this is bbc world news. [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation and 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? >> and now "bbc world news." >> colononel gaddafi is wanted r crimes against humanity. actions, not words, senator kerry defends operations to capture osama bin laden and calls on pakistan to capture the militants. coming up, high security in dublin on the eve of the first several visits by a british monarch to the irish republic. >> liftoff for the final launch of endeavour. >> counting down to the end of the shuttle program. it blasts off for the final

time. >> the head of the international monetary fund, dominique strauss-kahn is facing a third night in jail after being refused bail on charges of maid. ing to rape a he is being transferred to the jail in new york. is due back in court on may 20. >> in the back of a manhattan court, one of the most powerful men in the world waits to be called before a judge. >> dominique strauss-kahn. the charge is criminal sexual act in the first degree. >> dominique strauss-kahn, head of the i.m.f., front runner to

be the next french president listened to the charges against him. >> he sexually assaulted her and forcibly attempted to rape her and forced her to perform oral sex on him. >> charges that carry a sentence of 74 years in prison. he heard prosecutors of accusing him not just attempting to rape a hotel maid. they called for him to be remanded in custody. >> he has to be remanded. the people believe -- >> the defense offered to stand bail of $1 million but the judge said he must remain in jail until friday. the defense insisted he made no attempt to flee the country. >> he denies these charges. >> looking tired and unshaven. dominique strauss-kahn moved to the side of the court waiting to

be taken back to jail. in france, there is disbelief at seeing a former minister cuffed. he was protected by silence that shielded many french leaders. it is said he was warned before taking over at the i.m.f. that the culture of washington was different of france. yet in 2008, he had an affair with a subordinate at the i.m.f. and a writer alleges alleges that dominique strauss-kahn attacked her when she went to interview him and plan on filing a criminal complaint. >> this has been going on for years and years and has to go to the u.s. for the police and the justice to investigate him seriously. >> in brussels today, there were crucial talks about the crisis in the eurozone and dominique strauss-kahn was supposed to have been here.

he was a principal figure for providing bailout packages. europe's finance ministers played it down but europe is moving towards another key moment when it has to decide on further assistance for greece. dominique strauss-kahn was a crucial broker with the greek government and the enact he isn't around has introduced a new note of uncertainty into the negotiations. european officials said today the charges against him remain unproven but in the midst of a persistent debt crisis there was a real sense of planning a future without him. >> the new york correspondent for the french newspaper joins me on the line now. thank you for joining us. we have been gauging french reaction to this case and many people have been calling it unprecedented in france.

do you see it as that? >> it is a big shock in france. it's different things all together with the political tsunami and if you look at what happened in the political scene in france, he was seen as the front runner in the next presidential elections. he was supposed to announce his candidacy and according to the polls he was ahead of sarkozy in the polls, six points ahead. obviously, yes, he had a reputation as a seducer. he liked to -- he didn't like -- he had lunch with some of my colleagues that he likes flirting with women, but has nothing to do with what happened here. he has been accused of attempted rape and sexual assault. obviously, he was -- was received by big disbelief and

the pictures today of seeing strauss-kahn getting out of the police station handcuffed was a bit of a shock. as you know in france, we don't show those pictures before the person accused is convicted. and a lot of the french reacted strongly. >> we are showing on air the moment his appearance in court. you don't see these images in france but they will be on the front of the world's newspapers. and you talked about this case causing a political tsunami in france. just tell us about the image he has in french politics and with french people as well. >> he was actually pretty well liked in france. he was seen as a brilliant economist. yes, he had -- there was this

basically image of a seducer and you know, we dealt with it. he was in front -- he didn't hide behind it. but again, he was seen i guess from the flemp left, from the french left point of view as the best chance of beating sarkozy and assumed it would happen next year in the presidential elections and not going to happen anymore. >> appreciate you joining us. that is our new york correspondent for the french newspaper. the chief prosecution of the international criminal court said he has asked judges to issue arrest warrants for colonel gaddafi for crimes against humanity. the heart of the allegations reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed.

our co3 way into the city of misrata. nato war ships, a reassuring presence. we approached the harbor cautiously. gaddafi's forces have mined the area and shelled the docks, but today, it's quiet. misrata's suffering has been spectacular. the evidence of two brutal months under siege.

