>> this is bbc world news america. i am matt frei. dominique strauss-kahn is denied bail. trials of war. the prosecutor seeks to put colonel gaddafi on trial. new evidence on the suffering of the libyans. an endeavor -- the space shuttle endeavor's final flight. -- space shuttle endeavour final flight. >> until saturday night,

dominique strauss-kahn was one of the most powerful names as head of the imf and possibly the next president of france. he is in jail in new york charged with the attempted rape of a made in a manhattan hotel. his lawyers insist he is innocent, but his career is in shambles. >> in the back of a manhattan court, one of the most powerful men in the world which to be called before a judge. >> dominique strauss-kahn. step up, mr. kahn. >> dominique strauss-kahn, head of the imf, front-runner to be the next french president, listed in detail to the charges against him. >> he sexually assaulted her and attempted to forcibly raped her. when he was unsuccessful, he forced her to perform oral sex

on him. >> he hurt prosecutors accuse him of not just attending to rate a hotel maid, they were investigating similar contact on a previous occasion. it called for him to be remanded in custody. >> he has every incentive and resources to leave. the people believe -- >> the defense offered to put up bail of $1 million. the defense insisted he had made no attempt to flee the country. >> he denies these charges. he is presumed innocent. >> looking tired, dominique strauss-kahn -- dominique strauss-kahn moved to the side of the court. there is this belief in seeing a foreign minister handcuffed. he was protected by a silence that has shielded many french

leaders. it is said he was warned before taking over the imf that the culture in washington was different from that of france. in 2008, he had an affair with a subordinate at the imf. a writer alleges dominique strauss-kahn attacked her when she went to interview him. she is planning to file a criminal complaint. >> this man has been around for years and years. he has to go to the u.s. for the police and justice to investigate him seriously. >> in brussels today, there were crucial talks about the crosses -- about the crisis in the year rose on. dominique strauss-kahn was expected to be here. he was critical in the talks on the bailout packages for greece and portugal. europe is moving toward another key moment when it has to decide on further assistance or greece.

dominique strauss-kahn was a crucial broker with the greek government. the fact that he is not around has introduced a new note of uncertainty into the negotiations. the charges against the imf head remained unproven. there was a sense of planning and future without him. >> for more on how this story is going to die, christopher is story ishristopher- -- going to night, christopher is with us. >> this is a thunderbolt. this is something that has struck out of the sky and devastated french politics. >> when we say he was a front line presidential contender, could he have one bank the presidency of france?

>> everybody expected that he would. you have to understand how incredibly on popular president nicolas sarkozy is here. his approval ratings are below 30%. if he was not able to recoup 20 points on that in the next year, there is no reason to believe he could, it was going to be a walkover for strauss-kahn. he was going to probably win in the first round and the second round. all of the polls show that and there is every reason to expect that to happen. now there is every reason to expect that his presidential ambitions are completely finished. >> the french are tolerant of the sexual peccadilloes of its former presidents. in this case, we are talking about something a bit more serious. is that the way the french public is seeing it? >> yes. we are talking about something a lot more serious. it seems like everyone in french

politics is having an affair with everyone else. this is quite different. this is a powerful man alleged to have taken advantage or to have tried to take advantage of a powerless woman. there is nothing seductive about rapes. he had a reputation of a -- as a great lover of women. this is alleged criminal behavior and it is seen that way in france. >> is there anyone in france who believes that the american authorities, by subjecting him of handcuffs, that they have been overstepping things or do in just the right? >> i think there is some resentment of that. he is not being treated with any dignity at all. given that none of the allegations have been proven, he is being treated as if he is a convicted criminal. that is resented by many french

people. there is also a sense that a lot of information came out about this case even before he was formally arrested. that is not that unusual in the american press. in france, it was seen as a kangaroo court before the man had charges brought against him. there is resentment about that. >> finally, president sarkozy must be relatively happy tonight. >> yes. although people are so suspicious of president sarkozy that already they are asking questions about whether this is a set up of some kind. the sarkozy have been behind it? there is no evidence to support that conspiracy theory, but that does not mean it is not being promulgated. >> the prosecutor of the

