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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> the most wanted man in europe. ratko mladic appears in court in serbia after more than 15 years on the run. thousands -- after being extradited to the hague, he will be on trial for genocide. a southern president says there will not war with the north. welcome to "bbc news." sliding toward civil war as battles intensify in yemen. foreign governments warned their citizens to get out. the corruption allegations within world football's governing body take a new twist.

>> welcome once again. the most wanted man in europe, on the run for 16 years. the former but unseen -- bosnian serb military commander has appeared at a special hearing in belgrade following his arrest on charges of genocide. the court judge to be in -- judged him to be in good health. mladic is accused of orchestrating the killing of thousands of people. our world affairs editor looks at the man and his reputation. >> short, stocky, and immensely powerful. he was the kind of soldier who would not ball at anything, a man perhaps without a conscience. he rose rapidly in the old yugoslav army because he was ruthlessly efficient. when lukas columbia -- when

yugoslavia broke up, he was given the job of creating the bosnian serb army. he could not have been more difficult -- more different than his political boss, they had in the clouds theorist to sometimes seemed worried -- who sometimes seem bored by casualties of the war. mladic had no such doubts. >> he considered himself the top man. he would have said that anything that happens happens because i made it happen. i will not -- he will not deny anything. he will find it hard to say he was not in command in the places where he was obviously in charge. >> most foreign correspondents who had to confront him were deeply scared of him. he beat up a reuters correspondent, and i watched him almost throttled a dutch reporter i was with. his bodyguards would have killed as both if he had given the order.

nobody on any side had any doubt about the responsibilities for the major crimes carried out by the bosnian serbs. first was the siege of sarajevo. it was like something out of the middle ages. in winter, mladic cut off supplies of fuel and food. in summer, he cut off water. the inhabitants had to endure almost daily sniping and regular mortar attacks. but the chief accusation against him remains a massacre, delivered and carefully planned, yet completely pointless from any conceivable military point of view. at the time, it seemed like genocide, pure and simple. >> he himself commanded the army that surrounded and invaded. he threatened the u.n. peacekeepers from holland.

he knew exactly what was going on. i would be very surprised if he is not found guilty of that crime, amongst others. >> this was by far the worst series of war crimes in europe in 60 years. over time, bodies have continued to emerge from the mass graves. it was an immense embarrassment that mladic has stayed free for all these years, given the unthinkably long tally of victims. john simpson, bbc news. >> the bosnian journalist was based in sarajevo during the conflict and give us his reports. >> mladic was a figure coming from a military background. we did not have much chance to see mladic even before the war, because he was a military man,

based in belgrade. but he was promoted to the function, basically, to divide my country in two. i met him several times at the airport in sarajevo. i remember more meeting mladic himself. we suffered a long time from the shelling. >> how deep for the divisions today in bosnia, due to what happened in the 1990's? >> after the peace agreements, the country divided. mladic encouraged the plan to deny bust -- to divide bosnia in at two. he might be in the hague. i feel at the moment quite a lot of cynicism and unhappiness about the current situation. it is political.

it has to do more with serbia and bosnia itself. >> are you saying that is because of the way the two communities tried to coexist? this may further inflame tensions, this arrest. >> definitely. i do not personally believe we will have again war. but it has divided the country economically. it has divided it nationally. the ethnic cleansing has been done. the people have moved. you can see the terrain has been divided. very few people returned back to their previous homes in the federation. that is what is in reality. has saidsudan's leader he will not lead his people back into conflict with the north over the disputed region of abyei. it was seized by northern troops

over the weekend but is also claimed by the south, which is destined to become an independent nation in july. this ends 27 years of civil war in which 1.5 million people died. >> with their homes still burning and --, still burning, the residents have fled the violence in abyei, an oil-rich area claimed by both northern and southern sudan. this -- it is inhabited by people from the south, and by part of the year by nomads from the north. the tension is escalating fast. northern sudanese tanks swept aside a fledgling force from the south. this comes just weeks before it southern sudan is due to declare its independence. the president of the south said they will not retaliate. >> we remain committed to peace.