but now, amid the ruins, a moment of celebration. civilians emerging from their homes to mark an unlikely victory. gaddafi's forces have been driven back from misrata, at least for now. the remains on display as a monument to one man's cruelty. >> we decided that the best way to make misrata. my father's house was destroyed and tried to get my cousin out. >> today, like everyone else here, he is digest ing the news that colonel gaddafi may be indicted for international war crimes. he has particular reason to care. on friday, a missile landed in his children's bedroom and lost his three-year-old daughter and

baby son. >> i want gaddafi to be killed and then changes his mind and says, no. he must be put on trial. >> gaddafi forces have been pushed well back from misrata and the city is no longer in range of his rockets. nato and its air strikes have played a role here, but the challenge is to find a way now to build on that success. for now the rebels say they have no plans to do more than protect their ruined city. britain is calling for an intensification of the air campaign across libya. it will need that and more to break the wider deadlock here. andrew harding, bbc news, misrata. >> delicate time for relations and senator kerry is in pakistan to meet the country's leaders.

the ties have been strained after the killing of osama bin laden with politicians calling for a serious review of cooperation between the two countries. we have reports from the pakistani capital. >> after so much tough talk from pakistan and the united states about reviewing their relationship in recent days, it was john kerry who was entrusted with taking things forward and publicly at least, we are told his visit passed off productively but had a clear message to the pakistanis that criticized the raid that killed osama bin laden. >> my goal in coming here was not to apologize for what i consider to be a triumph against terrorism of an unprecedented consequence. my goal has been to talk with the leaders here about how to manage this critical relationship more effectively. >> pakistani leaders focused on the fact that the operation

happened without their permission. senator kerry assured them in the future that america would work together with pakistan against high profile targets but he brought a tough message from washington where there are many who believe that osama bin laden presence here that pakistan knew of his presence. united states has billions of dollars committed to pakistan. this is one institution being built but there are huge civil projects as well. just over the last couple of weeks we heard voices from washington calling for cuts in that funding unless pakistan does more to cooperate. >> it is one of the major tools that the americans can use on pakistan to get the kind of cooperation that they want. that, and of course, there is of course now the element of the american military and special forces to be used against pakistan without consent of the

leadership of pakistan. >> police pulled up along side this car shooting dead a saudi diplomat. a country which stripped bin laden of his citizenship. as pakistan likes to remind the outside world, it is stuck between the pressure of the united states on one side and the militants on the other. >> you are watching "bbc news." strauss-kahn, we'll talk to legal experts about the case. >> in kenya, one of the athletes has died at the age of 24. he won olympic gold and had his sights on 2012. >> home where wan sir you's life

. he was with a woman. the police say the athlete was found on the ground with a broken skull. >> he fell or jumped from the first floor of a house and body was found. >> some question how a fit athlete could have died falling from a fairly low height. wanjiru had a turbulent relationship with his wife. he was accused of threatening his wife's life, illegal possession of a firearm and assault. some suspect his relative wealth contributed to his domestic problems. wanjiru had a lot of problems off the track but speak to his fellow athletes and coaches and

they paint a picture of a sportsman who was dedicated and had the medals to prove it. a gold medal at the beijing olympics in record-breaking time. an event that made kenyans extremely proud. >> he is closing in. >> and success in the chicago marathon and in london where he recorded the quickest time ever. >> new personal best and a new course record. >> wanjiru had his eyes set next year in london and breaking the two-hour mark and died at the age of 24 with a promising career still ahead of him. >> you are watching "bbc news." reminder of the headlines. head of the international monetary fund, strauss-kahn, was remanded in custody in new york where he is facing charges of

sexual assault. chief prosecutor for the chief criminal court requests an arrest warrant against gaddafi for crimes against humanity. more now on our top story and dominique strauss-kahn case. we have a professor from old dominion university in washington and i asked him whether strauss-kahn might claim diplomatic immunity. >> it is somewhat complex because we never saw someone from this high level facing this kind of criminal charges. many diplomats faced these problems before and caused all kinds of problems with the public when they get off because of diplomatic immunity. but this case will be a little bit different. because there is a significant question of what kind of

immunity he might have and the big question is whether he has absolute immunity is what we would expect from an ambassador or say he is immune engaged in the actions connect todd his job. >> of course whether or not he was on a business trip will also be a factor in considering his immunity, will it not? >> kind of an expansive view that says as long as you are traveling on business, you have this kind of bubble of immunity that follows you around. there is a narrower view that says when you are traveling there are certain things that look like business and certain things that don't and frankly the possibility of chasing and assaulting a woman in your hotel room doesn't usually count. >> one reaction is this having in his home country? we have been hearing some thoughts, but in privacy laws