international criminal court is trying to get an arrest warrant for colonel gaddafi on charges of crimes against humanity. at the heart of the allegations are the city of mitrati. andrew harding is the only foreign television journalist currently in that city. >> a slow boat to trouble. we have hitched a ride with libya's rebels. it is the only way into the besieged city. nato warships, a reassuring presence. we approach the harbor cautiously. colonel gaddafi's forces have mined the area and shelled the docks. today, it is quiet. this city's suffering has been

spectacular. on every street, the evidence of two will tell months under siege. but now, amid the ruins, a moment of celebration. civilians finally emerging from their homes to mark an unlikely victory. gaddafi's forces have been driven back. at least for now. the remains of his aerial bombardment on display. >> we decided the best way to make -- was by long-distance shelling. >> today, like everyone else here, this man is digesting the news that colonel gaddafi might be indicted for international

war crimes. he has particular reason to care. on friday, a missile landed in his children's bedroom. he lost his 3-year-old daughter and baby son. >> i want gaddafi to be killed, he says. then changes his mind. no, he must be put on trial. over the last couple of days, colonel gaddafi's forces have been pushed well back. the city is no longer in range of his artillery and rockets. nato air strikes have played a decisive role here. the challenge is to find a way to build on that success. for now, the rebels say they have no plans to do more than protect their ruined city. do you need nato? >> in front of us? yes, definitely. >> britain is calling for an intensification of the campaign

across libya. it will need that and more to break the deadlock here. >> incredible pictures. u.s. senator john kerry is a veteran of diplomacies. he dilemmas assurance and reprimand in equal measure. defending the raid which killed osama bin laden, john kerry said he was there to rebuild the trust. >> after so much tough talk from pakistan and the united states about revealing their relationship in recent days, it was john kerry who was entrusted with taking things forward. publicly, his visit passed off productively. he had a clear message for those pakistanis who criticized the raid that killed 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 leader's focus heavily on the fact that the operation happened without their permission. john kerry assured them that in the future, america would work with pakistan against high- profile targets. there was a tough meccas - a tough message from washington. the u.s. has billions of dollars of eight committed to pakistan. this is one institution being -- aid committed to pakistan. this is one institution being built. we have heard lots of choices from washington calling for cuts in funding unless pakistan does

more to cooperate. >> it is one of the major tools americans can use on pakistan to get the kind of cooperation they want. >> in karachi today, police said gunmen on a motorbike pulled beside his car and shot a diplomats dead. -- a diplomat dead. pakistan like to remind the world that they are stuck between the united states on one side and the militants on the other. >> that was four seconds of cool. that is what one observer described the liftoff of the space shuttle endeavour. after weeks of delay, the spacecraft finally took to the skies for the last time. and era is coming to a close.

>> 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 and lift off for the final launch of endeavour. >> cheers rang ourt across the kennedy space center. tens of thousands turned out for one last glimpse of the iconic spacecraft. endeavour's cargo is holding the most expensive experiment in nasa postal history. during its 16 day mission, the crew will deliver parts to the international space station. it will carry out the last space walk. >> we are going to wait for endeavour to come home and we will celebrate in a special way. today was getting the countdown

right and get the crew of safely. we did that and we are proud of that. >> for mark kelly, this mission holds a special meaning. his wife, gabrielle giffords, was given the all clear to attend the launch. she is said to have made remarkable progress since being shot in january. when the space shuttle returns, it will be sent to a museum in california. it is hoped that private companies will take over supplying the space station was the shuttle program ends. >> i think that you don't ever really know what you have until it is gone. the capability that the space shuttle has, there are none like it in the world. the legacy of the shuttle and the importance of it will not be lost. i do not think that will be lost when we move to the next program. >> this is the beginning of the

end when endeavour returns in 16 days. when that happens, 30 years of space history will end. >> in the state of louisiana tonight, thousands of residents are bracing for their homes to be flooded. it is the first time in more than 35 years that the measure has been taken. in japan, they are still recovering from their own tragedy. two months after a tsunami struck, the cleanup of debris has barely begun. we have a report on the daunting task. >> volunteers are cleaning houses one by one. this house was flooded up to the ceiling. the old couple that lived here survived. like many in the area, they want to move back. it is a huge job because there

are thousands of houses like this. >> it is a big town. many houses. we do not know when we will finish. >> everything in the town was smashed and mainmangled. it has to be moved before the local people can get back on their feet. this is to have 40 trucks. the tsunami destroyed all but three. the wreckage has been gathered into huge piles. it has been estimated to be the equivalent of an entire century's worth of household rubbish. this is just a temporary measure. it is in the city center. the question is what to do with it. in the valley, the local council has set up a new dump.

