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>> hello and welcome to newsday on the bbc. >> our headlines this hour -- greece draws hundreds of millions of euros from banks. >> war crimes prosecutors say ratko mladic tried to anticly klan's much of bosnia. it is 9:00 in the morning here in singapore. >> this is newsday. >> the continuing political uncertainty in greece is not only unnerving international

markets, but also the greek public. 700 million -- million euros were withdrawn from greek banks after the elections. political leaders have failed to form a coalition and has scheduled an election for the 17th of june. david has more. >> a hand -- a handful of leaders, but no mandate. the new -- a new greek prime minister faces a challenge. the emergency government will pave the way for elections in a month's time. he will be posting prayer's -- hoping the prayer of the -- pairs of the faithful will keep the greek economy afloat until then. there was a warning direct from the central bank. the greeks have withdrawn 700

million euros from the banks according to the president. but there are no signs of bank runs despite fears that the drachma does come back, savings will collapse in value. >> i work for my money. i worry because -- the drachma. >> waiting in the wings is the left block predicted by the polls to emerge as the party of the elections. this young leader opposes the international bailout. >> our choice is to stay in europe without austerity policies. we are in favor of the euro, but without the austerity that is destroying it. >> spending cuts while keeping greece inside the euro is simply not possible according to the other major party.

the bailout deal they negotiated with the other eurozone countries and the imf requires top target to be hit first so the next loans could be released. time is running short with greek officials are warning they may run out of cash as early as next month. that will leave nothing in the coffers for pensions, salaries, and the running of the state. not a scenario to please any incoming government. >> the new french prime minister has been aiming members of his new cabinet. they wasted no time in filling the top jobs. before -- former prime minister is the foreign minister. the director of the fbi, robert mueller, has condemned recent leaks of information about an al qaeda plot to sneak a device

aboard a plane bound for the u.s. he says it damages american relationships with its own partners. >> the brazilian president has inaugurated a truce condition -- commission. it will examine 1964-1965. our correspondent has been following the story from san paulo -- sao paulo. >> other latin american countries like argentina, all of them have admitted to dictatorships in the 1960's and 1970's and they went through the commissions.

[unintelligible] this commission will have two years to produce 8 report stating what happened during those years, possibly naming the purse bric -- perpetrator up human rights. they will not have the authority to prosecute anybody there is a 1979 amnesty law. it has shielded them from being brought to court. >> the commission will not have the power to prosecute any perpetrators it may find. >> yes. this is heavily criticized by the families of the victims -- the survivors themselves. they said they wanted not just a truth commission, but a truth and justice commission. also, the military, the veterans have complained a lot

about this commission which they see as attempted revenge by the government. some were arrested and tortured during the dictatorships. she is perceived by the military as somebody from the other side. >> even if she was tortured, it is not about revenge. >> yes. that is what all members of the commission say, it is not about revenge, but about establishing true. she says it is not about hatred, but about trying to establish facts. there is little hope in brazil that any charges will be brought because of the 1979 amnesty law, which has recently

been in the supreme court. there are 140 people more or less than simply disappeared during the military rule. the families want to know where their remains are and want to have some closure. they do not hold out much hope there will be actual punishment. there is still expectation there will be closure brought to the victims as to relatives of the victims. >> ratko mladic has finally gone on trial. "that is right. the former commander of the bosnian-serb army is accused of some of the worst atrocities in europe since the second world war. mladic faced 11 charges, including the massacre of 7000 muslim boys and men. alan little reported from bosnia.

