World News: Frail Ratko Mladic in court as extradition moves begin

After 16 years on the run, a frail Ratko Mladic was hauled before a judge in the first step towards charges for international war crimes, including the 1995 slaughter of 8000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.

Mladic was arrested by intelligence agents yesterday in a pre-dawn raid at a relative's house in a village in northern Serbia.

The act was trumpeted by the government as a victory for a country worthy of European Union membership.

Mladic, 69, one of the world's most-wanted fugitives, was commander of the Bosnian Serb army during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, which killed more than 100,000 people.

He walked haltingly into a closed-door extradition hearing in Belgrade last night, where he asserted through his lawyer that he would not answer to the authority of the UN tribunal.

Mladic's lawyer, Milos Saljic, said the judge cut short the questioning because his client's "poor physical state" left him unable to communicate.

Deputy war crimes prosecutor Bruno Vekaric said Mladic was taking a lot of medicine, but "responds very rationally to everything that is going on".

Residents flee Yemen street battles

Fighting spilled across Yemen's capital and frightened residents fled or cowered in basements as a powerful militia alliance warned embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh to either step down or face civil war.

At least 28 people were killed as the four-day death toll neared 110.

Yesterday's bold ultimatum reflected the growing confidence among the opposition forces

US bids to heal Pakistan rift

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan today to repair badly-frayed relations after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The United States wants to soothe nerves and hurt feelings following the raid nearly a month ago by US Navy SEALs on bin Laden's compound.

Man tells of swamp ordeal

A COLOMBIAN university head said he ate plant stems and drank urine to survive four days trapped in a Louisiana swamp.

Francisco Piedrahita, 65, from Cali, was spotted from a plane several hundred yards from one of the trails where he had gone to photograph ducks on Saturday.

Soldiers 'will be protected'

Sri Lanka's leader has vowed to protect the country's armed forces from possible international action over allegations of human rights violations during a military campaign to end the island-nation's 26-year civil war two years ago.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a ceremony today marking the second anniversary of the war victory that his forces adhered to international human rights law as they fought separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

Doc 'infected 50 with Hep C'

An Australian doctor was charged today with endangering his patients' lives after police said he infected nearly 50 women with hepatitis C at an abortion clinic.

James Peters, 61, who worked as an anaesthesiologist at the Melbourne clinic, was charged with 54 counts including conduct endangering life.