there are stringent laws. there has been immense shocking response to these allegations. >> he was one of the best known and most respected of french politicians, a socialist finance minister and oversaw a program of privatization, a clear sign of his appeal across the divide. he is an influential player in the global economy. all seemed set fair for a presidential bid. alone on the left, he had the clout and the stature to offer a serious challenge to president sarkozy. beneath the smiles, another side of strauss-kahn has been little reported. it was an open secret that he was compulsively interested in women, but no one could have predicted this. on the left, it is devastating

moment ampingseous to revive their presidential hopefuls, they have to separate the personal from the political. >> i told him to keep his eye on 2012. we have our commitment to meet the change. we are not weakened. >> the big winner from the scandal is the right. the national front leader, it's a god send opportunity to drive home her message that in the political elite this they are all rotten. >> the image of my country around the world is absolutely terrible because the image of the whole of france will be affected by this arrest. >> as for president sarkozy, this is a boost, but a relative one. his most potent challenger is gone and left is in disarray but the president is still unpopular and another year to the

elections, plenty of time for the socialists to rediscover their poise and another potential contender. >> queen aliz bigot will begin her -- queen elizabeth will begin her visit to ireland. the biggest security operation ever seen in ireland is being mounted for the visit amidst concern that dissident republicans might try to disrupt events and issued a bomb warning earlier on monday. we have the details. >> in the heart of london, bringing widespread disruption, a police officer spotted something suspicious including a disturbed manhole cover and turned out to be a false alarm. but yesterday, police received a bomb threat. all officers are being extra vigilant. it's the same in dublin where the queen is due to arrive at

lunch time tomorrow. they will check every road, every drain, every blade of grass and the places where the queen will visit. >> our air corps will be involved in policing the airspace and maritime security and the army will be deployed in significant numbers. >> can you hear us loud and scleer? >> there have been protests by hardline republicans. even though they have been small, the authorities aren't taking any chances. dozens of roads are closed, 5,000 police officers are on duty. many of the streets affected are in dublin city center. everywhere you look, there is a security barrier. in total, there are 20,000 of them. the restrictions have annoyed some people but not everyone. >> we are expecting to get a lot of people from england.

it should boost business. >> at the minute they are focused on preventing terrorism. how concerned is ireland's prime minister? >> we have had global issues in terms of american presidents, the pope, whatever and security measures are put in place to deal with that and the situation applies in the preparation of the visit of the queen. >> the threat from dissident republicans is lower in the u.k. but the authorities are in higher alert. >> in egypt, the wife of former president mubarak has agreed to hand over assets to the state after being detained on saturday part of a corruption investigation. he will hand over a villa and some money. she faces allegations of illegally acquiring wealth.

louisiana floodwaters from the mip river are threatening thousands of homes and farms as much as six meters of water. flood gates are being opened to channel away water from new orleans. the american space shuttle endeavour has lifted off on its final mission. it was delayed for two weeks. it was gatched by congresswoman giffords who was shot in the head in january. her husband is the shuttle commander. >> four, three, two, one, zero and liftoff. >> thundering into a bright florida morning, the space shuttle endeavour blasted off on its final mission as cheers rang off. the shuttle disappeared into low clouds. spectacular sight for the tens

of thousands. >> how are you guys doing down there? >> the cargo is holding the most expensive scientific experiments in nasa history, a building block of i universe. during the mission, the crew will deliver parts to the international space station and carry out the last space walk. >> the final flight, we are going to wait for it to come home and celebrate in some special way but today waist all about getting the countdown right and getting the crew off safely and we are proud. >> for mark kelly, this mission holds a special meaning. his wife, arizona congresswoman giffords was given an all clear to attend the launch and said to have made remarkable progress since being shot in january. when it returns to earth, it will be sent to a museum in

california leaving one working shuttle in the fleet. they are hoping to take over supplying the space shuttle. few doubt the importance shuttles have played in human exploration. >> it will be missed. i don't think you don't know what you have until it's gone and the capability that the space shuttle has, there are none like it in the world. but the legacy of the shuttle, the importance of it won't be lost and i don't think it will be lost moving into the next program as well. >> this is the beginning of the end. when endeavour returns, there will be only one left, space shuttle atlantis due to launch in the summer. 30 years of space history will end then. >> the head of the international monetary fund strauss-kahn is spending a third night in jail after being refused bail by a court in new york on charges including of trying to rape a

hotel chamber maid. stay with us. you are watching "bbc news." >> see the news unfold and get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports, going to bbc.com/news to explore bbc world news online. >> funding was made possible by -- [funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation and 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" is presented by kcet, los