the hope was it could be used for a year. but already, it is nearly full. >> it must be a national effort. we need to recycle and get rid of this stuff now. the government has not come up with a detailed plan yet. >> dealing with the debris left behind by the disaster has become one of japan's biggest challenges. people are desperate to get back to their old neighborhoods. until the mounds of rubbish can be removed, there is no hope of starting to rebuild. >> the ongoing cleanup in japan. you are watching bbc world news america. as the queen prepares to make history as the first richest monarch to visit the republic of ireland, security goes to great lengths to keep her business safe.

in kenya, one of the world's elite athletes has died. he won olympic gold in beijing, but he had his share of troubles. >> the home where sammy's life ended so young. the police say the athlete was found on the ground with a broken skull. >> he jumped from the first floor of his house. he was badly injured. >> investigations continue. some question how a thick athlete could have died falling from a fairly low high -- fit athletes could have died from falling from a fairly low height.

he was charged with threatening his wife's life. some think his wealth through prize money contributed to some of his problems. sammy had a lot of problems of of the track. speak to his coaches and you get a picture of a sports fan who was extremely dedicated. to proveethe medals it. >> he is closing in on the finish line. >> there was also success in the chicago marathon and in london, where he recorded the quickest time. sammy had his eyes set on the olympics in london. he died at the age of 24 with a promising career still ahead of him. will ross, bbc news, nairobi.

>> in london today, security was tightened around key landmarks and sweeps were conducted across the city after a bomb threat was issued. the threat did not contain a specific time or location, but it occurred one day before the queen is scheduled to visit ireland. our special correspondent reports on the historic achievement is to visit represents. >> the symbol of the british crown carries a heavy burden. the fight against the crown is ireland's founding narrative. >> ireland summons her children to her flat and fights for her freedom. >> the guard of remembrance commemorates the eighth threat against the crown. it is that close ,-- a threat

against the crown. it is that close, that personal. some consider it an act of contrition for what british- ruled did here. >> the symbolism of the crown does call for some recognition. >> when george and mary came here in 1911, they were warmly welcomed. within a few years, everything changed. the republican rising was suppressed by king george. irish opinion turned sharply against the crown. the queen will also come here to the gaelic football stadium. in 1920, irish republicans murdered one dozen british agents in dublin. later the same day, british

troops came here during a football match. british troops entered the stadium through a gate in that corner. they ended up firing indiscriminately into the crowd and killed 14 people and wounded hundreds of others. it became known as bloody sunday. it galvanized ireland and all the latest opinion in britain. it's sealed the fate of british rule in ireland. -- it sealed the fate of the british rule in ireland. >> he never spoke about what he did. just before he died, he had his gun and he kept it in a shoebox. he threw it into the river near here. he told his wife that he did not wanted anything to do with this anymore. >> the partition of ireland in 1921 cast its shadow for nearly

80 years. only with the reform of the northern ireland police force was the last obstacle to a full state visit removed. >> the ruc was anathema to nationalist ireland north and south. that was the key issue, the crucial issue. it was not the prisoner issue and the decommissioning of arms. to bring total normality and stability in a way that could be respected and honored by everyone. it was the policing issue. >> it was something almost nobody thought possible years ago. >> this puts a ceiling on the relationship that was sour-- a seal on a relationship that was sour and is no longer sour. i cannot think of anything that

is of equal significance. >> i land still honors those who fought the british and fell -- ireland still honors those who fought the british and fell. alan little, bbc news, dublin. to find out much more on the queen's visit, visit the bbc website. >> you can follow me and my colleagues on twitter. that does it for tonight's broadcast. i am matt frei. thank you so much for watching. see you tomorrow.

>> 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 america" was

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