if anybody thinks that the government of southern sudan is going to retaliate by attacking anywhere, they are incorrect. >> for his part, the sudanese president is reiterating his uncompromising position that abiyei belongs to the north and his forces would not withdraw. it is the local population that is caught between the violence and peacekeeping efforts. the un says tens of thousands have been forced from their homes. >> if there are no residents in the town at the moment, we can estimate that between 20,030 thousand -- 20,000 and 30,000 people are on the move. >> with the standoff showing no signs of abating, there is a

potential return to the civil war. the un is considering deploying thousands of peacekeeping troops to southern sudan after it secedes from the north in july. will grant, bbc news. >> at least 30 people have been killed in a bomb attack in northwestern pakistan. a suicide bomber was apparently targeting government buildings. taliban hasni claimed responsibility. american soldiers on foot patrol in afghanistan have been killed by a roadside bombs. there were hit by two almost simultaneous blasts that also killed two policeman. nearly 200 members of the international force have been killed so far this year. chinese officials have confirmed that kim jong il met with top leaders during a visit to china this week. state media said he saw a president hu jintao. the focus was on economic development. it was kim jong il's third trip

to china in a year. no word on specific deals for badly needed food aid. the woman arrested in saudi arabia for driving her car, in defiance of a ban on women drivers. she has been told she will have to spend another 10 days in prison. many in the kingdom believe it is unacceptable for and to drive. the woman was arrested after posting a video on the internet. her lawyer -- the lawyer said investigators need more time. the british government have told all other nationals to leave him and immediately as fighting escalates between the government and rebel forces. a full-scale civil war seems likely. presidents l.a. -- saleh has said he will not step down from power. we report on the latest developments. >> yemen is sliding toward open warfare.

these are anti-government forces in the capital today. dozens of people have been killed or wounded this week. presidential forces battled their opponents. tonight, the foreign office said it is pulling out all inessential staff. it has warned britons in yemen to get out while they can. washington, once a staunch ally of yemen's president, is not telling him it is time to go. >> weakened -- is now telling him it is time to go. >> we continue to support the departure of president saleh, who has agreed he would step down from power but consistently reneged on those agreements. >> the president does not want to leave. he is warning of civil war and an al qaeda takeover if he goes now. but opponents say it could be

civil war if he stays. parts of the capital look like a war zone today as opposition tribesman rushed to defend their leaders from presidential forces looking to arrest them. >> any mediation will not work with the president. he is a liar. >> this is why the west is worried -- al qaeda in yemen. the cia says it has more members of of qaeda than in pakistan, and is looking to exploit the chaos. >> there are a huge number of people there, living next to comparatively wealthy saudi arabia. there is a huge potential for destabilization. >> if yemen can secure a peaceful transfer of power, the civil war that has been threatened may not materialize. it risks becoming one. bbc news.

>> you are watching, bbc news. still ahead. two years after the defeat of the tamil tigers, a ceremony to be held in colombo, the sri lanka and capital. consumers in germany are being urged to avoid eating cucumbers and tomatoes after a deadly outbreak of the coal live virus. it killed at least four people and affected more than 200 others. >> usually, part of the recipe for good health, and it salad greens are off the menu for many germans. a deadly outbreak of the e. coli virus has been traced back to cucumbers from spain. the findings were in a hamburg market and prompted immediate action. >> we have published his findings as an immediate warning. we are monitoring cucumbers.

we will remove them from the food chain were necessary. we ask consumers not to eat them. >> dozens of people are in hospital in germany, trying to fight off the disease. there are signs the outbreak is spending across the continent. -- is spreading across the continent. measures are being taken in countries including denmark, sweden, and britain. it is a particularly rare strain of the virus. symptoms to watch out for include wateree diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and in rare cases a fever. spanish salad has been identified as the manner in which it entered the food chain, but how it got into the salad remains unclear. >> it is difficult to say how long the epidemic will last as we do not yet know the source of it.

we cannot exclude the possibility that more will come. >> many products have now been removed from shelves in germany. the european union is monitoring the situation. meanwhile, the spanish health ministry says an investigation will be carried out into the cause of the deadly virus. bbc news. >> this is bbc news. the headlines. former bosnian serb military commander ratko mladic appeared at a special hearing in belgrade following his arrest on charges of genocide. south sudan's leader has said he will not lead his people back into conflict with the north over the disputed region of abiya. a memorial is being held in sri lanka for fallen soldiers. this is the anniversary of the defeat of the tamil tigers.

there are recent acquisitions of possible war crimes contained in a u.n. commission report which was published last month. let us speak to a reporter in colombo. two years since the defeat of the tamil parkers. how can a huge event like this help heal some of the divisions of the past? >> that is not how it is portrayed here. it is portrayed as the commemoration of this massive victory. the government portrayed it that sri lanka was the only country to defeat terrorism. the military aspect of the victory is still integral to sri lankan politics. the leader uses that as his chief selling point. it overrides considerable concerns like the cost of living, and the concentration of power which has been enabled by constitutional amendments the leader has put through. the majority do not seem to mind

