, his return from the earth triggered wild celebrations across chile. than here.o more so it was the culmination of an astonishing day that started when avalos stepped to freedom, the first man out. then came the joker of the group. he brought rocks with him, souvenirs' for his rescuers. as the day went on, the operation picked up pace. eventually, only a handful of rescue workers were left down below. when the phoenix capsule made

its final ascent. pinera was onent hand to greet most of the mend. in an interview with the bbc, he said he was well aware that the eyes of the world were on his country. >> i hope that from now on, what people around of world hear the word chile -- they will remember what we have done together. here, all the chileans are united, committed with this rescue effort. >> most of the miners are in a remarkably good health. inevitably, the ordeal has taken its toll. two of them need major dental treatment under general anesthetic. one of them has pneumonia. all of these men know that it could have been much worse. they have been close to death and came back again. these rescue workers said it

all. after the last miner stepped to safety, they held up the sign. mission accomplished. >> at the moment the last miner, luis urzua, popped up in his rescue capsule, i was in the main square year with thousands of other people watching a big screen. the place just erupted. the same emotions would have been repeated across chile. these men have become national heroes. their lives have changed because of what they have gone through. >> the eyes of all the world intrude on this most personal of moments. a child about to be reunited with her father. the intensity of the moment --

suddenly, the emotional floodgates. [applause] who 10 weeks ago would have thought this outcome possible? this is a story of remarkable endurance, of a nation that despite the odds, refused to give up, and plant and executed operations so audacious that it seemed at the outset impossibly ambitious. 33 men were trapped half a mile underground on august 5 for 17 days. no one knew whether any of them would survive. time after time, exploratory drilling found no clues. then the first communication. the camera pro picks up the sound of knocking, and finally this, proof of life at last. a face pressed up against the lens. how many of the 33 have

survived? this is how the world learned. -- we arehat read fine, 33 of us. chile was euphoric. the men were supplied with food, water, medicine and crucial messages from their families. the world learned something of the lives they were leading underground, that psychologically as well as physically, they were holding out. for 17 days, they had survived on a spoonful or two spoonfultuna and a little milk carefully rationed. now their diet was carefully controlled from above the surface. 2,000 calories per day to ensure there would be slim enough to fit in the rescue capsule. the men established exercise routines and worked shifts

clearing falling debris. the operation ended when the last of the six rescue workers made the dramatic claustrophobic journey to safety. it's been a dramatic day for chile, knighted in its joint and the pride. the world has watched the merkel, awestruck by the accomplishment. for the 33, one dark chapter has close. today they begin the process of adapting, of making sense of the ordeal. as they put the lid on the narrow shaft that brought them to safety . >> well, the hospital has become the focus of this incredible story now. the miners are all your

recovering. we know that two of them will need dental surgery. two of them have been diagnosed with a lung infection. it is controllable, but not curable. we knew about one of those conditions earlier when the 63- year-old miner -- we have now subsequently found out that he is suffering from pneumonia. the health minister said that none of the miners should have to spend a prolonged p eriod of time in the hospital. doctors have been astonished by what good conditions these men are in after the incredible ordeal. they have all been told that they must spend at least 48 hours' in hospitals before they can be released. we are starting to think that that may be flexible. there's a chance that some of the miners may be released back home today with their families. >> now for a look at some of the

other stories making headlines around the world today. riot police in athens have forced their way into acropolis, where striking staff was stopping tourists from visiting the ancient famous site. blockade was mentally broken up with tear gas. more than 70 people have been charged in the u.s. in what prosecutors claim was a network of armenians trying to defraud the country's medical insurance program. the japanese prime minister has said that china should release the jailed winner of this year's nobel peace prize, liu xiaobo. the comments were made in japan's parliament, but stopped formally requesting his release. the chinese government has

reacted angrily to the nobel award, calling him a criminal. the u.s. secretary of state henry kissinger once famously s, who i call if i want to call europe? now the problem is solved. the eu foreign-policy chief is a person to pick up the phone on this side of the atlantic. >> i have found someone who has just gotten into this job with extraordinary energy and i know it is a huge job that she has undertaken on behalf of the european union. it is very helpful to have someone like her in a position to take those phone calls. i think it is going to improve our coordination, as it already has come on so many issues, and

it's also fun. i love working with her and spending time with her. i in my ear greatly her grasp of the very complex issues -- i admire greatly the grasp of the very complex issues that we both face. >> you can see the whole interview on a special edition of "record europe" on october 30. still to come on gmt -- president ahmadinejad makes his way to lebanon's sensitive border with israel. we will assess the trip's significance. >> in a highly unusual joint meeting, foreign and defense ministers of nato are gathering in brussels to develop issues like nuclear defense and disarmament are on the agenda.

from brussels, here is our defense and security correspondent. >> nato is involved in the fight of its life in afghanistan. it's also trying to look beyond afghanistan to ensure its own future with a new mission statement, the first and over 10 years. where should the focus be? european members have wanted it to concentrate on defense closer to home. >> the new security concept must reconfirm nato's core task, but it,ernize how we do experience including cyber defense and missile defense. >> key members like the united states -- nato must have a global horizons, they say. balancing these views will be the key to agreement. iran is driving nato to adopt a

missile defense new mission. how taking that on will fit in with the policy on nuclear deterrent and disarmament has also caused frictions. >> nato and the members represented here certainly face some upheavals. with budget cuts looming, there will be some serious slimming down as the organization seeks out a revamped image and new rules. >> and you have any views on that story or any of the others we've been covering on today's gmt, we would love to hear from you. we have our own "bbc world news." facebook page, and links to the bbc news website. >> this is gmt on "bbc world news." i am george alagiah. freedom at last -- chile celebrates as all of the 33

miners are rescued. it took 22 hours to bring them all to the surface. miners are now being treated in the hospital for eye infections and dental infections. one of the man has pneumonia, but his condition is not thought to be serious. the latest business news -- i do not get this whole saga about the liverpool football club. it gets more complicated by the day. >> it is complicated. i will try to explain it. the current owners of liverpool are still trying to find -- late on wednesday, a court in texas granted them a temporary restraining order blocking the deal. it's thought that tom hicks might have sold its shares to an american hedge fund, further complicating the situation.