>> the living on behalf of the dead came to the hague to seek justice. and there's has been a long wait. there was something of the old ratko mladic in court today -- proud and unbound. heat seemed -- he did not speak, but he listened, focusing closely throughout. mladic led the bosnian serb army as it drove hundreds of thousands from their homes. thousands were murdered. >> they were loaded in groups of five into a bus. the bus was driven to a field and as the men were forced off the bus, they could see the bodies of those before them. they were murdered as they left the bus. >> the prosecution described a

carefully planned criminal enterprise, well-orchestrated, centrally directed, and state- sponsored. ratko mladic was at its head. the prosecutor said he was also responsible for the siege of sarajevo. snipers kept the people in a state of permanent terror. the shelling was indiscriminate. the court had a recording from 1994 of mladic boasting -- whenever i come to sarajevo, i kick the out of the turks. at this point, he appeared to suppress a laugh. but there was no playing to the gallery this time, no disruptions.

we can expect, when it comes, a vigorous defense of his own actions and, no doubt, of the honor he ceded to the serbs themselves. >> the former president of liberia, charles taylor, has told an international court that the victim would not testify against him. the claims that witnesses were threatened and bribed to testify for the prosecution. protesters in chile have called for the government to drop taxes. the government insists it will not give in and will raise up to $700 million in revenue. two patients in the united states who are paralyzed are

able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts. it allowed them to work unaided. it links a sensor implanted in the brain to a computer that can turn electrical signals and to commence. -- into commands. >> you are watching something remarkable. she is controlling a robotic arm with her thoughts. it is linked to a sensor in her brain. paralyzed from the neck down, this is the first time in nearly 15 years she has served herself a drink. [applause] she cannot talk, but was able to communicate this message -- i could not believe my eyes. i was ecstatic. i had feelings of hope and a great sense of independence.

the key to the technology is this tiny sensor. it is implanted on the surface of the brain in an area known as the motor cortex. when the patient think about moving their arms, neurons are activated and electrical signals are picked up by the center and sent to a computer, which turns them into commands. due to what those signals from the brain look like? they direct the drink to the patient's lips. >> there is a moment of truth joy, true happiness beyond the fact it was a true accomplishment. it was really a moment where we help somebody do something they had wished to do for many years. >> this tiny sensor was inserted into the arm of this robotics expert a decade ago as part of an earlier trial.

it enabled him to control a robotic clock. he said the technology could give independence to paralyzed patients. >> this will allow people to do things for themselves. switch off lights, open doors, perhaps even drive themselves around in a wheelchair. >> a scientist writing in the journal "nature" post to use the sensor to use the brain to direct paralyzed limbs and restore function. that is a distant dream, but this is a milestone in a long journey. >> live from singapore and london. still to come, why the pakistan eight government is facing opposition to lift a six month blockade in transporting nato supplies.

>> now, a quick look at what is making front-page news around the world. those 12 zeros on the cover of the guardian represent the eurozone if greece exit. an escalating diplomatic row over gibraltar has affected the diamond jubilee lunch. whites are now a minority according to the national herald tribune. for the first time, hispanics, blacks, asians, and mixed race bursts were over 50%. the pig industry has struck a breakthrough in china.

>> this is newsday on bbc. >> as political uncertainty continues in greece, hundreds of millions of euros have been withdrawn from greek banks. >> the brazilian press that has set up a commission to investigate rights abuses. a military era amnesty means there'll be no trial. the pakistani government is on the verge of lifting its six month blockade on the transport -- transport of nato goods. it is seen as an improvement in the relations between washington and islamabad. >> there are hundreds of oil

tankers sitting idle here. their drivers are desperate to get back to work in spite of the risks. >> just days before pakistan and post its blockade, he was on his way to deliver his cargo. he was shot dead by militants. they still want the nato supply route it reopened. >> forget politics, he says. we are thinking of how to feed ourselves. it is poverty that forces us to do this job. if i die in a truck like my nephew, it cannot help my poverty. there are huge numbers who feel they should not transport nato goods. tens of thousands have attended

rallies by warwick -- right wing and religious parties, calling for an end to all cooperation with the u.s. if the blockade is lifted, there will be a fury. >> the longer routes used to transport the nato supplies -- we lie down on the roads and we say drive the containers over us if you want to. >> militant groups have not -- have done much worse in the past, including attacks on convoys. the alternative routes are far more costly. many here blame america for the spelling of muslim blood. it was the death of 24 soldiers in a nato raid that caused an islamabad to block the route from nato fuel and goods. in this private freight yard behind me, there are 89 trucks.