those things very much. they still credit him with the war victory. i should say that the man who led the armed forces to that victory was imprisoned by the government last year and it is imprisoned for 2.5 years. that is really because he and the president badly fell out over who should claim credit. the war doesn't resonate here very much. the military aspect of the victory and the commemoration of the fallen soldiers is uppermost in the programs. >> what about you when accusations of war crimes? how much are people talking about that instead of today's events? >> it does not overshadowed events -- it does and does not overshadowed events. there have been pro-government advertisements in newspapers describing the findings of the international panel of experts,

describing those findings as lies. the government has lashed out. on the other hand, there are maybe increasing voices being heard here, for instance from a group of prominent intellectuals known as the friday for room. they have come out with a statement that it would be a good idea for sri lanka to set up a credible domestic mechanism to look at issues of accountability for possible breaches of humanitarian law. there is not much public debate about the conduct of the armed forces in those final stages of the war. but perhaps the ground is finally beginning to shift. >> thanks very much. the british government ministers have approved sending british apache helicopters to libya. beets have different tactical capabilities than the aircraft nato is currently using. the french government has

approved use of 11 similar attack helicopters. this news emerged at the g-a summit in normandy. -- the g-8 summit in normandy. >> this is part of what david cameron calls turning up the heat on the gaddafi regime. these helicopters are faster to deploy than jets. they can hit smaller targets in urban areas with less chance of civilian casualties. that is the upside. the downside is that they are more liable to be targets themselves in a country which still has thousands of ground to air missiles. they are known and feared by the taliban in afghanistan, known by the name mosquito. that is the spin being put on that by downing street tonight. but this is not some desperate last attempt to break a stalemate. instead, they portrayed the gaddafi regime as being on the run.

colonel gaddafi himself is running from one hospital to another for safety. they hope this will deliver the final blow. >> the recent increase in violence in iraq shows how instability still threatens the country. now, the regional militia leader says he is threatening to take up arms against american troops unless they leave by the end of the year. in a rare interview, he has said he believes the united states will not stick to an agreement to withdraw its forces by january 2012. thousands of his supporters rallied in baghdad, calling for the americans to withdraw. >> in center city -- sadir city, the clerics were out in force with their supporters. these are members with the militia who fought a bitter sectarian war in the aftermath of the american-led invasion. today, they sported new

uniforms. they wore the colors of the iraqi flag -- red, white, and black. there was a slogan emblazoned across the middle. it was an attempt to turn the sectarian passed into broad national appeal. "we are in this together, the message says, against the americans. the leader made it clear this is still a fighting force to be reckoned with. >> i know the iraqi government is under a lot of pressure from the american occupiers to allow them to stay on. if the americans do not withdraw, we will reactivate our army. at the moment, their activities are frozen. if the americans stay, that will change. we are capable of resistance, and we can hit their troops and equipment as long as they are in iraq.

>> until january, the man has spent the last two years in self-imposed exile in iran. but last year's election marked a turning point in his fortunes. his party did better than expected. now he is back with a seat in parliament and a growing sense of confidence. the americans still have nearly 50,000 troops in iraq. they are nervous of iran's growing influence and have made clear they would like to keep some of them in the country beyond the end of this year. in order for that to happen, they must be invited to stay by the iraqi government. this leader portrays himself as the man who will push them out. gabriel gatehouse, bbc news. >> accusations within feet 5 have taken a new twist. -- within fifa have taken a new

trust. there have been called to investigate the president. the bbc has e-mails which appear to support allegations made against bias president jack warner. -- vice-president jack warner. >> vice president jack warner has already been accused of bribery. now new evidence claims he offered favors in turn -- in exchange for supporting england's doom world cup bid. the allegation was one of a number of claims. >> he said the thing that would lift the spirits of the people was if they could see the world cup. >> according to david treesman, there was an interest in buying the right to

show football in huge screens to show support after the devastation of the earthquake. warner writes, "before the earthquake, the owner of the rights charge $1.60 million. i can get this figure reduce substantially." he goes on to say that if he can contribute to the purchase of rights, all of haiti would be grateful. but fifa are the ultimate owners. the world governing body said, "to the best of our knowledge, fifa has not had any viewing license in haiti." it is not clear whether there will be an investigation into these allegations. with fifa already facing a raft of other crimes against senior officials, it could add on

pressure to the organization to withdraw -- to reform. >> they need to do a thorough investigation, be exceptionally transparent, and make the right decisions for football. >> the president is asking for four more years to clean up fifa. but it could take l lot longer than that to restore the governing body's reputation. >> before we leave you, a reminder of our main news. the most wanted man in america -- in europe, who has been on the run for 16 years, ratko mladic, has been arrested on charges of genocide. the court judge to be in poor health. the will decide on friday whether to resume the hearing. the bosnian president has said that extradition procedures are now taking place to extradite mr. mladic to the hague.

>> 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. >> 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" was presented by kcet los angeles.