>> it is incredibly complicated. the temporary restraining order was given by a texas court last night. the board of the club has said that they think they can get that overturned. meanwhile, the clock is ticking on the repayment of the loan, which has to be done by tomorrow. the main creditor, the royal bank of scotland. if that does not happen, there's a possibility that this famous club could go into the beginnings of administrative proceedings. we have yet another development in the last hour that could potentially throw all that into doubt. what we have been told is that an american financial company which controls the stake in the club owned by mr. gillett could have bought the other state in the club, owned by mr. hicks. essentially, it would now be in the driving seat. the debts owed to the royal bank

of scotland -- it would be able to do with this club offensively what it wanted. we are being told there's a possibility of further injunctions being sought from the high court in the u.k. to try to negate the injunction from the texas courts. i think you are gaining a sense of how complicated this is. meanwhile, fans of this club are going like a pendulum from jubilation to despair. this has been going on for months. the clock is ticking. at the moment, we still have no resolution and no clear indication that this will come any time in the next day or so. >> did you get that? we will bring you any further developments on the story. sring your attention to george' luggage. the booming demand in asia helped the third quarter sales to $7 billion.

demand for such luxuries has recovered quite quickly from the recession. >> lvmh is home to 60 designer brands, from shoes to spirits to perfume two bags. vutton has even raised prices by 9% in thezone -- euro zone. demand has been so strong that it has taken them somewhat by surprise. they have taken on 300 more staff. they're closing stores and hour early to preserve stock ahead of christmas. experts say it is also intended to bridge the gap between prices in asia and price luis urzua is in europe. -- prices in asia and prices in

europe. >> if they find out that the same product is sold cheaper in europe, they might wait to travel to europe and buy that product, or have it shipped to them from the european online store. >> china is the number of two luxury goods market in the world. sales are up 12%, and accounting for the -- a figure is expected to grow further to $14.6 billion in the next five years. that will make it the world's top luxury market. the likes of lvmh -- france's biggest handbag maker is predicting a record year. >> a quick look at the markets. good news today among the currencies are dragging the market. the u.s. dollar fell to a 10- month low this thursday after

singapore unexpectedly tightened policy by letting its currency strengthened. that lifted the asian stocks. gold is that a record high. commodities in asia and elsewhere in europe are pushed higher off the back of those higher metals prices. it is a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. that is it for the business news. do you like that comment? >> thank you. president ahmadinejad will stand four kilometers from the israeli border today. the prospect of the controversial trip has already raised the the measure in the region. the main backer of hezbollah -- the visit could reignite the tensions that are at the present in politics in lebanon. our correspondent joins the from northern israel.

what is the reaction? >> locally, people appear to be calm. i've been speaking to farmers on the border. they say this visit by president ahmadinejad is a big show and they do not expect anything to happen. they do not expect any incidents. it is nevertheless hugely symbolic. the government of israel has responded strongly. it has said that this is a provocative visit. president ahmadinejad is described like a landlord of visiting his domain. they have been giving large sums of money to has led to rebuild villages following the war that happened just across the border in 2006. also, to rearm hezbollah, which has ab vowed to fight to see the destruction of israel. this is a provocative visit.

>> events like this can never be looked at in a vacuum. what is the impact, if any, on something like the peace process for example? >> i'm not sure there will be a direct impact on the peace process. role inmbolic of iran's the region and what an important player is in the middle east. despite the fact that it is not an arab country, is a player in lebanon through its support of hezbollah, through its support for hamas, and that is something that worries israel. it clearly worries the united states and the european union as well. the feeling is that iran is destabilizing this region and not helping to promote peace in this region. >> thank you very much. thank you.

despite the highs and lows, the world games in l.a. are coming to an end -- in dehli are coming to an end. some of the most memorable moments. >> india is gearing up for the grand finale. what memories will it leave us? let's find out. dream games almost fell apart. its missed deadlines, heavy rain, and when these pictures of the village were released, it was the last straw. >> they are appalling. thy. are filled th nobody would ever want to live in those kind of conditions. >> days before the opening, a pedestrian bridge collapse raised more fear.

this spectacular show lifted the mood. the grand opening ceremony in front of the full house, a magical evening that resurrected the games. when the competition started, the athletes perform in front of rows of empty seats. spectators stayed away. when they tried to buy tickets, there were none. this is arguably the moment that turned to the games. hockeynd pakistan's match in front of a passionate crowd. finally, india's strong performance in record levels -- they turned out to watch events in sports that have rarely

attracted much support. >> [unintelligible] this is so exciting. this is the same place where you heard the bridge is falling. i'm very proud and very confident that i'm safe. it's a great feeling. >> despite all the problems, these games have caught india's imagination. everyone here has had a good time. you can find more online at our website, bbcnews.com. >> here's a taste of what is coming up later. they will be live in chile amid the jubilation and celebration, asking what is next for the 33 miners that were trapped underground for more than two months? that is next. that is all for the moment. stay with us on "bbc world

news." there's plenty more to come. >> 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.

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