on them, equipment, generators, even vehicles needed by troops in afghanistan. they hope these trucks will be on the road soon, but the fear is their journey will be even more dangerous due to the furious opposition here. >> malaysia has announced it will attract more students. there are many ethnic chinese that would have to study overseas. it is seen as a sign of china's brewing reached in the region. -- growing reached in the region. why is the government undertaking this initiative now? >> this is going to go a long way towards easing ethnic

tensions in the country. malaysia has a policy that favors one race over the other, but the ethnic chinese community has long complained of discrimination and that they have no chance to go to public universities, causing them to go abroad to universities in china. many of them ended up staying abroad. now they are trying to attract some of them back, as well as chinese students. these people will be crucial in increasing the rift between china and malaysia. >> jennifer, how does the population in malaysia perceive this move by the government? >> the music itself was not widely reported. it was only in the chinese- language press.

the government faces a lot of pressure when it seems to be favoring one race over the other. the government has denied they have been discriminating against the ethnic chinese. they have increased the number of university scholarships for them and the number of business opportunities for the community. what the at the chinese community is asking for is equal treatment. with the rise of china and the interest between the two countries, they think it is a sign perhaps the malaysian government is more conciliatory towards them. that they will make the policies easier that favored the ethnic chinese. the ethnic chinese community is very happy with this announcement. >> thank you so much for that update. >> robert f. kennedy jr.'s estranged wife has been found

dead at her home in new york state. because of her death is unknown. her former husband is the nephew of president john f. kennedy and senator robert f. kennedy, who were both assassinated in the 1960's. >> for police in bedford, new york, which is a few hours' drive north of new york city, a body was found at a home belonging to robert f. kennedy jr. and his former wife, mary, earlier this afternoon. there are reports it was mary kennedy and they have not confirmed or denied reports that the body was found in an apparent suicide. it was reported she was found hanged. tonight, family has paid tribute to her in a statement saying that they regret the death of their beloved sister, mary, who

they say radiant spirit will be missed by those who loved her. she had four children with her former husband robert f. kennedy and they say their hearts go out to their children who loved her without reservation. the family concerned that mary kennedy has been found dead in that house in upstate new york, but not giving any further details at this stage. we do know she suffered with drug and alcohol problems in the past. she had an incident for driving under the influence of alcohol and one for driving under the insolence of drugs. she split with her husband in 2010. >> jonathan, this is another tragedy in the troubled history of one of america's most famous families. >> yes, that is right. the kennedy dynasty has been beset by tragedy for generations. over the past several decades.

john f. kennedy, of course, assassinated as president. he was the awful of robert f. kennedy. -- uncle of robert f. kennedy jr.. robert f. kennedy jr.'s father was also assassinated. this is yet another tragedy, as you say, in a long line of events which has made up the very dramatic history of the kennedy family here in the united states. >> 18 of speed flyers have become the first to successfully descend mount everest. speed flying is a combination of [unintelligible] racing down an active volcano certainly has its risks. nt etna has a little

eruption here and there. this was her latest outburst a little over a month ago. there is snow and ice, not to mention plumes of smoke. getting to the top is an achievement itself. >> you can feel it. you can listen to the noise. you can see all the fear around us. it is a beautiful environment and beautiful feeling. i am really looking forward to it. the sky is clear. the wind is good. >> this is what he is talking about. speed flying -- a combination of pair of lighting and skiing. -- paragliding and skiing.

descending your's largest and most active volcano has its risks. it has erupted 24 times over the last year. they became the first to successfully navigate in this way. >> what a ride. you have been watching newsday from the bbc. >> a quick reminder of our morning news -- greece is dealing with its massive debt problems. apparently the prime minister has been sworn in after failing to form a coalition government. there is much more on that story at all of our stories. thanks for watching and newsday from the bbc.

>> 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. >> this is kim -- about to feel one of his favorite sensations. at shell, we're developing more efficient fuels in countries like malaysia that can help us get the most from our energy resources. let's use energy more efficiently. let's go. >> "bbc world news" was

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